PREMIXD Case Studies:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! - UTILITY SERVICES NEWSLETTER

WHILST THE USE OF SMR in our work is nothing new, Morrison is running a trial in conjunction with our client Southern Gas Networks (SGN), which could bring about a revelation in its use. We have the backing of Hampshire County Council to approve a trial of SMR for use in the highways. SMR is currently approved for use in footways, but it has never been approved for use in roads in Hampshire and we are the first contractors to use it.

Morrison team Dave Evans and Sean 'Taffey' McCarthy are laying a 400mm gas pipe along a class 2 road - the A27 in Sarisbury Green. Excavated material from this job is taken to a site nearby where a machine recycles the spoil, mixing SMR with the excavated material and providing good quality soil to use as backfill material. The machine rejects any stones or material that is over 75mm in size, thereby ensuring the quality of the recycled soil. Jai Gomer has been trained by SMR to operate the machine and is assisted by Grab Driver Matt Hedger.

Senior Agent Jamie Gomer said, "Unlike other recycling machines such as Trenchmod, which needs a permanent home, the beauty of this machine is that it is small enough to be towed behind a transit van."

Contract Manager Paul Willis said, "We're really excited about the trial. We thought that we might have hit a stumbling block when the Environment Agency said we’d need a waste transport licence but we have convinced them that we are exempt from this."

The use of SMR in this way could potentially mean big savings - not just for Morrison but also the environment. Firstly it would reduce the amount of spoil taken to landfill sites, thereby savings thousands of pounds. The cement-like mixture of SMR absorbs moisture allowing us to compact it further, in some cases by as much as 5%. The bottom line is that less material out means less material in and a reduction in the amount of quarried material that is required. Because we're not using lorries to transport spoil from site to landfill, we're using less fuel and thereby reducing pollution.

Andy Langton from Hampshire County Council (HCC) said, "HCC is very pleased to support this sustainable way of working. We've tried hard in recent years to encourage and implement exactly this type of recycling innovation both within the County Council and with our partners and contractors. We all need to do what we can to reduce unnecessary waste, and we're keen to see more of these recycling initiatives used on highways issues provided there is no reduction in the standard or quality of the end result."

If the trial is successful it will be introduced across Hampshire, Southampton, and Portsmouth. Surrey County Council is also keeping aneye on the trial as well.

Paul Willis said, "Since the trial began back in July, we've had good support all round, from both subcontractors, clients and SMR's manufacturers. HCC will be contributing to the cost with SGN paying for any additional tests that are required. Compaction and surface bearing tests will be carried out on the reinstated material. We're got 90 days to wait for the results of the tests but then if we get approval for use on a Class 2 road approval for use on classes 3 and 4 will be automatic."

More more information on this news article please click here to contact SMR.