Taupō District Council does not know where asbestos at Broadlands Rd landfill came from

Taupō District Council has yet to establish the origin of traces of asbestos detected at its Broadlands Rd landfill.

Since the council announced it had found “low level” asbestos contamination in two samples from the landfill’s concrete recycling stockpile, no one has called the council regarding the issue.

“However, the council has been working directly with some customers known to have purchased crushed concrete to have it tested,” Taupō District Council general manager organisational performance Sarah Matthews said.

Matthews said at this stage it was “still too early” to tell how many people could have purchased potentially contaminated concrete from the landfill.

“We have not yet been able to establish when the contaminated concrete was dumped,” Matthews said.

“The council is asking those who have purchased concrete and have concerns to get in touch.”

Matthews said the number of people who purchased concrete from the landfill varied from week to week.

“Some weeks [there are no customers], others [there are] two or three. It depends on the market and what projects are happening around town.”

The council hasn’t been able to establish where the asbestos found in the landfill’s concrete stockpile came from.

“A cross-section of the community uses this service, everyone from homeowners removing a concrete garden edging to demolition sites,” Matthews said.

Taupō District Council is testing its stockpiled waste concrete after asbestos was discovered in dumped concrete at Broadlands Rd Landfill.

The council’s original announcement said staff were working with Broadlands Rd Landfill operator Enviro NZ to ensure the asbestos is “contained”.

The landfill site remains open. The concrete recycling service at Broadlands Road Landfill could be unavailable for “some months”.

Matthews said this was because it would take time to complete sampling and testing stockpiles at the landfill for traces of asbestos.

Once the extent of the contamination at the landfill was known, Matthews said, the council would explore its options.

“There are companies that take and dispose of asbestos-contaminated concrete.”

In the meantime, the council’s staff will continue to work with customers to determine the location of crushed concrete that has been sold.

“Asbestos is only an issue when it can be breathed in as dust, usually during demolition or renovation work,” Matthews said.

“So, at low levels, the risk of exposure to fibres is minimal, unless it is disturbed.”

Matthews said by keeping the stockpiles at the landfill damp and restricting access, the council “mitigated asbestos risk while our stockpiles are sitting there”.

According to the council’s original 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.

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.

Matthews encouraged anyone who has bought crushed concrete should call the council on 07 376 0899.

Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based reporter covering breaking news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.