Litchfield Council to spend up to $3m remediating sites after asbestos discovery at two tips

A Top End council will spend the equivalent of one-eighth of its annual income removing and remediating stockpiles of asbestos-contaminated concrete waste at two of its municipal tips, documents show.

Humpty Doo Waste Transfer Station (pictured) is one of two Litchfield Council tips, alongside Howard Springs, that has been contaminated with construction materials containing asbestos. Picture: File

A Top End council may be forced to spend millions on the removal of concrete waste contaminated by asbestos at two of its municipal tips.

Recently, Litchfield Council members authorised the creation of a $3m budget to dispose of “contaminated concrete waste piles from Howard Springs and Humpty Doo Waste Transfer Stations”.

The budget would come from the council’s waste asset reserve, which sat at $5,482,478 as of July 1, but the remediation bill still represents a deep blow to a council which only collects $24m of revenue per annum.

The estimated cost of the disposal is $2,777,423, money that could and should have been spent on “upgrading, increased recycling capabilities and more efficient operations of the facilities,” a report presented to the councillors stated.

As of mid-September, the council had submitted its disposal plans to the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NTEPA) and was awaiting approval.

Three of four sites tested by the NTEPA at Humpty Doo and Howard Springs Waste Transfer Stations indicated the presence of asbestos. Picture: File

There was a time imperative on the removal of the waste, which had the potential to disperse asbestos fibres into surrounding areas, the council report warned.

“It is important that as much processing and disposal work can occur prior to the wet season setting in, to ensure water run-off and paying increased mass of waterlogged waste can be reduced where possible,” the council report said.

In September, the council enacted a ban on the receipt of any type of concrete waste, whether from residential or commercial customers, at any of its three tips (the other one is at Berry Springs).

The discovery of the contaminated concrete was made on June 25, when NTEPA inspectors attended the Howard Springs and Humpty Doo tips and found construction waste they believed could hold asbestos.

Subsequent analysis revealed the presence of chrysotile asbestos (i.e. white, the most common form of the lung disease causing fibres) in three of four samples taken.

“Under our licences asbestos is not permitted to be stored in either location,” a report presented to councillors stated.

“As such on Thursday 11 July 2024, NTEPA issued a direction to cease all activities associated with crushing and distribution of construction waste from the stockpile, effective immediately.”

In a statement, an NTEPA spokesman said the agency was satisfied with Litchfield Council’s actions since the July 11 directive.

“Litchfield Council complied with the directions and measures implemented have been effective in restricting access and disturbance of the material,” the spokesman said.

“Environmental regulation officers have worked with Litchfield Council to include strict requirements in the respective licences for waste segregation to ensure asbestos is not accepted at the facilities in future.

“The council has commenced detailed investigations to inform potential remedial options.”

At the request of the NTEPA, NT WorkSafe inspectors also visited the facilities “in an education and advice capacity to discuss managing and controlling asbestos in the workplace”.

Asbestos contamination at municipal tips has been a perennial problem for the council, which budgeted $350,000 in 2021–22 to deal with a similar situation at Humpty Doo.

The council was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Litchfield Council to spend up to $3m remediating sites after asbestos discovery at two tips