What should I do about soil contaminated with foam rubber?
Asked by
Zissou (
3374
)
July 12th, 2022
I moved into a house with a very small yard this past winter. When the snow receded, I found that apparently someone had dumped some rubbish in the back yard at some point. Most it had been removed, but there were still chunks of foam rubber, shredded fabric, broken toys, bits of plastic and glass, nails, etc. I think the foam and fabric probably came from an old couch.
I gathered up the bigger pieces and thought I could rake up the rest, but no matter how much I raked, tiny bits of foam and plastic kept turning up in the dirt.
I concluded that I would simply have to remove several cm of soil altogether (I considered sifting it but decided it wasn’t worth the effort). So I’ve started scraping up the dirt and putting it in the bin with household garbage. I’ll have to spread it out over many trash days because if I just fill the trash bin with dirt it will be too heavy.
Is a better way to deal with this? I’d like to plant a garden back there, but I’m afraid to grow food in soil that has this stuff in it.
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8 Answers
@Zissou Can you hire a 12 year old for $5 to sift the foam rubber out of the soil? Would be a win-win transaction.
If I could afford it, I’d hire a don’t know what you call it…bulldozer? backhoe? to come in and remove 3–4 inches of soil. That’s the only way you’re going to get nice clean soil to plant in and also have a nice lawn.
I agree with @smudges just make a free call to the utility company/city hall to make sure that it is ok to dig. Should be free.
Dig up some of the dirt and form a dam around the area. Fill the void with water and stir the mud with a bow rake, then skim the foam off the top of the water.
Or you can make a screen to sift the dry material.
Wrap some copper wire around the head of a bow rake and hook the ends of the wire to a 6-volt lantern battery to make an electro magnet. Rake the area to remove any steel bits, nails.
Great suggestions above. I was just going to add that there’s always the option of a raised garden bed.
Why not call the Agricultural office in your county or state and see what remediation they suggest?
That is horrible. This has diverse effects on microbial growth on the soil. Likewise, this is a threat on the groundwater. Moreover, the health risks are present for your family.. Since you plan to grow a garden, it is imperative that you take care of this immediately and efficiently.
YOu can get your soil tested and see the damage done. This is a great way to know the risks and mitigate the situation. Also, digging up and sifting the soil is a good start. But be aware that some plants may have root systems that go deep. Thus, dig deep enough that the roots do not encounter contaminated soil. You can manually do this or have a contractor do this for you. My garden suffered a similar faith since the building contractor buried their trash in the garden – deep in the garden soil. A foot down and I was still digging up plastic tubes, containers and even cement sacks. I asked the contractor to clean it up for me for free otherwise face legal repercussions. Another important step you have to take is to build up the healthy microbes in your soil for planting. I usually use my own lactobacilli concoction to increase good bacteria. Also, build up the nitrogen-fixing bacteria. You can do this by incorporating compost in the soil. Of course organic compost is best. Do not forget to have the soil tested before you plant anything. This will ensure that you have good soil for your plants and it is safe for your family. Good luck.
Thanks for your answers. Good mix of creativity, expertise, and common sense here.
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