Case Study: Residential Developer saves £36,000 and over 210 tonnes CO2 emissions with Soil Link

The Project: A residential developer working on a site in the West Country faced the prospect of sending over 6,000 tonnes of valuable topsoil to landfill.

The Challenge:

• The client needed to dispose of 6,000+ tonnes of high-quality topsoil.
• Initial landfill disposal quote: £72,000

Soil Link’s Solution:

• Soil Link identified a local site (receptor site) that needed to import topsoil for a new sports facility.
• Soil Link facilitated the direct transfer of 6,118 tonnes of topsoil from the residential development to the receptor site in 322 loads.
• The direct transfer cost £36,000.
• As the topsoil conformed to BS3882 standard, it was suitable to be used in landscaping. The soil was ‘as dug’ so did not require a screening process as per CL:AIRE DoW CoP. This allowed a direct transfer and reuse of the clean, naturally occurring topsoil between sites.

Results:

1. Cost Savings – The client saved £36,000, a 50% reduction from the initial landfill quote.
2. Reduction of CO2 Emissions
   1. Using the Soil Link transfer avoided an estimated 210.01 tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the emissions from 30 around-the-world flights.
   2. The topsoil was transferred directly between sites, eliminating the need for additional logistics. If it had gone to landfill, the receptor site would have needed to source topsoil elsewhere, increasing CO2 emissions from extra vehicle movements – see diagram.
3. Conserved and reused a precious natural resource – The naturally occurring topsoil was reused instead of going to landfill, avoiding the need to buy in man-made products or dig up more fresh soil.

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