Asbestos Soil Remediation for a Homeowner in Marsden

The Challenge: Mixed Asbestos Waste Across an Acreage Property

A homeowner contacted Total Asbestos about extensive asbestos contamination at the rear of a rented acreage property in Marsden. Demolition rubbish had built up in multiple piles and was also spread across the ground. The owner had inherited the problem: the material had been dumped on the block during a tenancy, and Logan City Council wanted it cleaned up.

The homeowner had already engaged an occupational hygienist to sample the material. The assessment identified asbestos in the rubbish, debris and soil. Weathered asbestos cement sheeting was present and, as described to the project team, the material was classified as friable. Black plastic covers and sediment-control barriers were already around the stockpiles when Total Asbestos arrived.

A Remediation Job That Needed Earthmoving Capability

The contaminated material included timber, bricks, concrete and metal bound together in sticky soil. It could not practically be separated on site, so the entire mixture had to be removed as contaminated waste. The scale of the stockpiles, the mixed material and the wet ground made this far more than a collection job. It needed excavation, temporary road construction, coordinated truck movements and a disposal arrangement able to take a very large volume of asbestos-contaminated waste.

Planning the scope and quantities

The team worked from the hygienist’s written remediation plan. A surveyor was also engaged to assess the stockpiles and estimate the quantity requiring removal. The initial estimate was about 3,000 tonnes; the final quantity removed was 3,100 tonnes, supported by the waste records held by the business.

New tenants were living at the property throughout the work. The house was at the front, with remediation taking place at the rear. Temporary fencing separated the work area from the occupied part of the property, and asbestos warning signage marked the site.

Building access over wet ground

Wet ground was the major practical challenge. Rather than relying on the soft surface, the team imported recycled asphalt, placed it along the truck route and compacted it with the company’s own roller. That gave the trucks a prepared pathway into the loading area, and it made the access construction part of the remediation rather than a separate problem.

In-house machinery and operators

Total Asbestos deployed its own 20-tonne excavator, 11-tonne excavator and roller. The on-site team was an asbestos supervisor, an asbestos technician and two excavator operators, all employed directly by the company. The excavators arranged material in a windrow alongside the truck route so it was positioned for loading as each truck moved through the site, keeping excavation and outgoing loads in step.

Haulage was subcontracted, with approximately ten truck-and-quad combinations operating on rotation. The waste was transported to Remondis at Swanbank, with Total Asbestos coordinating excavation and loading around the transport movements.

Managing Rain Interruptions and Air Monitoring

The work spanned about two weeks, including weather stoppages. On days of heavy rain, slippery conditions at the receiving facility meant it could not accept further waste, and removal had to pause. The material was already damp from the weather and was kept wet during the work. Air monitoring was carried out throughout; every result was below 0.01 fibres per millilitre, with the monitoring report retained by the business.

Removing the Underlying Affected Soil

Once the stockpiles were gone, the team excavated approximately 100 millimetres of soil from beneath them as part of the remediation, extending the work beyond the visible piles to the affected ground underneath. The occupational hygienist then visually inspected the exposed subgrade for any remaining visible asbestos and issued an asbestos clearance certificate following the inspection.

Finishing and Handing Back the Property

The team levelled the block and left the area neat and tidy for the homeowner. The temporary recycled-asphalt access road was retained for the client. The homeowner said they were happy the clean-up had been completed. The result: 3,100 tonnes of contaminated mixed material removed, a levelled site and an asbestos clearance certificate following the hygienist’s visual inspection.

What This Project Demonstrates

Need asbestos-contaminated soil or mixed demolition waste removed?

Illegally dumped material, council clean-up notices and large tenanted blocks are exactly what our asbestos soil remediation service is set up for. Contact Total Asbestos to discuss your site, access conditions and remediation requirements.