A part of SDG 3: Good health and well-being is concerned about exposure to hazardous chemicals and air-, water- and soil contamination. The object is to minimize the exposure to these chemicals and contaminations and to reduce them in the environment. At Nordic Waste, we work closely with the building industry, because our business model, remediation of contaminants in soil and recycling of secondary raw materials, is closely linked to this issue. More precisely, our work is about reducing and removing the contamination out of the soil, for the sake of human well-being and the environment. We are specialized at receiving contaminated soil, with the purpose of remediate it. Doing so, we manage to make clean secondary raw materials, stone and sand, which can be recycled and is a green alternative to digging for quarry materials in new gravel pits. We therefore work for giving the contaminated soil a new life, for the benefit of future generations and their health. In the end, our work is about leaving the Earth in a better condition, than it is in now, and avoid the unpleasant consequences of soil contamination we are facing at the moment.
An example of the need for remediation is heavy metals, which can be fatal for people and the environment. There are many kinds of heavy metals in the soil, for instance, lead, cadmium, copper, chromium, mercury, nickel, arsenic and zinc. Many of these heavy metals are essential for our cells to work, however, too much can have a damaging effect on the heath. Therefore, it is essential that we don’t obtain these contaminants, whether it is from percolation to the groundwater or it is through animals, which get contaminated before we eat them. Some of the harmful effects could be, nervous system breakdown due to too much lead, kidney problems due to too much cadmium and lack of iron uptake due to too much zinc. Once again, supporting the need for remediate soil contamination in a responsible and sustainable way, benefitting both humans and nature.