A more environmentally-friendly alternative to rock salt

Gareth Ellis, the Managing Director at EcoGrit Ltd, charts a safer, non-toxic, more environmentally-friendly alternative to rock salt, a granular product made with natural ingredients

Winter can become dangerous with weather patterns becoming more uncertain and new records set at both ends of the scale. We can never be sure in what areas the cold and frost will hit, often leaving us unprepared.

EcoGrit Ltd.’s view on rock salt

The most widely used product now is rock salt, which has been used for many years, even though we know it is not ideal because of the damage it causes to the areas we use it on and the wider environment. Rock salt is not only very corrosive but is only effective at around -6C.

Rock salt has a low moisture absorption factor, preventing the ground from freezing to a ground temperature of -6C (ground temperature is usually about two degrees lower than air temperature). If the temperature falls below -6C, the rock salt just freezes, and this can be dangerous on paths because even though it looks gritted, it is still slippery, so more accidents can occur. Even a light snowfall can quickly saturate the rock salt, rendering it useless, meaning it should be re-applied.

In icy conditions, if the gritting isn’t done adequately, it increases the possibility of slips, resulting in injuries sometimes severe enough for the victim to take time off work. This can be quite a problem for military, police, and emergency services as these highly and expensively trained individuals can’t be easily replaced.

Even injuries to government staff, pharmacists, doctors and nurses can have a severe knock-on effect on running various offices. That is why it is imperative to ensure that the walkways and paths at these establishments are adequately maintained to be ice-free, no matter the weather. Each facility is responsible for providing staff, visitors, or patients safe routes around their buildings.

In the last couple of years, different areas have experienced unexpected, longer, colder snaps and more extreme weather, bringing plenty of problems. The solution has been just to put down larger amounts of rock salt, but this gets to a point where the damage done becomes expensive to fix, and if the temperature drops enough, it can lead to the closures of facilities and services.

This is where EcoGrit comes in.

Environmentally-friendly alternative to rock salt

EcoGrit concentrate is a safer, non-toxic, more environmentally-friendly alternative to rock salt made with natural ingredients and won’t harm plants, animals or children (even when ingested).

It is not a grit. It’s a granular product, meaning it doesn’t get carried into buildings on footwear; it breaks down entirely and leaves no mess behind. It reacts with the frost and snow and becomes a clear de-icer, which coats the ground, and because it can work to temperatures as cold as -20C, it doesn’t re-freeze, meaning it doesn’t need to be re-applied as often as the rock salt does.

EcoGrit is a concentrate, so less product needs to be used, and it can safely be used around plants, animals (and, yes, children). The product also has no COSHH restrictions, can be stored indefinitely in a dry place and still works when needed.

At EcoGrit, we take pride in not using urea in our product as most environmentally-friendly de-icers contain or are 100% urea. If urea is used in large quantities, it can cause toxic algae blooms and devastate wildlife and animals (many countries have banned using urea as a de-icier). The UK wants to restrict this use for farmers as urea is 47% nitrogen and used as a fertiliser.

How environmentally-friendly EcoGrit is supplied

We supply EcoGrit in a variety of sizes:

• A 1.2kg shaker is ideal for keeping in vehicles to ensure staff can get to work. The containers are recyclable.
• A 5kg bucket complete with its own scoop for application. This size can easily be handled and applied by anyone. A handy size to be able to store to near where it is needed. The bucket and lid are recyclable.
• A 20 kg bucket containing either a scoop for application or not. You decide when ordering.
• A 20kg bag is ideal for maintenance teams to use when filling up spreaders or grit bins.
• A half-tonne bag with the product inside a plastic liner is kept closed with a reusable zip tie to keep the product dry if kept outside.
• A one-tonne bag with the product inside a plastic liner and a reusable zip tie to keep the product dry.

For more information and purchases, please visit www.ecogrit.co.uk. Alternatively, call +44 (0)800 193 6466 to set up a 30-day credit account.

Environmentally-friendly EcoGrit summary

• Biodegradable, wildlife and environmentally-friendly (even if adopted for large-scale usage).
• No COSHH restrictions, safe to handle and store.
• Grass and plant-friendly.
• Safe for children and animals.
• Works to temperatures of -20C.
• Doesn’t re-freeze.
• 80% less corrosive than rock salt.
• Concentrated – so less product is needed.