Cessnock City Council is utilising an online reporting tool to track asbestos within the area.
Cessnock’s Waste and Reuse Centre has installed an asbestos tracking plate as part of the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) new mandatory monitoring requirements to ensure asbestos waste ends up in the right place.
To help industry meet their obligations, the new WasteLocate service is an online reporting tool that is required for the movement of any load over 100kg of asbestos waste, or 10m² or more of asbestos sheeting. The service is now available across the State.
Council’s Environment and Waste Manager Michael Alexander said there is great danger around asbestos movement and disposal in the Cessnock local government area.
“Quite often asbestos is found in many illegally dumped loads, in bushland or remote locations where it is exposed to the atmosphere and fibres can easily become airborne,” Mr Alexander said. “This poses great health risks to all within a close proximity.”
Transporters are now required to register with WasteLocate and report movements of asbestos from the point of generation to the place of disposal, including disposal at Council-managed waste facilities.
“It’s a simple process and is similar in many ways to tracking parcels in the post.”
To complete the process, waste facilities require a QR identification plate, which transporters scan with their mobile device at the point of disposal.
The EPA recently wrote to all companies and individuals licensed to carry out asbestos demolition or removal, reminding them of their obligations to report movements of asbestos.
Council now has the tracking plate and QR code installed at the Cessnock Waste and Reuse Centre.
