Crawford and Company has introduced a new soil management policy designed to promote sustainable soil management in the aftermath of a polluting incident.

Developed by the Crawford Environmental Consultancy team in the UK, the Zero to Landfill policy forms part of the team’s wider commitment to promoting effective environmental project management that places greater value on efficiency and sustainability.

Working closely with specialist contractors, waste brokers and treatment centres across the UK, the team employs a diverse range of in-situ treatment programmes for contaminated soils to help mitigate the requirement for offsite disposal, which is both costly and environmentally damaging. Where on-site treatment is not possible, contaminated soil is transported to the nearest viable treatment center for remediation to agreed safe levels for re-use.

Commenting on the policy, Michelle Tucker, sustainability manager, UK and Ireland, at Crawford, said: “It is critical that organisations address the standard ‘direct to landfill’ approach for dealing with contaminated soil. Through our Zero to Landfill policy, we now offer a programme which can be more cost-effective given landfill taxes and enhances the environmental and sustainability credentials of companies, ultimately supporting efforts to reduce carbon emissions and the wider impacts of climate change. We see this very much as a ‘win-win’ approach.”

Effective soil management is a critical component of efforts to reduce climate change and restore degraded soil diversity. Studies show that over £2bn a year is spent by the construction and engineering sectors in the UK alone to dispose of waste soil, much of which is sent to landfill rather than being repurposed.

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