In NSW, the opportunity to classify surplus soil excavated from a site as ‘Virgin Excavated Natural Material’ (VENM) or ‘Excavated Natural Material’ (ENM) helps ensure soils generated during development, civil works and bulk earthworks are managed lawfully and sustainably. The NSW EPA Resource Recovery framework sets clear criteria to distinguish natural, uncontaminated material from waste, supporting compliance, reducing landfill volumes and promoting circular economy outcomes across...

Melbourne Water’s A1–A4 soil specifications play an important role in ensuring soils used within landscaping, civil and water-sensitive urban design projects are suitable for their intended purpose. The specifications establish acceptable physical and chemical parameters for soils used across wetlands, native planting areas, turf zones and subsoils, with a focus on long-term drainage performance, vegetation establishment, structural stability and resistance to erosion and compaction. Each...

SESL Australia’s inhouse laboratory has recently added the analysis of free iron (Fe) oxide to its testing suite, which can be used to determine if a soil is a Ferrosol (containing a free iron oxide content >5% Fe). Free iron oxide refers to ‘pedogenic iron’ which is formed through weathering of ferrous-containing volcanic basalt, which is also responsible for the deep red and brown shades that we see in Ferrosol soils. Ferrosols are particularly prominent across Australia’s eastern coast,...