News story

More than 30,000 bricks removed from redundant plant

More than 30,000 bricks have been removed from 3 pits in a redundant facility as part of a project to decommission a former effluent treatment plant.

Bricks being removed from redundant facility

A project to clean up a historic effluent treatment plant has seen more than 30,000 bricks removed from redundant pits. A scaffold platform has been constructed to allow operators, wearing full airline suits, access to remove the bricks using small electrically operated hand tools. The bricks are then transported to ground level in containers using a conveyor belt.

The bricks are then monitored by health physics to confirm their classification as low level waste before being packaged in steel waste crates for disposal in the site’s low level waste vaults.

Around 85,000 bricks are expected to be removed by the time the project is completed.

Ross Mackay, Project Supervisor, said:

This project so far has been very interesting and challenging at times. The team has shown excellent innovation throughout and brought skills and techniques from previous projects they worked on to make this job flow as smoothly and as safely as possible. Our aim is to continue with a positive attitude and complete this task safely.

Published 30 November 2016