Significance and Use

This guide is intended to provide guidance for sampling waste piles. It can be used to obtain samples for waste characterization related to use, treatment, or disposal; to monitor an active pile; to prepare for closure of the waste pile; or to investigate the contents of an abandoned pile.

Techniques used to sample include both in-place evaluations of the pile and physically removing a sample. In-place evaluations include techniques such as remote sensing, on-site gas analysis, and permeability.

Sampling strategy for waste piles is dependent on the following:

Project objectives including acceptable levels of error when making decisions;

Physical characteristics of the pile, such as its size and configuration, access to all parts of it, and the stability of the pile;

Process that generated the waste and the waste characteristics, such as hazardous chemical or physical properties, whether the waste consists of sludges, dry powders, granules or larger grained materials, and the heterogeneity of the wastes;

History of the pile, including dates of generation, methods of handling and transport, and current management methods;

Regulatory considerations, such as regulatory classification and characterization data;

Limits and bias of sampling methods, including bias that may be introduced by waste heterogeneity, sampling design, and sampling equipment.

It is recommended that this guide be used in conjunction with Guide D4687, which addresses sampling design, quality assurance, general sampling considerations, preservation and containerization, cleaning equipment, packaging, and chain of custody.

A case history of the investigation of a waste pile is included in Appendix X1.

2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.

ASTM Standards

D1452 Practice for Soil Exploration and Sampling by Auger Borings

D1586 Test Method for Penetration Test (SPT) and Split-Barrel Sampling of Soils

D1587 Practice for Thin-Walled Tube Sampling of Soils for Geotechnical Purposes

D4547 Guide for Sampling Waste and Soils for Volatile Organic Compounds

D4687 Guide for General Planning of Waste Sampling

D4700 Guide for Soil Sampling from the Vadose Zone

D4823 Guide for Core Sampling Submerged, Unconsolidated Sediments

D5088 Practice for Decontamination of Field Equipment Used at Waste Sites

D5314 Guide for Soil Gas Monitoring in the Vadose Zone

D5451 Practice for Sampling Using a Trier Sampler

D5518 Guide for Acquisition of File Aerial Photography and Imagery for Establishing Historic Site-Use and Surficial Conditions

D5681 Terminology for Waste and Waste Management

D5730 Guide for Site Characterization for Environmental Purposes With Emphasis on Soil, Rock, the Vadose Zone and Groundwater

ICS Code

ICS Number Code 13.030.40 (Installations and equipment for waste disposal and treatment)

UNSPSC Code

UNSPSC Code

Referencing This Standard

DOI: 10.1520/D6009-12

Citation Format

ASTM D6009-12, Standard Guide for Sampling Waste Piles , ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2012, www.astm.org