UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL

Certified safe

Many companies are preoccupied with the problem of disposing of non-recyclable waste materials. To prevent certain waste from harming the environment, it can be stored in underground facilities in accordance with especially rigorous safety standards. Since 2005, GSES has been operating a facility of this kind which has been allocated the highest possible classification, namely Class IV.

Waste is stored in underground chambers under strict safety and quality criteria. The facility is completely isolated from the surface and from the remaining mine workings by a system of barriers (multi-barrier principle) and has absolutely no contact with groundwater. A long-term safety report prepared by experts in the field certifies that the underground disposal facility at GSES will remain safe for thousands of years.

Only non-organic, solid and non-gaseous materials are stored here. They might include products from waste incineration plants, or from the glass, metal or plastics industries. Upon arrival, they are examined thoroughly to ensure that they are as described in the accompanying declaration. If the appropriate documentation is presented and a corresponding contract is in place, the waste is allocated to the various chambers of the disposal facility depending on its hazard potential. An entry is made in the land register documenting the waste. This provides evidence of which waste was stored when, where and by whom.

The underground disposal facility allows waste to be removed from the biosphere completely, so that it can no longer contaminate the air, soil or water.