Asbestos " Cowboys " !

The removal of asbestos waste is proving a financial hazard for those renovating older homes.  Because of the deadly danger of inhaling the fine particles that lodge in the lungs it is subjected to strict disposal laws, and that involves tip fees of $ 395 a tonne, four times the cost of disposing of normal building waste.

It seems that some " Cowboys " working in the waste industry have devised schemes to turn this to their advantage.   They charge exaggerated prices to cover the legal dumping of asbestos, but simply dump the load in suburban streets and pocket the windfall profit.

One perpetrator has been caught and fined for four such offences and these fines amounting to $ 130,000 have not stopped the practice.   We are seeing constant news reports of asbestos dumped in the dead of night outside schools and day care centres and this is costing councils serious cleanup money.

It is becoming obvious that these are well planned raids on the public purse.  The " drop zone " selected is usually free of cctv camera coverage and the truck is suitably disguised.   Number plates are either removed, or carefully covered  and in most cases a tip truck is used to allow the flick of a switch to dump the load in mere seconds.

In this way, a single operation can net many hundreds of dollars of profit.  A few unscrupulous traders are beginning to specialise in this method of deception and as a result we are facing a law change to add jail time as well as hefty fines to the consequences of getting caught.

Councils have always had problems with people dodging tip fees by dumping rubbish on vacant land or in country areas but the very nature of asbestos poses a serious health risk.    There is no safe level to asbestos exposure.   When it is dumped in a street there is a risk that fibres will drift in the wind and contaminate the lungs of pedestrians and those living in nearby houses.

It seems that the only way to curb the practice is to take it out of the realm of a " commercial crime "  and treat it in similar manner to a " crime against the life of others " -  under which " attempted murder " would be a definition.

That seems to be the option that our law makers are considering !