SA expected to spend $1.5m disposing of asbestos-contaminated sand

ABC NEWS (Australia)

South Australia is expected to spend $1.5m disposing of sand, after asbestos contamination concerns. Some are calling for retailers and manufacturers to help foot the bill.

Transcript

00:00There's a few factors at play here.

00:04One is that this is specialised waste removal, cleaning and handling, which as it is, comes

00:10with a pretty big bill.

00:13And also just how widespread it is.

00:15This has affected many schools right across Australia.

00:19In South Australia alone, there's been more than 500 public education sites that have

00:24been impacted.

00:25The SA government has called this the biggest specialised clean up effort by schools and

00:31it's pricey business as we've heard.

00:33The South Australian bill looks like it will be more than $1.5 million.

00:37These coloured sand products were sold at shops right across Australia and at the SA Education

00:43Minister Blair Boyer says that the education budgets will pay for the clean up, but he's

00:49calling on those shops to contribute.

00:52He says states shouldn't be left alone to carry the burden for a failure of product

00:57testing by million dollar companies.

01:01But the SA Independent Retailers Association has responded to that, saying that, well, the

01:07sand manufacturers should also help to contribute that to that, not just the shops themselves.

01:13It says that retailers do carry some responsibility, but at the end of the day, the shops just can't

01:18check everything they have on the shelves and that the companies that make this product should

01:22help as well.

01:23That's great.

01:24Absolutely.

01:25Yes.

01:26Yes.

01:27Yes.

01:28No.

01:29Yes.

01:30Yes.

01:31Yes.

01:32Yes.

01:33Yes.

01:34Yes.

01:35Yes.

01:36Yes.

01:49Yes.

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