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| | Laboratory Testing of Excavated Soil and Rock | |
| When undertaking excavation or earthmoving operations, it is essential to conduct a thorough analysis of the excavated soil and rock. There are two types of analyses that may be required, depending on how the material is to be handled: disposal or reuse. |
Disposal at a recycling facility or landfill
If the excavated material is destined for a recycling facility or landfill, the soil is treated as waste and assigned EER code 170504. In this case, the analyses must verify that the soil is not contaminated with substances hazardous to the environment and public health. If the level of contamination is such that the waste is classified as hazardous, the EER code 170503* will be assigned, and the material must then be disposed of at a hazardous waste landfill.
Sometimes an additional analysis, known as a Leaching Test, is also required to assess whether the soil releases pollutants upon contact with water: if the test results indicate that the soil releases contaminants in quantities exceeding legal limits, it cannot be disposed of safely. | |
Reuse
Compliance with environmental regulations and the absence of contamination in excavated soil and rock must be assessed by a laboratory. The analysis for reuse is commonly referred to as the Column A/B verification analysis. In fact, the analytes to be tested are those listed in Columns A and B of Table 1, Annex 5, Part Four, Title V, of the aforementioned Legislative Decree No. 152 of April 3, 2006, and the analysis is intended to classify the soil into:- Column A is assigned to soils with low concentrations of pollutants: these soils may be used for any purpose, including residential construction.
- Column B is assigned to soils with higher concentrations of pollutants: these soils may be used only for non-residential purposes.
The decree further stipulates that excavated soil and rock that do not even meet the requirements for Column B must be disposed of as waste. It will therefore be necessary to conduct a new analysis as waste in order to assess whether the level of contamination renders the waste hazardous (EER 170503*) or is low enough to be considered special waste (EER 170504).
Legislative Decree No. 120 of June 13, 2017, containing regulations establishing simplified rules for the reuse of excavated soil and rock, introduced a series of changes regarding the reuse of excavated soil and rock. In particular, the decree provides that excavated soil and rock may be considered by-products and, therefore, may be reused on-site or transported directly to another construction site. Presidential Decree No. 120 of June 13, 2017, establishes this minimum set of analytical tests:- Arsenic
- Cadmium
- Cobalt
- Nickel
- Lead
- Copper
- Zinc
- Mercury
- Hydrocarbons C>12
- Total chromium
- Chromium VI
- Asbestos
- BTEX(*)
- IPA(*)
(*) To be performed if the excavation site is located within 20 meters of major transportation infrastructure and settlements that may have influenced the site’s characteristics through atmospheric emissions. | |
Analysis of Excavated
Soil and Rock The C.B.A. Chimica Biologia Ambiente laboratory performs all analyses on excavated soil and rock necessary for disposal or reuse. | | | |  |  |  | | |
| ACCREDIA-Accredited Laboratory |
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