Australia, Company news, Emission Reduction, Featured, From the magazine, Horizontal directional drilling (HDD), News, Water Utilities

A new level of productivity for waste management

M. Tucker & Sons

Civil and trenchless drainage specialists M. Tucker & Sons has expanded its services with the introduction of slurry bins, offering a comprehensive solution for horizontal directional drilling slurries, non-destructive digging slurry, drain cleaning debris capture, and dewatering. 

While methods such as non-destructive digging (NDD) and horizontal directional drilling (HDD) are efficient alternatives to mechanical excavation, the resultant waste products associated with the trenchless industry, remain a top priority for many companies when considering waste management practices. 

M. Tucker’s new slurry bins and circular construction materials model are one solution to tackle this problem.

“Using innovative technology to maintain environmentally responsible practices has always been at the heart of what we do,” M. Tucker & Sons business development manager Callan Hill told Trenchless Australasia. 

“Our slurry bins help our customers with streamlining disposal processes, improving on-site accessibility and saving costs, so that they can complete their projects efficiently and effectively.” 

M. Tucker & Sons
The introduction of slurry bins continues to build upon M. Tucker’s mission for sustainable solutions. Image: M. Tucker & Sons.

How it works 

The slurry bins have a capacity of 8500L with a 825mm ground-to-tipping-edge clearance, and are used for onsite disposal of HDD and hydro excavation slurries, de-watering stormwater waste, sewer waste and more.

“Our service ensures that vacuum tanker and hydro units stay right where they’re needed most – onsite¬ and mitigating most risks around chain of responsibility issues with large trucks carrying heavy slurry,” Hill said. 

“As a result, this not only minimises downtime, but maximises productivity.” 

By utilising these slurry bins, companies also streamline their disposal process and remove wait times associated with offsite disposal.

“Our bins eliminate turnaround time, allowing our customers to focus on progressing their projects seamlessly,” Hill said. 

“By eliminating the delays associated with disposal logistics, our slurry bins enable customers to condense project durations.” 

Another crucial benefit of M. Tucker’s slurry bins is improving road safety by reducing the risk of overweight vehicles on public roads. 

“As our slurry bins stay onsite, multiple loads can be taken to the disposal site at once, minimising any possible chain of responsibility concerns,” Hill said.

“Access to multiple bins for on-site storage creates a substantial reservoir of slurry capacity.

“This eliminates concerns about trucks filling and having to leave site during critical phases of projects.” 

With the addition of 24/7 scheduling and the removal of out-of-hours plant fees at disposal location, M. Tucker’s slurry bins provide an array of cost saving benefits. 

M. Tucker & Sons
The slurry bins have a capacity of 8500L with a 825mm ground-to-tipping-edge clearance. Image: M. Tucker & Sons.

A sustainable resource 

The introduction of M. Tucker’s slurry bins goes hand-in-hand with M. Tucker and Sons existing recycling and re-use process that transforms materials from waste, typically destined for landfills, into reusable resources for customers. 

The process is completed through the company’s EPA licenced waste disposal facility based at M. Tucker’s headquarters in Mount Evelyn, east of Melbourne. 

“We process over 10 million litres of stormwater debris and NDD/drilling mud combined annually,” Hill said. 

“We recognised the limited options for waste disposal in Melbourne and designed a wet waste recycling facility, ensuring waste generated can be disposed of locally.” 

The facility includes a washing and sizing plant that allows waste to be recycled into repurposed materials such as concrete, sand, aggregate and topsoil. 

Hill said the use of these recycled resources reduces the need for traditional quarry materials, which is becoming constrained due to demand and natural resources depleting and the demand for recycled construction products increasing. 

However, he said the most important part is the reuse of these materials helping reduce the carbon footprint and closing the recycling loop. 

While the company accepts wastage from NDD and HDD projects, it also can utilise roadside verge, drain cleaning material, street sweepings and excavated fill. 

Once material is received at the facility, it is assessed and categorised. 

All reclaimable material is extracted and only the associated small portion of clays and contaminants are transported for appropriate disposal per EPA guidelines.

M. Tucker & Sons
The slurry bins go hand-in-hand with M. Tucker and Sons existing recycling and re-use process. Image: M. Tucker & Sons.

A holistic approach 

As trenchless solutions continue to positively impact modern infrastructure, so too does responsible waste management. 

“We are proud to be part of the solution when it comes to providing responsible waste management solutions for our customers,” Hill said. 

“Our focus on providing a holistic service has allowed us to build a reputation for reliability and excellence.” 

The introduction of its slurry bins continues to build upon M. Tucker’s mission for these solutions, demonstrating the company’s approach to quality assurance, with the customer as the focus.

For more information, visit M. Tucker & Sons’ website.

This article featured in the December edition of Trenchless Australasia. 

Subscribe to Trenchless Australasia for the latest project and industry news.

Send this to a friend