Asbestos - Removal costs !

The courts are starting to hand down draconian penalties on the trucking contractors caught dumping loads of deadly asbestos in city streets.  That is what they deserve, but perhaps we also need to have a look at the laws that were put in place and the fees that apply to the legal disposal of this dangerous product.

Asbestos was a legal and commonly used building material until it was banned in the 1980's.  New disposal laws caused it to be refused at local landfills and it became necessary to take it to a special tip where it was immediately buried in a deep pit and covered to prevent fibres polluting the air. Both the Federal government and the local councils imposed what they considered appropriate fees well above the usual landfill charges.

The demolition of a pre-1980's house would require the services of a thirty tonne truck to remove the asbestos contaminated building material - and that would incur a $ 13500 tipping fee for the legal disposal of that load - and that includes a $ 4000 government levy payment.   There is a huge incentive for a contractor to dispose of it illegally  and pocket that money.

Australia is simply awash with asbestos.  Entire older suburbs are lined with asbestos houses and they will be with us long after this century ends.   Is it realistic to gouge what both government and councils seem to regard as " cash cow " draconian fees to provide what is really a public service ?

It raises another interesting question.   How much asbestos is smuggled illegally into council tips ?  The average suburban householder doing a small renovation job finds he has removed a couple of sheets of asbestos.   Legally, he is supposed to call in an asbestos certified contractor who will wet it, bag it and remove it safely - for a fee.    The more likely outcome is to break it up and hide it in his trailer with other rubbish - and dump it at the local landfill.

Was the refusal of asbestos at local tips an unnecessary knee jerk reaction ?  A well run tip has the daily input covered each day and when tips become full they are usually covered with clay and become parks or golf courses.  In most cases, they remain undisturbed - forever !

Just such an old tip in Sydney's St Peters will soon be a traffic interchange and because of its age it will be rife with asbestos.  The contractors tasked with working the required changes know they will encounter asbestos and will need to use the necessary caution.   Nearby residents are advised to remain indoors and keep their windows shut - not because of the asbestos but because of the noxious gases still generated by household waste dumped generations earlier.

What is clearly needed is a re-think on how we deal with our asbestos problem.  People are apt to obey laws when both rules and cost are considered reasonable !