Solid Waste Removal

Wake Island is one of the most isolated islands in the world, located in the western Pacific Ocean, 1,501 miles east of Guam, 2,298 miles west of Honolulu, and 1,991 miles southeast of Tokyo. It is used primarily as a mid-Pacific refueling stop for U.S. military aircraft and as an emergency landing area. The island also hosts a Launch Center operated by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Missile Defense Agency.

Brice is managing the cleanup and removal of 7,000 tons of solid waste that accumulated across the island over time. Most of the waste consists of metals, tires, porcelain, building materials and vehicles. Removal and cleanup of both legacy solid waste and solid waste being produced from ongoing work is necessary to reduce environmental impacts, reduce the threat of future improper disposal of solid wastes (both hazardous and nonhazardous) by eliminating uncontrolled dump sites, and remove a source of harborage for the rat population on the island.

To cost effectively execute the work, we maximized the vessel load capacity of solid waste and recyclables from pre-determined locations.

Sophisticated logistics were required to do the work. We sourced equipment and personnel from multiple locations in the U.S. A chartered barge was loaded in Seattle, which traveled first to Honolulu, then to Wake Island; the barge was leveraged to mobilize three Brice projects and clients at Wake Island, saving approximately $1.6 million in barging costs.