Rainham MRF

• Client: Cleanaway Limited
• Market Sector: Waste
• Services: Environmental Engineering

Construction of a state of the art MRF facility on a landfill site. MLM Environmental were appointed by Cleanaway Limited to assess the foundation options available for constructing a large Municipal Refuse Facility and Transfer Station on an old landfill site at Rainham, Essex.

Ground conditions were extremely poor with very loose saturated wastes overlying peat and clay. Settlements due to surface loading from the plant inside the building and consolidation due to leachate extraction of the site warranted foundation solutions which would minimise or eliminate unacceptable settlements.

A piled foundation solution was not permitted due to Environment Agency objections relating to migration pathways, MLM Environmental undertook evaluation of foundation and slab solutions including innovative ground improvement solutions and finite element analysis. The foundation solution adopted was based on spreading loads by utilising the stiff ‘crust’ of the landfill with a heavily reinforced raft foundation to prevent differential settlement.

MLM installed instrumentation including inclinometers and extensometers to monitor ground movement, during and following construction.