Reinforcement of Marginal Soils and Waste

Maximising waste storage volumes in a more populated world

With a growing world population, mankind is producing increasing amounts of waste. This problem is compounded by the difficulty of finding areas that can be used for the storage of waste or hazardous materials. Therefore, any technology which maximises waste storage volumes can benefit the environment and also save landfill operators money.

Increasing volume capacity while decreasing costs

We are experienced and successful in the implementation of reinforced soil structures in which the waste material to be stored becomes the actual 'structural backfill' material itself. Paragrid, Paralink and MacGrid WG geogrids have been used with positive results both in terms of the improvement in volume capacity (up to three times the volume for the same landfill surface area) and costs.

Maccaferri unique products help combat geotechnical instability

These same soil reinforcements have also been used in projects to reinforce the perimeter embankments of landfills. Typically constructed from materials with cohesive properties, these embankments can present geotechnical stability problems. For these applications, the use of the unique geogrid Paradrain can assist. Paradrain not only reinforces soil, but also reduces the pore-water pressure in the cohesive fill due to the presence of integral drainage troughs on the surface of the geogrid.

Creating these steep reinforced soil perimeter embankments and landfill cells, maximises the available volume for waste, compared to unreinforced slopes.