Liverpool MP Charishma Kaliyanda criticised the council for not adequately notifying nearby residents of the asbestos.
“When something as concerning as asbestos is found, residents want reassurance,” she said. “My office has received a number of complaints from residents in the area surrounding Pye Hill Reserve who said that they received no correspondence, no information or details.”
The council said it had sent letters to residents informing them of the asbestos, but that it had missed one street adjoining the reserve.
“Council apologises for the oversight,” a spokesperson said. “All asbestos-affected areas of the park were fenced off once asbestos was confirmed, and warning signs were posted … all users of the reserve were warned about the presence of asbestos.”
On its website, HiQ Cecil Park states that it is licensed to accept asbestos waste. When contacted by this masthead, the company said its soil is regularly mixed with other contractors’ material.
“HiQ regularly provides recovered materials to infrastructure contractors, including to the contractors working on the Pye Hill Reserve project,” a HiQ spokesperson said.
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“The material used on the Pye Hill Reserve is typically made up of materials received from a range of sources. HiQ was one of the sources for this material. The materials HiQ provides to contractors are commonly mixed by additional contractors with other materials before it is provided to their clients. HiQ does not have visibility into that process.”
HiQ said when the asbestos was discovered, it worked with council to “contain and safely dispose of” the material.
“We are now working to provide EPA NSW with any information we can. As we do this, no material of this type is leaving the site.”
The council said it only contracted soil from HiQ, and that it was not mixed with other sources.
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“HiQ was the only supplier of topsoil at Pye Hill Reserve footpath areas and Rickard Road footpath construction, and it has been found to be contaminated despite being supplied to council as being certified contaminant-free and safe for use.”
The EPA said the council notified it of the asbestos at Pye Hill Reserve on September 5. It conducted tests on stockpiled recycled topsoil at HiQ Cecil Park. One sample returned positive for asbestos, prompting the agency to investigate where else this material may have been used in Sydney.
“NSW EPA is investigating both incidents and the supplier of the materials,” a spokesperson said.
The EPA said it has inspected the Pye Hill Reserve site several times since the soil was removed, and confirmed this week that the area is safe.
SafeWork NSW is investigating whether council workers who laid the soil were exposed to asbestos at both sites.
“SafeWork NSW inspectors have responded and are investigating the actions taken by council to ensure its workers are not exposed to asbestos when doing any work at Pye Hill Park,” a spokesperson for the regulator said.
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