Manual recovery
Manual recovery (datasheet)
Manual recovery is an inevitable method which is systematically carried out whatever the extent of the pollution, the type of pollutant or the type of site, and wherever mechanical recovery is not possible. It is often the main, if not the only, means used in the event of small-scale or scattered pollution and remains one of the principal methods used to respond to a major spill. Thanks to its accuracy, low impact and the flexibility of its implementation, manual recovery may also be preferable to mechanical recovery in the case of heavy localised pollution. However, its output remains relatively low, especially in the case of light, scattered or residual pollution.
Concentration
and collection
Collection is carried out using various tools. In order
to reduce the removal of sand, shovels and other equipment
should be handled tangentially to the ground’s surface.
For the same reason, the use of forks is recommended in
the presence of soiled debris. In the case of scattered
pollution, it should be concentrated using rakes, brushes
etc. The tools needed can sometimes be altered locally to
facilitate the work. The contaminated materials are gathered
together at a collection point, allowing more selective
recovery.
Evacuation
If the beach is accessible to heavy duty machinery, the
collection of the gathered waste can be carried out using
mechanical means (ensuring that as little clean sediment
as possible is removed), using light machinery such as quad
bikes (which prove to be very functional) or manually. For
this, waste is packaged in bags, bins or buckets then transported
by hand.
Manual
recovery techniques
