Wollongong City Council has been undertaking a pilot program over the past three years to reduce illegal dumping along the old Princes Highway between Waterfall and Sublime Point by constructing soil mounds to stop people dumping waste in secluded bushland.
The materials used in establishing soil moulds come from local constructions work and has been confirmed to be contaminated.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) issued a statement on Tuesday, saying it commenced an investigation after its officers identified suspected asbestos material in at least one of the mounds during an inspection on Friday and have taken additional soil samples for further analysis.
The EPA is very concerned about the actions of council in regards to this incident and has requested immediate action be taken to secure the site and safely remove the materials, says Steve Beaman, EPA’s Director of Waste and Resource Recovery,.
Asbestos is classified as a human carcinogen and its use in any form has been banned in Australia since the 1980s.
The EPA says it's still considering what level of regulatory action to take and will make a decision in the next few weeks when its investigation is complete.
Wollongong City Council said it was reviewing the processes used in developing the mounds.
Defending the mounds as “a great initiative in preventing illegal dumping”, Mike Hyde, Wollongong City Council's Director of Infrastructure and Works, said the contamination is very low level.
“We’ve employed an independent consultant to carry out a risk assessment this morning at the two worksites that the material had been sourced from and at the soil mounds on the old Princes Highway.
“Their initial advice is that all three locations are considered low risk,” he said.
Andrew Carfield, Council’s Director of Environment and Planning, added that the piles presented no risk to public health.
“Council has taken steps to make sure these areas are safe, and we ask people in particular not to disturb the mounds while we review what further steps need to be taken – this may include removal”.
According to him, Council had been undertaking an internal review of its existing processes regarding appropriate reporting and response when asbestos is identified by staff.
“We have a range of initiatives which we’re rolling out including further training, use of licenced assessors and removalists.”
