Clean fill is waste that is not contaminated, not water soluble and not decomposable. Types of clean fill materials include rock, soil, used asphalt, concrete, block and brick. Basically, most waste materials that fit the criteria from construction or demolitions sites that are not included in other wastes are clean fill.
It is important that the clean fill is properly managed in order to prevent any abuse of the system. It should always meet the local area's relevant rules and regulations. There is also a need to have a permit that is recognised in your area such as the Solid Waste Management Act permit. These permits will cover you and your business during the transportation, storage, processing, placement and management of the clean fill.
Here is some information on how to adequately determine if your waste materials fit into the clean fill category and advice on how to properly manage the process.
Determining if certain waste products are suitable for clean fill
First and foremost, all materials need to pass the environmental regulations that are set out by the area's governing bodies. Climate change and global warming has increased the awareness in recent years of the detrimental impact that environmentally unfriendly wastes can have.
A due diligence process needs to be carried out in order to determine if the wastes meet these environmental requirements. Once there is no evidence of unregulated substances being present, they can be classified as clean fill.
A common mistake that people make it categorising decomposable material such as wooden materials as being clean fill material. There are specific waste guidelines in place for these materials but they aren't clean fill.
Managing the clean fill process
In most areas, you don't need a waste permit in order to be able to use clean fill materials in different uses on your construction site, however you do need to have the relevant environmental permit. Any person or business that fails to comply may face heavy penalties.
If there is an incident whereby clean fill has been contaminated by the release of certain substance that is a contaminant, it is vital that the origin of this substance is located and dealt with. This will prevent more contamination from occurring in the future.
A proper analysis needs to be completed by an objective professional who will provide you with the necessary certification if you have passed the required standards. It is important that the owner retains this certification and the results of the tests as they will be asked to procure them in the future.
For more information about clean fill, contact a company like Eastern Plant Hire.
