Looks like it’s not just Sydney that has a problem with lazy disposal of building rubble. Only buy from reputable suppliers peeps.

  • Am I missing something, here? Is this all about a single piece of asbestos found by a dude in one playground? That isn’t enough to rustle my jimmy’s, yet. That could be anything - It could even have been introduced by a member of the public similar to the strawberry thing.

    This is a bit different to several asbestos pieces across dozens of sites in Sydney.

    • It raised concerns over free mulch being advertised on popular online marketplaces and said it was recently contacted by a Heathmont resident who received free mulch last year that included building rubble, including asbestos.

      Above quote shows that there’s a problem here too with contaminated mulch. And taking into account the traditional rivalry between Melb and Syd, it appears that we have a problem too. Just not as big a problem - yet.

      • That one sounds like a dodgy builder was just scraping mulch and whatever into the truck before dumping it on someone. That case is legitimately bad.

        I have gone to a random yard to pick up free mulch, though. It’s a bit different when you go yourself. You’re hardly going to load it if it looks contaminated with rubble.

  • This is the best summary I could come up with:


    The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) said it is in contact with a council in Melbourne’s west after mulch believed to be contaminated with asbestos was found at a playground.

    A picture emerged on Reddit of mulch and what appears to be debris and a “suspicious piece of compound material” at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood.

    “EPA is in contact with Hobsons Bay City Council over reports of mulch at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood that may possibly contain demolition building material,” the spokesperson said.

    The EPA said it has conducted a number of inspections over the past five weeks and “no asbestos was found in garden mulch”.

    “While most producers had good systems and process in place, six are required to strengthen controls to prevent contamination from occurring,” it said.

    Director of Regulatory Services Duncan Pendrigh encouraged the community to be on alert and report any suspicions to the EPA.


    The original article contains 245 words, the summary contains 148 words. Saved 40%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!