Friable asbestos found in a inner Sydney park

The state's contaminated mulch saga has taken a serious turn, with friable asbestos found in an inner Sydney park.

Transcript

00:00 Another day, another discovery. This time more dangerous than the last.

00:07 That kind of asbestos being found in a park in Sydney is deeply worrying.

00:11 The asbestos found at Harmony Park was the friable variety, which more easily gives off

00:16 potentially deadly dust than the bonded asbestos previously found in recycled mulch across

00:21 Sydney.

00:22 It's a bit scary.

00:23 Pretty shocking.

00:24 Yeah, because we were seeing how there's always dogs in the park. We walk through the park

00:28 every night.

00:29 The bonded asbestos was also found at two other inner city parks overnight, Belmore

00:34 Park near Central Station and Victoria Park on Broadway.

00:37 The City of Sydney didn't fence off the areas for more than 12 hours after it received the

00:42 results.

00:43 We can't be in a situation, particularly for friable asbestos, if it's out in the community

00:48 where we don't fence it off, make it safe for humans to habitat because the risks are

00:53 too dangerous.

00:55 More than 20 sites with the contaminated mulch have now been identified across the state.

01:00 The EPA team investigating has tripled in size to around 120 people.

01:04 It's been tracing mulch from one supplier, but critics say the problem could be much

01:09 broader.

01:10 This really is just the tip of the iceberg.

01:12 We know that these products, this asbestos product, is in the waste recycling system.

01:19 It's not regulated as it ought to be.

01:22 Bonded mulch is made from wood waste normally destined for landfill, so it can include things

01:26 like old fence palings and pallets.

01:29 Some products carry warnings that it can also be contaminated with other materials like

01:33 plastic, glass or organic waste.

01:35 But processes are meant to ensure it's free of asbestos and doesn't contain wood coated

01:39 in chemicals or preservatives.

01:41 We know a lot of these materials are coming from large developments and we're talking

01:47 major subdivisions, large infrastructure projects.

01:51 We know that there is a liability there at the point source.

01:56 The supplier of the mulch under investigation continues to deny any wrongdoing.

02:01 In a statement, the company's lawyer says Green Life Resources Recovery Facility is

02:05 at risk of being made a scapegoat for failures in a complex supply chain for construction

02:10 and landscaping projects.

02:12 It's taking the EPA to court to fight an order not to supply any more of the mulch.

02:16 The Premier says Cabinet is considering increased fines.

02:19 Clearly this is completely unacceptable.

02:22 It's also looking at the possibility of a product recall.

02:25 [BLANK_AUDIO]