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Transport and storage best practice

A significant amount of waste pollution is material that was previously being stored or transported. For example, waste material can fall off vehicles, blow off landfill sites and wash off construction sites. This waste pollutes land, waterways and oceans and causes great harm.

Quick facts

The half life: of tyre rubber particles in soils is 16 months.

Stockpile covers and bags

The unintentional loss of materials or by-products, from building or commercial sites, is a source of waste pollution. Materials may be blown or washed off-site. These losses can be controlled by securing stockpiles with covers or bags. Stockpiles should also be located to avoid overland water flow paths.

Sources	Pathways	Sinks	Effects
Commercial services Manufacturing and Industrial	Air Biological Mechanical Water	Marine and intertidal Freshwater Land Biota	Cultural impacts Economic impacts Impacts on human health Impacts on wildlife

Landfill covers

Waste deposited at landfill sites should be secured as quickly as possible. Landfill covers and other methods can stop waste from being blown off-site, prevent animals and birds moving the waste and reduce the effects of stormwater infiltration.

Sources	Pathways	Sinks	Effects
Landfill	Air Biological Mechanical Water	Marine and intertidal Freshwater Land Biota	Cultural impacts Economic impacts Impacts on human health Impacts on wildlife

Vehicle load covers

Any material that falls or blows off vehicles or trailers is waste, which can be a road hazard and create pollution. This is often an issue for vehicles entering or leaving landfill and construction sites. All vehicles carrying loads should be adequately secured, such as with vehicle load covers, to stop materials falling or blowing out.

Sources	Pathways	Sinks	Effects
Urban residential Roads Rural and Agricultural areas	Air Biological Mechanical Water	Marine and intertidal Freshwater Land Biota	Cultural impacts Economic impacts Impacts on human health Impacts on wildlife

Construction waste management

There are practical steps that site managers can do to minimise the waste from construction sites. All waste from construction sites should be disposed of in a mesh cage or skip bin. Bins should be covered when not in use and they should not be overfilled. Mesh cages can be wrapped in a filter cloth to prevent smaller waste items from falling out or blowing away.

The Federal Government is working with a Brisbane-based company to use plastic waste to manufacture insulated walls and ceiling and roof panels. Using cigarette butts in the construction of bricks is also being investigated.

Investigations are ongoing into using cigarette butts in the construction of fired-clay bricks.

Sources	Pathways	Sinks	Effects
Manufacturing and industrial Commercial services	Air Biological Mechanical Water	Marine and intertidal Freshwater Land Biota	Cultural impacts Economic impacts Impacts on human health Impacts on wildlife

Construction stormwater inlet protection

It is important to prevent construction waste materials from entering stormwater systems. All erosion and sediment control requirements should be in place. For example, gully traps can be installed at roadside stormwater intakes and stormwater inlet grates can be wrapped in filter cloth to prevent unwanted materials from entering the system. Waste should also be stored away from overland water flow paths.

Sources	Pathways	Sinks	Effects
Sewerage	Air Biological Mechanical Water	Marine and intertidal Freshwater Land Biota	Cultural impacts Economic impacts Impacts on human health Impacts on wildlife

Last updated: 10 May 2021

This page should be cited as:

Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2021) Transport and storage best practice, WetlandInfo website, accessed 30 August 2024. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/management/pressures/litter-illegal-dumping/management-interventions/transport-storage.html