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.

By treating contaminated soil, we ensure that the contamination from the soil does not seep into the groundwater but is managed and degraded through both biological and mechanical/chemical treatment. It is therefore our primary task to be proactive in relation to which substances the soil may be contaminated with and how we can clean it of the given substances, such as heavy metals.
We have installed a water purifying plant at Nordic Waste A/S that aims to treat the water we use for the soil washing plant. This allows us to reuse water again and again, making full use of the resources we have available. The water purifying plant consists of a sand filter and two activated carbon filters that allow the water to be recirculated in the system, thus achieving a high treatment level.
Furthermore, we have a total of about 90 hectares, part of which is paved. The large areas generate a lot of rainwater, which needs to be managed. At Nordic Waste A/S we do not want to divert the water, as we can use it for our soil washing plant. Instead, we collect it in water basins from which we circulate it in the washing plant and use it as process water, where it passes through the water purifying plant, among other things. In doing so, we make sure to recycle as much as possible, thus minimising our water consumption.

What we do at Nordic Waste to achieve this goal:
At Nordic Waste, we strive to utilise all of the Earth's resources and raw materials, which is why we work purposefully with reuse and recycling, so that the Earth's resources can also benefit future generations. We ensure this by treating the contaminated soil so that the construction industry can reuse it, instead of having to extract new raw materials from a non-renewable resource. At Nordic Waste A/S, we have high ambitions regarding the green transition, which is why the circular economy plays a major role in our business operations. We have ourselves refurbished and modified a soil washing plant so that it can be used to recycle raw materials from different types of contaminated soil. The purpose of the treatment plant is to treat the contaminated soil so that it can be recycled, thus allowing us to reuse the raw materials and resources that already exist, instead of extracting new ones.
Furthermore, we are constantly working to optimise and develop the machines and processes we use in our day-to-day operations with the aim of making them more sustainable.

What we do at Nordic Waste to achieve this goal:

The main objective of Nordic Waste A/S is to reduce environmental impact and create a circular economy for soil management. Every time a road is made, a factory or a house is built, soil has to be dug and moved and a range of materials used, such as stone, concrete, etc. Often the soil has some degree of contamination due to its previous use, which needs to be treated before it can be recycled. This cleaning process can be done via chemical or biological soil treatment. At Nordic Waste A/S we offer both and have extensive expertise in soil handling.

In the past, little has been done to recycle soil from the construction industry. We have taken on this task by treating and recycling the soil for new projects. In this way, the environmental impact associated with a construction project is minimised. In specific terms, for each quantity of contaminated soil we receive, we minimise the environmental impact.

What we do at Nordic Waste to achieve this goal:

We make more efficient and sustainable use of the Earth's natural resources and raw materials by enabling others to reuse land from the construction industry and natural areas damaged by past pollution, rather than having to extract new resources, including soil from nature.
Among other things, we use natural bacteria to break down contaminants in the soil, also known as biological purification, so that the soil is clean and can be recycled.
Over time, pollutants have been discharged into the soil. The effects of these substances on nature and humans have now been identified. The next step is to clean up the contaminated areas, which we at Nordic Waste A/S have contribute to.

What we do at Nordic Waste to achieve this goal:

Nordic Waste A/S took over an old factory site where the previous owner had extracted clay from the land - this left a gap in the landscape that needs to be filled. This hole now serves as a large land tip for Nordic Waste A/S, which we have committed to replenish and thus reestablish the former natural area for the benefit of the local population in and around Ølst. This is done in collaboration with the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Randers Municipality and Central Denmark Region. The plan for the land tip is that in the long term, there will be nature with a forest, a small valley and two lakes. In this way, we will restore a small ecosystem in Ølst Bakker in Randers Municipality.

To be able to achieve the goals, it is not enough doing it alone. To achieve the goals, it is important to seek partnerships and collaborations with competitors, business partners, institutions and organizations, with the aim of improving each other. At Nordic Waste, we seek these partnerships and networks, especially within environment and circular economy.

We are among the first members in the VCØB Community, which are the knowledge center for circular economy in the building sector’s project of connecting and involving the stakeholders in the building sector in the debate of circular economy. The focus of the VCØB Community is to collect all knowledge within circular economy in the building sector, to inspire the buildings of tomorrow, and make sure that everybody knows the latest news.

Besides VCØB Community, Nordic Waste has also taken the initiative to create a new environment and waste network in Randers Municipal. The idea is to unite companies within these areas, with the aim of improving on the green agenda, the environment and with circularity. The network is inspired by many other sectors and even the sports world. Linking up with others within the same field, have shown to be beneficial and developing for the stakeholders involve. The purpose is to be able to share knowledge and seek expertise across companies, since we go through many of the same processes and thoughts, and maybe finding the list brick needed. It is also believed that a successful network will result in more companies wanting to join, and therefore it could become that start of a greater knowledge sharing and a greater development for the sector in total.