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Taupō District Council has discovered asbestos in a landfill used to recycle debris into crushed concrete.
The council has urged anyone who has purchased from Broadlands Rd Landfill to get in touch and arrange for testing.
According to a council press release, the asbestos was discovered after concrete being used on a council project was “suspected of containing asbestos”.
“Samples were taken from the concrete stockpiles at the landfill. Two of those found a low-level presence of asbestos,” the statement said.
“No asbestos was found in the crushed concrete at the project site.”
The statement said an “extensive sampling programme” was underway to understand the amount of asbestos in the concrete stockpiles.
“Of the 12 samples from the landfill stockpiles taken to date, 10 have come back as safe and two samples have come back at the low end of the low level of contamination,” the statement said.
Concrete recycling at the landfill has been “put on hold” and this could continue for “some months”.
Taupō District Council chief executive Julie Gardyne said staff were working with Broadlands Rd Landfill operator Enviro NZ to ensure the asbestos is “contained”.
The landfill site remains open.
“The health and safety of our community is absolutely crucial,” Gardyne said.
“So we are following expert advice on how to manage the stockpiles, including keeping these damp to prevent asbestos fibres getting into the air.
“The concrete stockpiles are away from the main landfill operations and with the watering system in place, we are comfortable there is no risk to landfill staff or visitors.”
However, Gardyne said this meant concrete recycling at Broadlands Road Landfill was currently on hold.
“We know our community enjoys being able to take advantage of the affordable disposal of their concrete waste, but while this issue is being investigated we want to keep everyone safe, so concrete is not currently being accepted for recycling.”
Gardyne said concrete could be disposed of as general waste at the general waste disposal price of $210 per tonne.
“We expect this may need to continue for some months.”
Taupō District Council is testing its stockpiled waste concrete after asbestos was discovered in dumped concrete at Broadlands Rd Landfill. Photo / Google
Gardyne said the council has been working directly with customers known to have purchased crushed concrete to have it tested.
“Where asbestos is present above the safe threshold, council is working with customers to ensure the site is safe and remediated where appropriate.”
Gardyne asked anyone who may be concerned about concrete material purchased from Broadlands Rd Landfill to contact the council.
“We are taking a very cautious approach to managing this situation and while we expect test results to continue to come back as safe or at low levels of contamination, we want to do everything we can to ensure we identify and dispose of any crushed concrete that could potentially pose a risk for the community.”
Anyone who has purchased crushed concrete from the Broadlands Road Landfill should call Taupō District Council on 07 376 0899 to arrange for appropriate testing to take place.
