Simple Steps Prevent Soil Contamination And Save Serious Money.

Simple Steps Prevent Soil Contamination And Save Serious Money.
Canada has thousands of contaminated sites. Soil pollution is linked to water and air pollution, but it’s a problem that’s easy to avoid.
– By Isaac Rudik

While nearly every company and government organisation is trying to improve its environmental policies and practices, Alberta-based furniture maker LOGical Creations Ltd. couldn’t get much greener if someone used a crayon. And it finds that its close-to-zero-as-possible emissions and waste policy is paying off handsomely on the bottom line.

LOGical only uses dead trees and logs rather than cutting down living trees as raw material for its furniture. Wherever possible, handsaws and axes are used, reducing exhaust and greenhouse gas emissions from bulldozers, grapplers, chainsaws and mechanical peelers traditionally used in tree harvesting.

All logs are sun-dried, saving energy and electricity because it doesn’t use a kiln or drying lamps.

Then, furniture is hand finished rather than using electric sanders. Because it doesn’t use spray guns, the company closely monitors how much material is applied, eliminating over-sprays.

Finally, LOGical diverts recyclable matter from landfills by:
• Composting sawdust and wood shavings on-site;
• Sharing cut-off log ends with the community for firewood; and
• Using recycled newspapers as drop cloths when staining or lacquering.

As a result, LOGical significantly lower costs by avoiding buying, maintaining and operating large equipment to harvest trees. Moreover, the average drying kiln costs about $10,000 to buy and up to $5,000 to operate annually. Operating costs are further cut by self-harvesting dead trees rather than purchasing them from foresters.

Besides improving profitability, for its efforts the company has received numerous awards and accolades including the prestigious 2008 Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Pollution Prevention Award.

Readily Scalable

While this Canadian success story is a relatively small business in a specific industry, its practices are adaptable and scalable by other, larger companies and government agencies.

In addition to saving money, using LOGical’s approach can reduce the risk of contamination – especially soil. Soil becomes contaminated when man-made chemicals seep into the earth or other alterations are made to its natural environment, often by the release of chemicals or improperly disposing of hazardous waste.

Canada has tens of thousands of contaminated sites at factories, mines, military bases, airports, laboratories, historic landfills, lighthouse stations, harbours and other locations across the country. Concerns about soil pollution revolve around its major effect as a link to possible carcinogens. It also shares a link to water and air pollution.

Harmful substances may be introduced to the soil through water coming from waste run-off or dumping sites, and using chemicals on crops. No matter how it happens, soil pollution is difficult to fix, making it easier – and cheaper – to focus on the prevention.

Best Practices

Soil contamination comes from ways many of us don’t even think about it: Tossing batteries in with the trash, only to have battery acid leach into landfill soil. From there, the acid makes its way to ground water then into everyday life.

The Bullseye Trio helps prevent soil contamination as well as money. If waste can be pre-sorted, companies avoid paying for pick-ups on material that should be disposed of elsewhere. This covers everything from spent batteries to used ink cartridges, toners, replacement parts for machines treated with oil or chemicals, even used or broken computers and monitors. While enabling businesses to separate anything that breaks down and leaches before moving up the food chain, the Trio also reduces trash collection expenses.

An ounce of prevention is both an old saying and an environmental truism. As LOGical Concepts demonstrates, it’s possible to produce significant savings by greatly reducing the risk of soil contamination. Whether through reducing, recovering and reusing materials, preventing harmful releases, buying and using “green” products or cutting down on power needs, an organisation can “do well by doing good.”






Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.

E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.