Yet another park in Greater Sydney has been closed after the discovery of friable asbestos in the mulch at Harmony Park in Surry Hills.
The closing of the park follows a garden at Telopea being closed off after the same asbestos was found in the mulch. Investigative works undertaken by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has indicated that the mulch provided to local councils from Greenlife Resource Recovery is compromised.
In the wake of the allegations being made by the EPA, Greenlife has proceeded with taking legal action against the authority, claiming that supply chain issues were to blame, not the company itself. The number of EPA officers assisting in testing mulch has tripled from 40 to 120 in the last few days to complete more tests, after bonded asbestos was first discovered at the Rozelle Parklands just weeks after its opening.
The City of Sydney has since confirmed that a number of parks throughout its LGA have been tested for asbestos. Victoria and Belmore Parks have both since been confirmed to contain bonded asbestos, a less potent but still dangerous form of the chemical. Asbestos has also been found in a park at Campbelltown Hospital and Liverpool West Public School.
“Clearly, this is completely unacceptable, and the government is currently investigating certain actions that we will take in the weeks ahead, firstly to raise the fines that are imposed on companies that do the wrong thing – cabinet will be looking at that in the next couple of weeks,” says NSW Premier Chris Minns.
“We can’t be in a situation, particularly for friable asbestos, if it’s out in the community, where we don’t fence it off (and) make it safe for humans to habitate because the risks are too dangerous.”
The NSW Government plans to recall mulch from across the state supplied to public parks and schools, but are wary of the legal battle that possibly awaits them if they choose to do so. Minns says that the EPA will be “defending their orders made against that company (Greenlife) in the NSW courts.”
