Crushed concrete containing asbestos found at the Resource Recovery Centre (RRC) in 2016.

Last year council reported a small amount of asbestos was confirmed via routine laboratory testing in a sample of crushed concrete at the facility. 

On July 28 senior management of council were made aware of the positive result and sales of the product were immediately halted.

The NSW EPA was formally notified and the RRC did not accept any further building waste.

After a further 20 random tests on the crushed concrete product, one returned a positive result for asbestos.

On August 3 councillors were advised in writing of the situation and a residents who may have purchased the product told to contact council.

Following extensive investigations a total of 24 customers were confirmed to have purchased the product.

Council contacted all of these customers and negotiated options for remediation.

Of the 23 properties to date from where the material was fully removed only four small fragments of bonded asbestos have been found.

All sites were independently inspected, verified, cleared and issued with an Asbestos Clearance Certificate by an independent occupational hygienist.

Since the notification, council has been in close liaison with the EPA to manage remediation of the private properties with Council reporting to the EPA on a fortnightly basis.

Council continues to liaise with the EPA on management of the existing stockpile of crushed concrete at the RRC.

Council has also held a number of meetings with the EPA and members of the Office for the Minister for the Environment.

The most recent meeting between council and the director of the EPA was held on August 3, 2017.