Norsk Gjenvinning handles Contaminated Waste

Norsk Gjenvinning is now taking an important step towards a waste-free future.  When working with contaminated materials, such as soil or sludge, there will occasionally be cases where there is no apparent safe or legal disposal method available. Norsk Gjenvinning addresses these challenges by consolidating its expertise and capacity under one umbrella to handle complex waste.

"We see that certain types of waste, contaminated soil, and sludge fall between the traditional waste treatment methods. Therefore, we see the need to connect expertise, facilities, technologies, and capacities across the company," says Christian Andresen, Marketing Manager at NGm3 AS, Norsk Gjenvinning’s company for contaminated soil.

Norsk Gjenvinning is now refining its service offerings in special waste to solve the unsolvable. This includes waste that cannot be recycled into new raw materials, incinerated, or safely landfilled.

New Solutions for Hazardous Waste

A recent example is the handling of contaminated soil from the construction of the new Espern Bridge in Hamar, which was unsuitable for both recycling and landfill disposal.

"The chemical properties of the soil were too complex for direct landfilling or recycling, and the excavated soil is not suitable for incineration without adding large amounts of supplemental fuel. By mixing the soil with another waste product that stabilizes its chemical properties, we created an end product that can safely be landfilled," says Tormod Selen Lundberg, Development Manager at Norsk Gjenvinning.

Renate Heder, Head of the Hazardous Waste Value Chain, explains further:" We use the combined expertise within the company and the tools we have in both mechanical, physical, and chemical treatment of both non-hazardous and hazardous waste. In the Hamar project, it was about expertise in both hazardous waste and soil, along with the treatment capacities at our facilities in Porsgrunn and Fredrikstad."

Together with colleagues from various departments at Norsk Gjenvinning, the three are behind the initiative for a joint customer and competence center that will handle the most challenging cases in the industry. "Our goal is to be able to say yes to almost any challenge our customers throw at us. We have the people, we have the facilities, and we have a large network of partners we can collaborate with," concludes Heder.

With this innovative step towards a sustainable future, Norsk Gjenvinning demonstrates its leading position in the waste industry and its commitment to a circular economy.