How are inert soils and materials brought to ECT sites controlled?
Due diligence, DAP
As a first step, each customer company wishing to bring in soil and materials from an identified site must submit a Request for Prior Acceptance (RPA) to ECT’s Quality Department.
This document specifies :
- Geographical origin, site location ;
- Producer’s contact details ;
- Carrier details ;
- Type and quantity of backfill.
This information is then compared with the data contained in the database of potentially contaminated sites in the Ile de France region (BASOL). If pollution is suspected, prior analysis of the materials is required. This request (DAP) is sent for each ECT customer site. No material is accepted without the prior agreement of the Quality department, which ensures compliance with the classes of materials selected for the site concerned.
Download the different ECT DAPs
Controls on the ECT site
These controls meet the obligations resulting from the provisions of Article 19 of the Ministry of Ecology’s Order of December 12, 2014 on inert waste storage facilities, which stipulates:
“Unloading waste directly into the final storage area is prohibited. A waste control area is set up to allow waste to be checked after it has been discharged from the skips carrying it.
This zone can be moved according to the phasing of site operations. This zone is specially signposted and clearly marked.
A skip cannot be emptied in the absence of the operator or his representative”.
On receipt of a load on site, a waste tracking slip for building and civil engineering sites, containing information from the DAP as well as details of the transporter and its registration, will be given to the receiving agent, who is also responsible for checking the quality of the materials. This tracking slip will be entered in a computerized admission register, and sent daily to ECT’s administrative headquarters.
For each load presented, the following information is recorded:
- Date and time of receipt ;
- Origin and nature of materials;
- Volume of materials ;
- Verification of accompanying documents and DAP;
- Where applicable, video control recording ;
- Vehicle registration and company name;
- If applicable, the reason for refusal of admission. In the event of pollution or unauthorized materials being found on site, the load will be returned, after being recorded in a special register (date and time of refusal, vehicle registration number, name of producer and transporter, exact address of worksite, nature and quantity of material, reason for refusal). These refusals will be regularly reported to the supervisory authority.
The materials are then dumped close to the area being backfilled, where they are picked up by a bulldozer to place the inert materials. A second waste inspection is carried out during unloading by the machine operator. A third and final check is carried out when spreading materials before backfilling by the machine operator.
If pollution is suspected, the materials are recharged. In this case, a note is made in the admissions refusal register.
From the computerized admission register, it is possible to keep precise track of all customers and worksites that have dumped materials on the site, and to issue a monthly report. Bordereau de Suivi de Traçabilité by customer and/or worksite.
Last but not least, keeping and updating a topographical plan to locate the areas and levels of fill corresponding to the data in the register.
External controls
The local authorities concerned will be invited to all site meetings and will be able to carry out any checks they wish.
As part of the ISO 14001 certification process (in place since December 2011), ECT sites are regularly inspected at random by an independent auditor, who checks that all regulatory requirements applicable to these facilities are being met.
ECT is also subject to regular checks at all its sites by inspectors from the supervisory authorities (DRIEE and DDT) in charge of sustainable development, who visit sites unannounced to verify compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Other questions
Fertile substrate is a material used to promote plant growth thanks to its richness in nutrients and its ability to provide favorable conditions for root development. It can be natural or artificially created to meet the specific needs of plants in different contexts, such as agriculture, gardening or landscaping projects.
The fertile substrate manufactured by ECT is an eco-responsible alternative to the use of natural topsoil, a precious resource that it is essential to preserve. Produced locally on ECT sites, it meets the challenges of the circular economy by recovering inert soil from the construction industry and compost from green waste.
Main features :
- Preservation of natural resources : Limits importation and use of topsoil.
- Reduced carbon footprint : on-site manufacturing for green and agricultural landscaping.
- Recycling : Use of local materials (inert earth and green compost) with strict control of analysis and traceability standards (NF U 44-551).
- Versatility : Suitable for a variety of uses, including renaturation, afforestation, meadows and even roofing substrates.
ECT’s excavated soil management and reclamation sites are likely to accept materials excavated during the construction of SGP’s Grand Paris Express project, depending on the compatibility between the physico-chemical characterization of the materials and the type of soil authorized on our various sites.
With regard to Grand Paris Express soil, a distinction must be made between station excavation soil and tunnel boring machine “sailings”, which require different on-site processing methods.
