Waste Soils
Australian topsoil loss is a concern, degrading at 10- 40 times the rate it can be naturally replenished.
Depleted quarry supplies, contaminated soils, and insufficient site resources means imported waste (recycled) soil is the most practical option. Recycled soil is not created equal, comprising a medley of construction waste, street sweepings, high organic inputs, ash etc it can often be challenging for Landscape Architects to determine the best recycled soil to ensure planting success.
SESL will discuss the common limitations, the consequences and what to look for so you can confidently choose an appropriate waste soil to achieve planting success and mitigate planting failure. In addition, we will cover resource recovery orders and exemptions that LAs should be aware of when importing waste soil.
SESL will discuss Hornsby Quarry which is successfully utilising Westconnex tunnel spoil and old mining overburden. We will address the challenges faced when re-using these materials, the solutions and SESLs involvement including 2-year planting trials and the benefits of soil compliance.
Our team has been working internationally, and we will discuss how the Brits make recycled soil from sugar beets. We will conclude with a brief comparison of British soils to the shale-based soils of Western Sydney and how the Brits handle heavy soils in wet conditions.
Key Learning Outcomes
We recommend attending this webinar if you wish to learn more about the following:
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Why use waste/recycled soils.
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What are the limitations of waste soils and what to look out for when reviewing the analysis?
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Benefits of waste/recycled soils.
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Resource recovery EPA legislation and orders to aware of.
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How a well thought out approach to soil design within specifications can benefit projects.
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How careful trial work can provide insight into site-wide suitability and feasibility.
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The importance of specification continuity into construction phases.
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How to minimise structural damage to saturated soils.
Format
4 SESL speakers will dwelved in details on the topics highlighted for 45 min and will take the attendees questions for the remaining 15 min.
Speakers
Simon Leake - Principal Soil Scientist and SESL Founder
Simon is Technical Director and soil science subject matter expert at SESL with over 30 years’ experience and enjoys mentoring the SESL team and encouraging the objective application of science knowledge to solve client problems.
Simon is an expert in soil/vegetation rehabilitation and reconstruction such as in mine sites and urban renewal projects. Simon has extensive experience in composting and waste resource recycling to land and SESL runs several monitoring programs for waste to land recycling.
Notable major projects include Darling Harbour, Bond University, Sydney Olympic Park, One Central Park and Barangaroo.
Simon has been published multiple times including the most notable, “Soils for Landscape Development”, a practical guide for future development of landscape soil technology and the specification of soil and growing media.
Chantal Milner - Senior Soil Scientist
Chantal joined SESL in 2012 and manages the soil science team. She is experienced in identifying strategies for site soil reuse reducing the need for soil importation and waste disposal. Her specialties include developing soil blends from potential waste products and conducting plant growth trials to assess their viability. Her experience in soil science/horticulture is diverse including: soil blending, soil specification development, soil surveying and pedological assessment including stripping and stockpiling management plans, in-situ pathogen identification in particular phytophthora spp and armillaria spp, herbicide investigations, plant and soil compatibility, street tree soil volume calculation, soil profile technical advice, iron sulphate soil acidification trials, data interpretation and technical consultation. Chantal has project managed an array of jobs from the design phase to installation for private, corporate and government sectors. The landscapes range from sporting fields to podiums to roadsides to large scale developments. Chantal has presented at industry events for AILA, Soil Science Australia Conference (2019) as well as interviewed on ABC Illawarra Radio.
Owen Guy - Soil Scientist
Owen joined SESL in 2018, bringing a diverse background of knowledge and skills with him. Owen possesses field experience in soil surveying, assessment for agricultural suitability (LSC/BSAL), profile construction and plant decline assessments. In the field of soil science, Owen brings to the table a diverse range of skills in soil management obtained from project experience, allowing him to provide site and soil type specific advice for a range of end uses. Owen has extensive experience in managing a range of projects, providing soil science advice across all stages (inception, design, construction, supervision, and validation) to clients to ensure the best outcome is achieved. Owen has managed a range of projects across the east coast of NSW and QLD. Owen has also assisted multiple clients by developing bespoke soil formulations and site-specific soil management plans for endemic plant communities. Owen has presented at industry events for AILA and presented at workshops to Greater Sydney Local Land Services (LLS) members.
Samantha Grant-Vest – Resource Recovery Manager
Samantha joined SESL in 2016 after completing a Bachelor of Environmental Science at Macquarie University. Samantha specialised in environmental contamination and has co-authored a published scientific paper examining the remediation of lead contaminated soil in Boolaroo, NSW. Samantha also holds a Bachelor of Horticultural Science and has held several senior positions within the industry including
senior horticulturist within the media industry for ten years; as a horticultural advisor for 2GB’s Garden Clinic Radio Club members for two years and as the manager of a vibrant inner-city nursery for four years. Through her various roles, Samantha has consulted on urban landscape design, plant selection, plant nutrition, pest and disease control and worked on a number of community garden and sustainability projects. Samantha’s experience in contamination and horticulture provides a solid foundation for her current work in the field of Resource Recovery - the diversion of beneficial wastes away from landfill and towards innovative reuse for soil improvement.
Zoom link will be provided closer to the day.
This webinar is kindly presented to you by AILA NSW and AILA VIC supporting partner SESL Australia.
