Contaminated waste (muck away)
Muck away services are great if you require bulk waste removal of inert waste from your building site or demolition project. Using specialist grab lorries, armed with a trained operator on hand should you need one, we quickly and safely remove waste, including rubble, rubbish, soil, and garden waste alongside muck away for ponds and koi ponds, leaving you with a clear and productive site.
However, issues can arise when finding the ground beneath a construction site contaminated. As specialist London-based demolition contractors, we are see regular occurrences of contaminated ground waste throughout the London areas, because of the city’s rapid transformation into one of the world’s largest cities in the 19th century. Due to the smog and pollution, a foul-smelling substance was identified on the sites of old gasworks and mines. The processes used at the time to make heating, lighting and raw chemical products created a vivid blue substance known as ‘Blue Billy Contamination‘, that ended up seeping into the ground and contaminating areas of land.
Blue Billy smells rancid, and unlike other waste by-products such as tar, it cannot be sold, making it an inconvenience on any construction site. This bright blue colour and putrid odour is now synonymous with land contamination.
Specialist contaminated muck away services for Blue Billy
Due to the high levels of cyanide and ammonia found in Blue Billy, if someone comes into contact with it and is left untreated, it can lead to chronic and long-term health risks. Cyanide is incredibly toxic to humans and can result in death even if a small amount is ingested. Toxic effects of Blue Billy include loss of consciousness and breathing difficulties.
Finding Blue Billy on a construction site can be stressful but is not a complete catastrophe. At Feltham, we have the expertise and know-how to safely remove and dispose of contaminated land in order to get it ready for construction. Our professional team can come in once Blue Billy is identified and remove the contaminated land using one of our specialist grab lorries and skip hire vehicles. We can then get the cleared land ready for construction afterwards, should you require us to do so. We start by removing the bulk of the contaminated land using one of our vehicles, and then using a process called bio-mediation to take care of any remaining contaminants. Bio-mediation is the process of using the activity of bacteria naturally present in soil to break down the contaminants. While bio-mediation is a naturally occurring process, we can speed the process up by creating the right environment for the bacteria to work.
The Feltham Demolition team can quickly and safely take care of any form of contaminated waste, including Blue Billy. With over 30 years of industry experience, we undertake muck away in line with the latest regulations. We are fully licenced by the Environmental Agency, holding a valid Waste Carriers Licence, which we are happy to show on request. If you have found Blue Billy on your construction site, do not hesitate to contact us. We offer a same day service and can get to work right away on removing contaminated ground waste and disposing of it so you can continue working on your construction site.
