The discovery of asbestos pieces in several parks across Melbourne has put the spotlight on the mulch and demolition industries.
A council in Melbourne’s west closed a playground after a resident found pieces of asbestos-containing material in mulch,along with other industrial waste.
There are 569 public schools under the Department of Education’s current site-specific asbestos management plans after contaminated was detected in soil.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne warns that asbestos-contaminated mulch at Rozelle Parklands will not be removed by February 29 as scheduled,threatening council events.
If we are to be free of this health scourge,all asbestos must be removed from our built environment and safely disposed of.
The NSW Environmental Protection Agency needs the necessary tools and powers to investigate and prosecute those who ignore the rules.
The site at the centre of the EPA’s asbestos mulch investigation was repeatedly contaminated with asbestos before the current company took over the facility.
Asbestos has now been found at 32 sites across Sydney in what is being described as “the biggest investigation the EPA has undertaken in decades”.
Schools across Sydney have been selected for precautionary testing for contaminated mulch,with one closing to students as three new sites are identified to contain asbestos.
The taskforce to oversee the investigation of asbestos-contaminated parks and other sites around Sydney is a welcome response to a problem that has lain dormant for years.
The NSW taskforce will assist the Environmental Protection Authority investigation into hundreds of sites across Sydney potentially contaminated by asbestos-ridden mulch.