Asbestos Removal

Beverly Hills

Hazardous Removal Company provides licensed asbestos testing, removal, disposal and demolition throughout Beverly Hills and the surrounding southern Sydney suburbs. Beverly Hills sits across two local government areas, Georges River Council and the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, and we work on both sides of the boundary.

The suburb’s age is the reason asbestos comes up so often here. Beverly Hills was called Dumbleton until 24 August 1940, and the railway station that drove its growth opened in December 1931. Subdivision ran through the 1930s and 1940s, and the suburb filled out with the freestanding red brick and tile bungalows, many carrying late Art Deco detailing, that still define its streets today.

That places most of Beverly Hills squarely in the asbestos era. Homes built or renovated before 1987 are highly likely to contain asbestos, and the national ban on manufacture, import and use did not take effect until 31 December 2003. The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency estimates asbestos is present in roughly one in three Australian homes.

The trap in a Beverly Hills brick bungalow

Owners of brick homes often assume asbestos is somebody else’s problem. It is the most common misconception we deal with in this suburb, and it is wrong.

A post-war brick and tile bungalow has masonry walls, but the asbestos in these houses was rarely in the walls. It is in the parts nobody looks at:

• Eaves and soffit sheeting, the single most common location in Beverly Hills housing
• Bathroom and laundry wall sheeting, frequently sitting behind tiles that were added in a later renovation
• The garage or shed, very often asbestos cement rather than brick
• Boundary fencing, particularly rear and side fences of original construction
• Vinyl floor covering backing in kitchens and laundries
• Gutters, downpipes and electrical conduit

Beverly Hills also has a notably high share of detached housing. Across the Beverly Hills and Narwee area, 62.5% of dwellings are separate houses against 49.7% for the Georges River LGA as a whole. More detached houses means more eaves, more garages and more fence lines, which is to say more of exactly the building elements where bonded asbestos sits.

Demolition in Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills is named specifically in the NSW Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, which permits apartment buildings of four to six storeys within 800 metres of the station, along with dual occupancies, terraces and townhouses. Georges River Council’s own planning work created capacity for 8,245 additional dwellings across the LGA and proposed reducing the minimum lot size for dual occupancy in R2 zones from 650 m² to 600 m².

In practice that means more knockdowns, and a knockdown of a 1940s or 1950s Beverly Hills bungalow is an asbestos job before it is a demolition job.

Demolition of a dwelling, garage or pool can often proceed as complying development under the Demolition Code, assessed by council or a private certifier rather than through a full development application. The EP&A Regulation requires that a complying development certificate carry conditions ensuring asbestos is removed and disposed of safely. Because we hold both capabilities in one business, the asbestos clearance and the demolition are sequenced properly instead of one trade waiting on another.

One caution: if a property sits in a heritage conservation area, the complying development pathway is far more restrictive and a development application is generally required. Check the Georges River Local Environmental Plan heritage maps before you plan a demolition, or ask us and we will check it with you.

There is nowhere in the Georges River area to dispose of asbestos

This surprises people, and it is worth knowing before you start a job.

Georges River Council does not collect asbestos. It is explicitly excluded from the bulky waste service, and it cannot go in any kerbside bin. More to the point, there is no EPA listed facility accepting household asbestos anywhere inside the Georges River local government area. The nearest is Lucas Heights Waste and Recycling Centre on New Illawarra Road, Lucas Heights.

If you are transporting asbestos yourself, it must be double wrapped in plastic of at least 200 microns, labelled, and carried in a covered vehicle. Book ahead, as most facilities require 24 hours notice. If you move more than 100 kg or more than 10 m², you must notify the EPA within 24 hours of delivery using its household asbestos disposal form.

For most Beverly Hills jobs, the disposal logistics are a bigger practical headache than the removal itself, and they are included when we quote.

What the law requires in New South Wales

The 10 square metre rule. Under the WHS Regulation you may remove up to 10 m² of non-friable bonded asbestos without a licence. SafeWork NSW still recommends using a licensed removalist. Beyond 10 m², a Class B licence is required.

Friable asbestos has no exemption. Any amount of friable asbestos requires a Class A licensed removalist, regardless of how small the area is.

Clearance certificates. For friable removal, a clearance certificate must be issued by an independent licensed asbestos assessor before anyone reoccupies the area. For non-friable work, a competent person or an assessor may issue it. In both cases the inspector must be independent of the removalist who did the work.

Frequently asked questions

My Beverly Hills house is brick. Do I still need to worry?
Almost certainly yes. Brick walls do not rule out asbestos. In post-war bungalows of this type it typically sits in the eaves, the bathroom and laundry sheeting, the garage and the fencing rather than in the wall structure.

Which council do I deal with in Beverly Hills?
It depends which side of the suburb you are on, because Beverly Hills is split between Georges River Council and Canterbury-Bankstown. Tell us your address and we will confirm which applies to your job.

Can I put asbestos out for the council bulky waste collection?
No. Georges River Council specifically excludes asbestos from that service, and it cannot go in kerbside bins. It has to go to a licensed facility, and the nearest one is outside the LGA.

I am knocking down and rebuilding. Does the asbestos come out first?
Yes. The asbestos has to be removed and cleared before general demolition begins. A complying development certificate for demolition carries conditions requiring exactly that.

Is the asbestos in my bathroom safe if it is tiled over?
Sealed behind sound tiling and left undisturbed, bonded asbestos is generally low risk. The risk arrives the moment someone starts a renovation, which is why a bathroom strip out in a house of this era should begin with a sample test.

How do I know whether my fence is asbestos?
You cannot tell reliably by eye, and old fibro fencing is very common in this suburb. A sample tested at a NATA accredited laboratory is the only certain answer.