Environmental Impact and Waste Reduction
Our environmental footprint is different from a demolition contractor's. We generate far less waste, because the point of the work is to keep a structure rather than remove it. What we generate instead is concentrated and often hazardous, and that is where the attention goes.
What we assess before starting
The existing coating is usually the biggest unknown on the job
Before work starts we want to know what the existing coating system is, whether it contains lead or other hazardous pigments, what the substrate is doing, and what is underneath and around the work area.
Coatings applied before the phase out of lead are common on older bridges, wharves, towers and industrial structures. Removing one without knowing what is in it puts the crew, the public and the waterway at risk, and it turns a manageable job into a notifiable incident. We test rather than assume.
Containment is the control that matters
Abrasive blasting and mechanical coating removal generate dust and spent media at volume. Full or partial enclosure, capture at the source, and negative pressure where the risk warrants it. The containment is designed for the structure and the exposure rather than pulled off a standard drawing, because a wharf in a southerly and a plant room are not the same problem.
Working over water and near drains
A great deal of our work sits over or beside water. Bridges, wharves, culverts, water treatment assets and coastal structures.
Nothing is allowed to reach the water. Catchment beneath the work, sediment and runoff controlled, drains protected before anything starts, and washdown collected rather than hosed away. On a waterway there is no cleaning it up afterwards, which is why this gets designed into the methodology rather than added to a checklist.
Waste classified and disposed of under licence
Spent abrasive, removed coating, contaminated water and any hazardous material we encounter are classified, transported and disposed of under our own licences within Perfect Group, with the documentation to match. Lead affected waste never goes into a general load, whatever the programme pressure.
Monitoring, reporting and the public
Where a consent or a client requires air monitoring, noise monitoring or clearance testing, we work to it and we report as the job runs rather than assembling paperwork at the end. If your project management plan has a format, tell us at tender stage.
The other half is the people who use the asset. Remediation work happens in front of commuters, residents and the public, often for months. Hours respected, access maintained, hoardings kept decent, and somebody available who will take a phone call. A complaint on a public asset travels a long way further than one on a building site.
Perfect Remediation acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Traditional Custodians of the country on which we live and work. We pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians and Elders past, present and future, and honour their connection to the land and ongoing contribution to society.