This is a systematic assessment designed to identify, evaluate and map invasive species present on a construction site. It generally recommends special measures for the treatment and disposal of plants and soil. EVEEs are plant species that have been deliberately or accidentally introduced outside their natural range. Their dissemination is one of the
5 causes of biodiversity collapse.
Invasive alien plant species (IAS) can have a detrimental effect on construction sites, causing delays, additional costs and safety risks. It is therefore important for construction companies to implement measures to manage and control invasive species in order to minimize their impact.
- Alteration of the construction environment: EVEEs can colonize construction zones, hindering construction and development activities. Their rapid growth can disrupt soils, structures and foundations intended for construction.
- Additional costs: The presence of EVEEs can lead to additional costs for construction projects, particularly in terms of the time and resources required to remove these plants, restore disturbed areas or reinforce protection measures.
- Safety risks: Some EVEEs can pose a safety risk to workers on construction sites. For example, fast-growing invasive plants can make surfaces slippery, increasing the risk of falls and accidents.
- Damage to equipment and infrastructure: EVEE roots can damage drainage systems, underground pipes, foundations and other infrastructure, leading to costly repairs and longer construction projects.
- Risk of propagation: Construction sites can act as dispersal vectors for EVEE. Machines, vehicles and construction materials can transport seeds and plant parts from one site to another, encouraging the spread of these invasive species to new habitats.
Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAS) are one of the five causes of biodiversity loss. As a company committed to the OFB, ECT has a triple objective:
- the reduction of their proliferation on its sites
- limiting their spread from customer sites
- the creation of a dedicated offer for the management of construction site soil impacted by EVEEs
ECT has created a booklet to help you identify, learn about, combat and eradicate these species. This guide provides recommendations for each invasive plant:
- Japanese wild buckwheat
- The Butterfly Tree
- Giant Hogweed
- Galéga Officinal
- Ambrosia
- Himalayan Balsam
- The thorny apple
- The American Grape
- Herbs of the Pampa
It is important for site managers to regularly monitor the presence of EVEEs and implement appropriate control measures to limit their spread and impact. Here are the 7 best practices:
- INFORMING OUR CUSTOMERS
and transporters of the risk of inputs into the soil and dissemination on our sites. - MAPPING
impacted areas to measure their evolution. - EVALUATE
the type of intervention to be carried out depending on the plants and their location on the site. - WATCH
regularly to identify the presence of invasive plants. - DELIMIT
to avoid them on foot or with construction equipment. - COMMUNICATE
on our practices and results, with internal and external feedback. - LUTTER
Neutralize invasive exotic plant species by carefully uprooting them or burying them at the bottom of a bin.
Contain invasive exotic plant species by surrounding them with more competitive plants.
Temporarily revegetate bare soil with ground cover seedlings to render it unattractive.
An invasive alien plant species is a plant that is introduced into a new environment where it is not native, and which proliferates aggressively, causing ecological, economic or social damage. These plants may have been deliberately introduced for horticulture, agriculture or other uses, or may have arrived accidentally via international trade, transport or other human activities.
Once established in their new habitat, invasive alien plant species often have a competitive advantage over native species. They can spread rapidly, crowd out native vegetation, disrupt natural ecosystems, reduce biodiversity, alter natural nutrient and water cycles, disrupt ecosystem services and even threaten endangered species.
Controlling invasive alien plant species is a major challenge for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management in many parts of the world. Prevention, control and eradication measures are often necessary to limit their spread and minimize their harmful impact.
On Sunday September 24, 2023, the ECT site in Villeneuve-sous-Dammartin (77) exceptionally opened its doors for an outdoor escape game. An opportunity for the public to discover the land art work, “L’Œil du Ciel”, designed by Antoine Grumbach and produced by ECT. Earthworks and planting of the second Eye are scheduled for 2025. The site will open its doors to the public at the end of the excavated soil reclamation operation in 2027.
The artist Saype has taken up residence in Annet-sur-Marne (77), on a site rehabilitated by ECT, to create his new lad art work. This ephemeral, eco-responsible fresco entitled “Un jeu d’enfant?” was painted in 3 days using pigments derived from excavated soil. This fresco is no longer visible: it has faded naturally with the weather and the regrowth of ground vegetation. A sign has been installed on the site to commemorate this emblematic achievement.
Conservation agriculture was officially defined by the FAO in 2001, as based on three main principles:
- Maximum soil coverage (residues, crops or sown cover crops).
- No tillage (only disturbance of the seed line is tolerated).
- Diversification of crop species (long rotations and associated crops).
