You may be surprised to know what could be buried just underneath your feet. Some of the UK’s storied history can be found a few feet below ground level. We learnt this from the discovery of Richard III’s remains under a car park in Leicester back in 2013. However, in order to get there, you’ll need a team that is competent in excavation.
Excavation teams work tirelessly to glean the historic treasures from the ground below. This is an essential part of any archaeological dig. Yet, the process of excavation is used for much more than archaeology. It finds uses in a variety of sectors, from construction to environmental restoration. With this in mind, we decided to take a closer look at this essential process. Learn what your responsibilities are if you decide to carry out any excavation work.
What exactly is excavation?
In layperson’s terms, excavation is simply the process of moving earth, rock, and other natural materials in order to create cavities in the earth. Excavation is needed to create everything from trenching and wall shafts to paleontological dig sites. It’s achieved using a variety of tools, equipment, and methods.
The process
Types of excavation will differ depending on the job at hand. That said, there are certain overarching aspects you can expect from the process. For starters, the site will need to be properly surveyed in order to ascertain the boundaries of the dig. This is especially important for the construction sector. Here, precise requirements are essential for a project.
A contractor or dig team will then get to work clearing away the material in order to create a cavity. This can be done via a variety of methods, using everything from shovels to heavy-duty machines like bulldozers and trenchers.
Sectors that rely on excavation
As we’ve already mentioned, there are a host of sectors that rely on excavation services. That said, what are they, and how do they benefit?
Construction
For the construction industry, excavating a site is a necessary part of working on a project. It’s also the sector where the process is most commonly used. Excavations are carried out for homes, roadways, reservoirs and a host of other projects.
For structures, excavating is done for a variety of reasons, from piling work and other structural jobs to installing plumbing. However, while excavation is pretty ubiquitous in the construction sector, there are a host of different ways it can be done. There are several ways to classify excavation. The most common is by the material being dug up:
Topsoil excavation
This process involves removing the surface layer of the earth. It includes any plants or other matter that could end up being compressed during the building process. This type of excavation is extremely shallow, being between 150 and 300mm in depth.
Earth excavation
This process involves taking both the top layer of soil and the strata directly beneath. The material removed from this type of excavation, known as ‘spoil’, is later used for foundations and embankments.
Rock excavation
As rocks can’t be removed through traditional excavating processes, specific methods are used instead. Usually, rock excavation is carried out through drilling or by using explosives.
Muck excavation
This type of excavation focuses primarily on the removal of excessively wet material. This material isn’t particularly useful and is unsuitable for stockpiling in any meaningful way.
Archaeology
In archaeological terms, excavation focuses on the exposure, processing, and recording of remains. In comparison to construction excavation, working on an archaeological dig site requires a much finer touch. This is because many of the artefacts being excavated are extremely fragile.
There are two types of archaeological excavation known as ‘research’ and ‘development-led’ excavation. Research excavations have the time and resources to carry out a full dig at a pace that suits them. This type of excavation is usually reserved for academics and historical societies. These groups tend to have enough money and labour volunteers to help.
Development-led excavation, on the other hand, is undertaken by professional archaeologists. The goal is often to excavate a site before construction takes place. Usually financed by the developers themselves, there is usually more of a time constraint on the project. As a result, the team involved is likely more skilled in excavation.
Whichever method of excavation is used, the process is an essential component. This is especially true when it comes to unearthing historically important remains. In turn, we learn more about the story of the British Isles.
Environmental restoration
Excavation can also be useful for restoring environments and curtailing damage to ecosystems. It falls into the category known as ‘environmental remediation’. Excavation for ecological purposes can be done for a variety of reasons. For example, contaminated soil may need to be dredged and hauled to a landfill. In contrast, material containing volatile organic compounds might simply need aeration.
This form of environmental restoration helps the local flora and fauna. At the same time, it can stop further pollution and contaminants from diluting water sources that communities rely upon.
Dealing with excavation waste
When you’re dealing with a process that digs up excess earth, you’re bound to run into issues with waste management. Here in the UK, waste in all its forms is tightly regulated, including construction and demolition waste. Thanks to new changes to the landfill tax back in 2018, excavation sites could be deemed as illegal waste dumps. This can lead to hefty fines and time-consuming litigation.
With excess soil, clay, rock, and other materials being dug up, it’s important for excavation teams to ensure that they remain on the right side of the law. Luckily, a lot of the excess waste created from excavation projects can be recycled as aggregates. By repurposing sand, rock, and clay into construction materials, excavation teams remain compliant. Meanwhile, they are also putting the materials to the best possible use.
For example, recycled aggregates are what are known as ‘green’ construction material. This means they are a sustainable and eco-friendly option for building projects. Landfills face increasing pressure as the environment becomes more damaged. As a result, it is now more important than ever to ensure that we reuse and repurpose everything we can.
It’s also a much more cost-effective option when compared to standard aggregate material. For starters, using locally recycled aggregates means less travel costs are incurred. Also, putting excess materials to good use is cheaper than paying landfill tax, so it really is the best choice.
Are you in need of a quality waste management team for your excavated material? Brewsters’ construction waste removal services can help.
Excavation waste can grow into a real problem if left to its own devices. With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to have a team of waste management specialists on hand to help. Here at Brewsters, we pride ourselves on offering our customers a comprehensive service. This ensures that they are able to keep on top of their waste management requirements easily.
With 60 years of experience in the industry, our team is able to cover a range of waste management streams. We cover everything from supplying a range of skip sizes for trade and domestic waste to dealing with food and confidential waste. This means you can rest assured you’re working with the professionals.
Environmental issues are also a significant concern for our business. This is why we ensure all of our waste management services adhere to the strict UK regulations put in place to minimise our impact.
If you would like to learn more about how London’s premier waste disposal company can help you, get in touch with a member of our friendly team today. Give us a call at 020 7474 3535.