Enviroscreen multi waste stream processing of 6,000 cube to facilitate re-use on site Little Cryfields Screening, Coventry

Little Cryfields is a small suburban siteon the outskirts of Coventry. Over the years, a dry pond in a corner of the site had been subject to a range of fly tipping and infilling activities.

The contamination of these materials were highlighted at an early stage in the development window, through initial phase ground investigation works. Second and third phase trial pitting was undertaken to more fully understand the levels and types of materials present leading to the production of a cost benefit analysis allowing the client to make an informed decision on the type of remedial scheme to be employed.

The Ebsford team designed and implemented a solution to undertake the management of around 6,000 cube of subsoils contaminated with historic landfill, containing licensable asbestos and Japanese Knotweed which would facilitate the reuse of much of this material on site offering a cost saving in the region of £1million against disposal to landfill due to volume and type of contamination.

This methodology kept vehicle movements to an absolute minimum and prevented in the region of 550 haulage vehicle movements within the residential area surrounding site and eliminating around 10,800 ton to landfill. The route between site and the landfill which would have received the Japanese Knotweed contaminated materials is 39 miles, a round journey for each lorry of 78 miles. This would equate to around 42,900 miles producing around 723,398kg CO2 which has been displaced by Enviroscreen. This doesn’t account for machine time on the landfill for onward materials management involved with the required burial at depth.

In comparison, the Cryfields project used a total of 2500 litres over 6 weeks, equating to around 6,700kg CO2. A respectable diversion of around 716,698kg C02.

- Enviroscreen 2020 processing was used to separate various waste streams from the host material.  

- Japanese Knotweed rhizome was separated to remove viability and incinerated on site.

- 151 tyres, 100 ton of landfill waste, 3700kg of bonded asbestos hand picked and sent to landfill or for recycling.

- Scrap metal passed for re use.

In the early stages of the scheme, close liaison with the site ecologists was required to tie in with a badger relocation scheme and reptile mitigation project.

Being in a high profile residential area, the site required careful and courteous management of the neighbourhood, with a notification undertaken in the early project stage to keep residents with a direct line of sight into the scheme appraised of the nature of the works given the elevated precautions required for the asbestos works.

"Ebsford Environmental - I would just like to express my thanks to the Ebsford Team for providing a first class service when dealing with a series of environmental issues on our behalf at Gibbet Hill, Coventry. They have provided a superior service from project inception to completion, have always acted in an informative, open and client focussed manner, work on site has been well presented and professionally managed and just as importantly they have provided a transparent commercial framework on a project where, due to the complexity of mixed organic and inorganic contaminants, a fix price approach was not appropriate. I would not hesitate to recommend Ebsford Environmental for projects of a similar nature which involve Japanese Knotweed and / or contaminated subsoils which require a combination of in situ treatment and off-site disposal." - David Dodge, Development Director, William Davis Homes

In November 2019 the Cryfields project was awarded Highly Commended within the Project of the Year Category, out of 12 entries at the PCA Property Care Awards – the professional body which oversees the Japanese Knotweed industry.  The independent judge Jemma Swankie writes:

The planning and investigation into this site before undertaking the project was extensive and worked to reduce costs to all parties. With a lot of fly tipping on the land the use of Ebsfords Innovative Enviroscreen 2020 technology allowed for disposal on site, reducing haulage back and forth to landfill which had less impact on local communities and cost to the customer was reduced.

Relocation and management of habitats of wildlife was managed by phasing workstreams. All aspects of the clearing for development used were considered and planned to make sure the environment, local community and the customer were satisfied.

This project was not undertaken for financial gain, it was well thought about and considered, both environmentally and sustainably. In this day and age that is commendable. I felt that this project was completed in a moral and sustainable way which lead to the award of Highly Commended Project of the Year at the Property Care Association 2019 awards out of the 12 nominated schemes. Very well done to the Ebsford Team.

We are extremely proud that Ebsford have been awarded Gold at The Green World Gold Award at the 2022 international Green Apple Awards (Building and Construction - Regeneration category), where we were pitched against 500 submissions, for our screening techniques, which used the Little Cryfields project as the basis for our submission. This follows the two national golds we received back in November, for best practice in construction and land regeneration categories, based on the same project, a great achievement for our 10th year in the industry.