WRAP Quality Protocol - ACS

SERVICES PROVIDED:

• Waste & Recycling Consultancy
• Aggregate Materials Testing

PROJECT BACKGROUND

-       The Inert Waste Facility at Reading Quarry is a recycling operation run by J Mould (Reading) Limited on a restored landfill.

ACS has been involved in a number of projects at the Site since 2011 including;

• Monitoring & reporting of the environmental performance of the landfill
• Routine monthly sampling and testing of the recycling facility dry screen material products
• Geotechnical reporting on the proposed footprint of the recycled material washing plant

In 2018, ACS built a plant to wash materials and make clean recycled aggregates. They were also asked to create a WRAP Quality Protocol for making dry-screened and washed products from waste.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The project aimed to create a document following the WRAP Quality Protocol. This protocol outlines the criteria for producing recycled materials from inert waste, determining when they are no longer considered waste. The Quality Protocol should:

• Clarify the point at which waste management controls are no longer required
• Assure users that the aggregate they buy meets an approved industry standard set by a European authority.
• Provide users with confidence that the aggregate is suitable for use within a designated market sector(s) including conforming with the
  industry-standard
• and Protect human health and the environment (including soil)

ACS has provided quality testing and materials consultancy to the construction industry since 1987. We provide a comprehensive range of aggregates and soil testing to British and European Standards, together with Standard Highways MCHW requirements. Mechanical, physical and chemical testing is conducted on a wide range of natural and recycled aggregates to ensure they are fit for purpose.

OUR ROLE

Our role as the WRAP Quality Protocol consultants was to advise the client how best to produce a document which would encompass all the requirements
of the protocol, within a user-friendly format. In accordance with guidance, we recommended the document comprise the following key sections;

• Introduction
• Waste Acceptance
• Factory Production Control (FPC)
• Product Sales
• Plant & Machinery
• Site Management
• Records and Reports

-        Our consultant met with the client's Compliance Manager and WAMITAB holder. They inspected operations at the weighbridge, waste facility, and washing plant. The inspection covered both non-hazardous and hazardous waste.

During discussions re existing procedures and processes, schematic diagrams were sketched out and details of the proposed dry screened, washed and blended products were
recorded, as well as the intended markets for each of the products.

Our in-house materials consultant recommended the testing schedule and frequency to which each of the products should be subjected on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis, to comply with the following specifications;

• BS EN13139; 2002 Aggregates for mortar
• BS EN12620; 2002 Aggregates for concrete
• BS EN 13242; 2002 Aggregates for unbound materials

A draft of the document was issued to the Client for review and comment, to ensure the procedures and processes discussed in the site meeting had been correctly interpreted, prior to final issue.

CHALLENGES

The challenge of the project was in presenting the procedures and processes in a format that would be clear and concise to non-technical readers who may not be fully conversant with the more complex systems; e.g. the operating principles of the aggregate washing plant.

Contact

David Rowlands
T: 01202 628662
E: david.rowlands@acstesting.co.uk