The SUEZ-Ventia soil processing facility is located within the Taylors Road Landfill in Melbourne’s south-east.
SOIL TREATMENT: LEAVING
NO TRACE BEHIND
THE SUEZ-VENTIA CONTAMINATED SOIL PROCESSING FACILITY IN MELBOURNE’S SOUTHEAST FACILITATES ZERO-RESIDUE TREATMENT OF CONTAMINATED SOILS. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTIGATES THE SUSTAINABLE SOIL MANAGEMENT OPTIONS THE SITE OFFERS TO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.
T
he issue of land contamination and the risks it poses to safe and efficient handling of infrastructure projects has been brought to the spotlight recently, particularly with the development of two events last year. First was the high-profile case of Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel project, where disputes over how to manage the project’s waste, some of which was contaminated with potential carcinogens called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), delayed the project’s expected delivery by at least two years and led to nearly $2 billion in cost blow-outs. While in this case, after much consideration for the environmental 44
ROADS MARCH 2022
impacts, a decision was reached to dispose nearly three million tonnes of contaminated rock and soil from the project in a landfill facility, there has been growing support within the industry for re-use and recycle of contaminated soil as a more sustainable option. Moreover, new environmental legislation from the Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has significantly shifted the regime of risk associated with soil containing asbestos, PFAS and other chemicals on major property and infrastructure projects. Amendments to the Environment Protection Act (2017) that came into effect on 1 July 2021 have replaced the old system
that governed liability for polluted soil and given the Victorian EPA new powers to enforce compliance across the sector. As a result, landholders, property developers, contractors, sub-contractors and third parties can be held to significantly higher levels of accountability for actions that are harmful to the environment or community, with their liability now even extending for decades beyond their direct involvement with the project. The above two scenarios help explain the critical importance of having sustainable options available for re-use and recycle of contaminated soil, to make sure the remediated soil can be safely and efficiently returned to the environment without
