Waste Management

Various options are available to manage the waste materials. Determining the best option that suits your project specific requirements is ECOTERRA’s specialty. Our services encompass all aspects of solid waste management services including characterization, analytical review, facility selection, regulatory approvals, transportation and disposal, and on-site logistics.

The benefit of ECOTERRA being both a consulting and contracting company cannot be understated because it will reduce the cost and time frame of remedial services.

ECOTERRA staff has decades of experience managing waste materials. We have managed every possible waste stream and subsurface fill materials exist in NY/NJ metro and surrounding area. Our engineers, scientists, geologists, and managers are well-versed in geological & manmade make-up of the subsurface conditions of Northeastern states.

With this in-depth knowledge, ECOTERRA has developed “out of box” approach for management of waste streams. Unlike common industry practice, ECOTERRA partners with clients at very early stage. Our engagement starts with bid support (i.e. pre-bid walk to bid document reviews), site investigation, waste characterization and waste disposal. ECOTERRA has in-house capabilities to provide these services. We know the city/state/federal regulations, disposal facility requirements and limitations. We have developed a unique database which includes the acceptance criteria of various facilities, acceptable material types, facility specific acceptance limitations such as sizing, moisture content, debris content etc. Soil analytical results are compared against this database. The output of this intelligent system is a summary chart listing applicable facilities and overall transportation & disposal cost for each sample area/grid/project.

Bid Support
As in every case, bid details cause contractors to win or lose. At ECOTERRA, we realize that bid specifications do not always clarify the exact wastes in question, and we can assist with making that determination. Here are some of the factors we consider when reinforcing a competitive bid:

• Availability of necessary Waste Characterization Data
• Categories of Waste
• Site history, location and volume of Waste
• Identification of most suitable Disposal Facility; Economical & Regulatory Compliant
• Project Schedule for removal of Waste
• Project special waste handling requirements/restrictions
• Type of transportation required

Review Site Investigation Reports

• Perform in-depth review of environmental and geotechnical investigation reports.
• Identify potential “Hot Spots” which may require special handling while development of the subject property.
• Understand the quality of subsurface material for proper characterization.
• Firsthand view of the subsurface conditions.

Waste Classification & Sampling Guidance

• Develop waste characterization sample locations and/or grids map to ensure that sample area covers in-situ/ex-situ excavation area in its entirety; both horizontally and vertically.
• Provide guidance and scope for waste classification sampling; reducing & eliminating the need for resampling and/or additional sampling to manage the waste properly.
• Provide Hybrid Sampling Protocol with sampling frequency, descriptions, collection and analysis methodology guidance.
• Provide overall sampling oversight and guidance, eliminating frustration of missing analysis for approval of waste streams.

WC Data Review, Disposal Facility Selection & Approvals

• Provide detailed WC results review summary tables for waste classification and approvals.
• Compare data to treatment, disposal and/or Beneficial Use (BU) facilities permits & acceptance criteria.
• Review of facility permits to identify the specific types of wastes the facility can accept, note any facility restrictions; assist in cross approval into multiple facilities.
• Designate material to the appropriate facility based on acceptability and economics.
• Consider generator preferences on final disposal facilities and required certifications (certificate of disposal, recycling, destruction, etc.).
• Provide guidance for required approval and compliance reviews and develop the approval packages for all materials.
• Review profiles for accuracy and completeness.
• Arrange disposal facility approvals (approval letter) for specific analytical data sets.
• Submit approval packages to 3rd party engineers or regulatory agencies for approval.

Eco Grid Matrix

• Eco Grid Matrix has been conceived on the principal of most economical yet ecological solutions for soil disposal. Once project samples have been collected, and the analytical has been reviewed, our environmental team will develop a detailed “color-coded” Grid map and approval Matrix for your entire project site. The benefits of this service are phenomenal and the options are unparalleled in the industry.
• Color-coded Grid map and approval Matrix are two separate but parallel documents. Color-coded grid map is created in which the project site is broken down into grids. Each grid is cross-referenced into approval Matrix for eligibility into multiple disposal facilities and/or beneficial use sites. Those results are then analyzed to consider time, cost, and location, ultimately giving our customer the best disposal location for each grid. End product is very simplified color-coded grid map and approval matrix detailing out approved volume, facility, special handling instructions and notes for each sample grid.

Benefits of Eco Grid Matrix

• Consider this as an on-site management tool. Our customers are able to use our color-coded Grid map and approval Matrix to assist with project management. These documents (Grid Map and Approval Matrix) are made simple enough for daily use by construction/project management teams while managing off-site disposal.
• Eco Grid Matrix is developed to put off-site disposal operations on “auto pilot”. Same documents are also shared with selected disposal facilities so there is a uniformity in the daily communication process.
• It provides the maximum number of disposal outlets per grid to determine the most cost effective solutions.
• This system maintains a master facility approval list that allows the customer and their team to identify all the available treatment, recycling, or disposal options for every grid at the project site.
• Establishes horizontal and vertical boundaries for each Grid and provides cross approval into various facilities.
• Identifies & Isolates “Hot Spots” (commonly referred into project documents for Petroleum, PCBs, and Hazardous impacted materials) that is a key factor to saving money.
• Reduces the customer’s environmental liability.
• Identifies facilities that can accept the material and corresponding costs. This allows our customers to estimate how much time will be needed to remove the soil from the site ultimately saving time and money.

Excavated Material Disposal Plan
The Excavated Material Disposal Plan (EMDP), aka Soil Disposal Plan, Material Handling Plan, Waste Management Plan; sets the foundation for a project’s waste remediation plan. The purpose of this document is to address the management of all identified waste streams, from sampling through waste disposal records.  The EMDP allows our customers to have a clear understanding of all the moving parts and details of their specific remediation project.

This environmental support is provided on projects for small to mid-size contractors and/or general contractors who are not equipped to handle such services internally or do not have an in-house environmental division. Excavated Material Disposal Plans (EMDP) are typically required in the bidding process by mainly City/State agencies such as NYSCA, Sanitation Department, Port Authority, NY/NJ DOT, NJTP etc.

ECOTERRA can assist customers in preparation of such documents required by city/state agencies as part of their contractual requirement. ECOTERRA has qualified personnel to undertake this responsibility to help our customers fulfill their contractual needs.

The following support can be provided under the EMDP preparation:

• Soil testing/sampling/gridding
• Data Review/Evaluations
• Waste Characterization
• Report Preparation/Documentations
• Facility Approvals
• Transportation Plan
• Certifications