SOIL CONTAMINATION TEST

QI’ve bought a bungalow and plan to knock it down and build a new home in situ and to do this we need to excavate a lot of soil. I know tips often charge for soil disposal and I believe you have to ensure the soil isn’t contaminated. As a selfbuilder is there a test we can get done to check for this?

Knocking down, building new and excavating incorporates various issues — including the stability of the site, excavations within the slope, which could cause further instability, and environmental issues, which should all be investigated and designed before the work starts.

When excavating soils, these should be assessed for the chemical make-up of the soils and evaluated with regards to the end use and possible pathway from any elevated contaminants. This is required as part of the remediating strategy and temporary works risk assessments for the site and works. Should soils need to be disposed of in landfill, then some landfill operators may require Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) testing and general soils testing, to assess the suitability of the excavated soils at the landfill. But it’s often better, environmentally, if soils are reused on site or on a nearby site.

The number and frequency of testing varies depending on the types of soil to be removed; the frequency of testing can vary upwards from one for every 150m3 of soil removed. This will depend on the landfill, site requirements, guidance and so on. There are different types of WAC tests and methodology, which can range upwards from around £150+VAT.