Material Re-Use Suitability Assessment

Name: Ruddlesden Geotechnical
Price range: $

The re-use of on-site and/ or off-site materials, to minimise the amount of off-site disposal of soil and import of materials, can significantly affect the success and viability of a development project.

If carried out at an early stage, with careful planning, the cut and fill proportions can often be successfully managed to minimise earth movements and off-site disposal, if the nature of the cut (excavated) materials is understood.

Ruddlesden geotechnical is able to carry out materials testing on the soil and provide recommendations for its suitability for re-use as general fill or engineering fill, as part of an earthworks specification.

Earthworks testing is often carried out in conjunction with a DoWCoP Materials Management Plan, to minimise off-site soil disposal and ultimately reduce development costs.

Case Study

Earthworks Materials Suitability Assessment Enables Re-Use of Site-Won Soils, Devon

A materials suitability assessment was undertaken as part of a wider geotechnical investigation and contaminated land assessment for a proposed residential development site in Torbay. Due to the site’s topography, significant amounts of cutting and filling were to be required to make the site suitable for development. Trial pitting was undertaken to ascertain the thickness, composition and type of materials present in the areas of proposed cut. Representative samples were taken for laboratory classification testing. On receipt of the laboratory test results, the materials were classified in accordance with Specification for Highway Works: Series 600: Earthworks, to determine whether the materials were suitable for their proposed end use. Ruddlesden’s report helped the developer assess the relative cost and viability of using site-won material, in lieu of importing large quantities of engineered fill and exporting excavated material to landfill unnecessarily.