Asbestos discovered in Broadlands Road Landfill concrete stockpiles

Taupō District Council is testing its stockpiled waste concrete after asbestos was discovered in dumped concrete at Broadlands Road Landfill.

As part of its solid waste operations, council provides for the dumping of concrete debris at Broadlands Road Landfill and recycles it, selling this recycled material as crushed concrete. After crushed concrete being used on a council project was suspected of containing asbestos, samples were taken from the concrete stockpiles at the landfill. Two of those found a low-level presence of asbestos. No asbestos was found in the crushed concrete at the project site.

Council is following expert advice to guide its response to this situation and has been advised it will need to undertake an extensive sampling programme to truly understand the amount of asbestos in the concrete stockpiles. Of the 12 samples from the landfill stockpiles taken to date, 10 have come back as safe and two samples have come back at the low end of the low level of contamination.

Council chief executive Julie Gardyne said council staff are working with Broadlands Road Landfill operator Enviro NZ to ensure the material is contained while the landfill site remains open.

“The health and safety of our community is absolutely crucial, so we are following expert advice on how to manage the stockpiles, including keeping these damp to prevent asbestos fibres getting into the air. The concrete stockpiles are away from the main landfill operations and with the watering system in place, we are comfortable there is no risk to landfill staff or visitors.”

However, Mrs Gardyne said this meant concrete recycling at Broadlands Road Landfill was currently on hold.

“We know our community enjoys being able to take advantage of the affordable disposal of their concrete waste, but while this issue is being investigated we want to keep everyone safe, so concrete is not currently being accepted for recycling. It can be disposed of as general waste at the general waste disposal price of $210 per tonne (from 1 October 2024, the price will be $265 per tonne). We expect this may need to continue for some months.”

Council has been working directly with customers known to have purchased crushed concrete to have it tested. Where asbestos is present above the safe threshold, council is working with customers to ensure the site is safe and remediated where appropriate.

Mrs Gardyne asked anyone who may be concerned about concrete material purchased from Broadlands Road Landfill to contact council, and reiterated that while asbestos has been discovered, samples have so far been at low levels of contamination.

“We are taking a very cautious approach to managing this situation and while we expect test results to continue to come back as safe or at low levels of contamination, we want to do everything we can to ensure we identify and dispose of any crushed concrete that could potentially pose a risk for the community.”

Anyone who has purchased crushed concrete from the Broadlands Road Landfill should call Taupō District Council on 07 376 0899 to arrange for appropriate testing to take place. For more information, go to www.taupo.govt.nz/concrete.