Asbestos Waste
Managing Asbestos as a Waste
It is illegal to dispose of asbestos waste in domestic garbage bins or to recycle, reuse, bury or illegally dump asbestos waste. Asbestos must not be placed in general waste skip bins, yet there have been instances where asbestos has been illegally placed in skip bins by third parties. Members of the public need to be aware of this hazard and may need to secure their skip bins to prevent a third party from illegally disposing of asbestos in the skip bin. Asbestos waste (in any form) must only be disposed of at a landfill site that may lawfully receive asbestos waste. In our Shire, Parkes Waste Facility holds EPA Licence 6016 which authorises acceptance of asbestos waste. It should be noted that Parkes Waste Facility only accepts waste from within our Shire.
Procedure to Arrange Disposal
To book disposal of asbestos at Parkes Waste Facility, please phone 6861 2333 and discuss with the Waste Management Coordinator. A date and time for delivery will be provided, and the Weighbridge notified accordingly.
Booking requirements
- 48 hours' notice
- double wrapped in heavy duty plastic
- sealed with duct tape
- address asbestos originates from
- approximate weight
- name and vehicle type/registration of deliverer
Asbestos transporters and facilities receiving asbestos waste transported inside NSW weighing 100 kilograms or more or consisting of 10 square metres or more of asbestos sheeting in one load must track and report this waste to the EPA using the Integrated Waste Tracking Solution (IWTS).
Asbestos waste transporters must register on and use the IWTS to track the movement of asbestos. Heavy penalties may apply for not using IWTS or tracking movements in accordance with NSW requirements.
Delivery requirements
- A person delivering waste that contains asbestos to Parkes Waste Facility must inform the Weighbridge Operator of the presence of asbestos and advise of their booking, and then report to the Tip Attendant on site before disposing the waste
- When unloading and disposing of asbestos waste at Parkes Waste Facility, the waste must be unloaded and disposed of in such a manner as to prevent the generation of dust or the stirring up of dust.
Non-compliance with these requirements is an offence under the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014 and these offences attract strong penalties.
Asbestos waste may be rejected from Parkes Waste Facility if the waste is:
- Not correctly packaged for delivery and disposal
- Not disclosed by the transporter as being asbestos or asbestos containing materials, or
- Taken to a waste facility that does not accept asbestos waste.
Illegal Dumping of Asbestos Waste:
Individuals may be fined $7,500 and corporations may be fined $15,000 under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 and Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014 for transporting asbestos waste to a facility that cannot lawfully receive asbestos waste.
Illegal dumping of asbestos waste in public places such as parks, streets or bushland can attract regulatory action including:
- On-the-spot fines of up to $15,000
- Prosecution for pollution of land of up to $5 million for a corporation and $120,000 for each day the offence continues (under section 142A of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997), or
- Up to $1 million or seven years imprisonment, or both, for an individual (under section 119 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997).
The responsibility for cleaning up illegally dumped waste lies with the person or company that deposited the waste. If they cannot be identified the relevant occupier or landowner becomes the responsible party.
Further information can be found here - Asbestos in NSW