Liverpool City Council has arranged for the soil turf underlay material recently placed along the newly constructed footpaths at Pye Hill Reserve, Cecil Hills to be removed and replaced with certified natural soil. The turf underlay material is a recycled product sourced from construction waste. The supplier of this material had provided certification to Council confirming that it was suitable for use as a turf underlay. Subsequent heavy rainfall after the material was placed caused soil erosion. This erosion revealed various foreign materials, including terracotta tile fragments, fibro, concrete, and glass fines, all indicators of contamination within the recycled mix. Some bonded asbestos was found in the material. Council’s daily air monitoring results are all below the laboratory detection limits. These results indicate there is a low risk of exposure.
Due to the amount of foreign material, including asbestos, the recycled turf underlay is not suitable to remain at the site. Council has contacted the EPA to inform them of these findings, the EPA is now investigating with the supplier. A licensed asbestos removal contractor is overseeing the turf underlay removal works. In addition, SafeWork NSW has also been informed of the work as required for asbestos removal work.
The areas to be excavated and re-instated are shown in the plan below. During this work, access to the walking paths will be restricted in stages.
All necessary control measures are in place to ensure that the work is undertaken safely and in accordance with SafeWork NSW requirements, including the use of air monitoring, water cart (dust suppression) and exclusion zones around the work site.
The turf underlay removal work started last Thursday 25 September and is expected to be completed by the end of this week.
Thank you for your patience during this work. Council apologises for any inconvenience while we undertake removal of the recycled turf underlay.
