TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ENVIRONMENT - Preferred Method: The steam-treated drill cuttings are bioremediated, preferably for 6-12 weeks in biopiles that are covered to retain moisture. The drill cuttings are aerated during bioremediation. They are placed on a platform, e.g. the perforated conveyor. The steam is passed through the drill cuttings on the conveyor, preferably through the conveyor at a pressure or under vacuum. A carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) ratio of the drill cuttings is monitored at least once during the method. It is optionally altered to provide an optimum C:N:P ratio for microorganism activity, which is 250:10:1 to 400:10:1. Augmentation of the drill cuttings takes place after the steam treatment and prior to the bioremediation, during which the steam-treated drill cuttings may be augmented with one or more of a nitrogen source (e.g., urea or ammonium nitrate), a phosphorus source (e.g., ground rock phosphate or triple super phosphate), a bulking agent (e.g., chipped wood), trace nutrients, or water. A microbial population of the drill cuttings is augmented with an inoculum of microorganisms. The inoculum is derived from one or more of hydrocarbon-contaminated wastes, e.g. soil, dredgings, drill cuttings, or drill cuttings that have been steam treated and bioremediated. Degradation potential of the drill cuttings is initially measured by a suitable assay. The steam that passed through the drill cuttings is extracted and treated to remove contaminants. The steam recovery system (15) includes passing the steam through one or more of an activated carbon trap to remove volatile organic carbon, a condenser, desalinating equipment, and a filter to remove particulate material. Water produced in the steam recovery system is returned to the low-temperature steam generator (9). The method includes collecting oily water that drains from the drill cuttings, and separating oil from the water in a separator. The recovered water is used to generate steam, and the recovered oil is returned to the steam generator. The drill cuttings are initially aggregated using a suitable aggregating agent, preferably woodchip. The aggregating agent is added to the drill cuttings in an amount of 10-30% (v/v). The drill cuttings are treated prior to steam treatment such that the bulk density of the cuttings is 1-1.2 g/cm3.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Component: The steam generator passes the steam through the conveyor under pressure. The apparatus includes steam treatment mechanism(s) comprising a vacuum pump (13) for extracting steam that has passed through the conveyor; and a collection mechanism for collecting condensed oily water that drains from the conveyor (4, 20). The steam treatment mechanism further includes one or more of the activated carbon trap, the condenser, the desalinating equipment, and the filter.