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Recycler dumped on by asbestos sneak
Friday, September 14, 2012 • Sophie Rishworth
A CHEEKY tipper who anonymously dumped about two tonnes of asbestos at a building recycler’s yard has set the yard owner back $1000 for its responsible removal.

Asbestos costs from $350 to $450 a tonne to dispose of, due to the cost of complying with resource consent conditions as well as strict Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) guidelines around the removal of the hazardous material.

Phil Clark Recyclers in Awapuni Road (formerly Hallrite Building Recyclers) has been left to foot the bill after someone drove up on Monday, tipped out a pile of asbestos and drove off.

Owner Phil Clark said he turned his back for only five minutes.

“It’s just a sign of the times and people are getting pretty cheeky now.

“I’m flabbergasted that people do it in broad daylight.”

Asbestos must be wrapped in plastic, or contained in crates or a steel cage by certified asbestos handlers before it can be accepted for burial.

Jukes Carriers and Allbrites are the only two places in Gisborne that accept asbestos for dumping.

Mr Clark said whoever did it, knew about asbestos because they dumped it in the asbestos pile. But his business is no longer licensed to take asbestos and there is a sign on the gate to let people know.

Jukes Carriers has resource consent to dump 250 tonnes of asbestos at a specific site here every year. One of the conditions is that it must have a metre of fill on top of the material after it has been buried, said one of the owners Trevor Jukes.

“We’ve had a couple of instances where people have put asbestos under other waste and they have been banned from the yard for three months.”

Mr Jukes said they were rigorous with the acceptance criteria surrounding the toxic building material and no shortcuts were accepted.
LEFT HOLDING THE BILL: Phil Clark had turned his back for only five minutes at his building recycling yard when someone dumped a pile of asbestos and drove off. It has cost him $1000 to remove. Picture by Paul Rickard
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