Community Concern

Call your local council straight away. If you can record any details that will assist us in our investigation of the matter, such as a car number plate or address of the offender, that would be great. We will attend to the scene as soon as possible. If we can catch them in the act, even better!

If you're not in your local area at the time you observe the offence, the best thing to do is to call the NSW Environment Protection Authority Pollution Line on 131 555. They will take all details about the offence from you and refer it to the appropriate local council. 

There are many penalties that can be imposed for people who illegally dispose of asbestos. The penalty imposed depends on the severity of the offence and many other factors that need to be considered carefully.

The main options available are: 

• On-the-spot fines
• Clean-Up Notices - These can be issued to instruct someone to clean up their waste 
• Court Action - Courts can impose penalties depending on the severity of the offence and the evidence 

Dumping of any waste in a public place is not a great idea for many reasons but dumping asbestos in a public health has added health & safety risks for the community, making it an even more serious offence. 

Dumping of waste in a public place makes the area look terrible, can invite further dumping of waste and reduce community morale, so please don't do it!

If your neighbour needed approval to demolish their home or garage, then there is a requirement for them to advise you prior to commencement of works - this is one of the conditions of them getting approval! If the application was made through Council, then they are required to give five (5) working days' notice. If the application was made through a Private Certifier, two (2) working days' notice is required to be given. A neighbour is considered to be either side, opposite and at the rear of the property in question. 

If your neighbour (or a licensed contractor on their behalf) is removing a small an amount of asbestos (under 10sqm), then there is no requirement to notify neighbours. However, it is always encouraged!

To find out what conditions are enforced by your local council, it's best to give them a call. 

The best thing to do is call your local council. A Council Officer will be sent out as a matter of priority to have a look at what your neighbour is doing. If they are found to be doing the wrong thing, they will be asked to stop work immediately and the council will take the matter on from there. If your neighbour/the owner of the property is doing the work (not a licensed contractor), it is not a SafeWork NSW matter, because technically, it is not a worksite. So that's why your local council is your best bet! 

If a whole house and/or garage is being demolished on a neighbouring property then it should be done by a licensed contractor, as the area of removal is most certainly greater than 10 square metres. 

Specific things to look out for that may suggest they are doing the wrong thing would include: 

• not wetting it periodically throughout the removal (this helps keep the dust down-the dust is where the asbestos fibres would be!) 
• breaking it up into small pieces 
• using power tools 
• throwing the material onto the ground.

If you are concerned that the contractor is not following all relevant SafeWork NSW guidelines in conducting the demolition, then you should contact your local council. A Council Officer will visit the site as soon as possible, and if they are found to be doing the wrong thing then they will be instructed to stop work. The Council Officer involved would then contact SafeWork NSW to report the offence.

If your concern relates to asbestos removal on a neighbouring property, give a call to your local council for advice. If it turns out that SafeWork NSW should be involved, then your local council will make sure they are informed. 

When building materials containing asbestos are burnt, they tend to explode which results in asbestos fibres escaping and entering the atmosphere. For this reason, we would always suggest you stay away from these premises until such time as the site can be secured-this usually involves professionals coming in to spray any possible asbestos fibres with a glue-like substance so that they are contained/suppressed and can no longer be inhaled. Minor steps you can take to minimise risk would be to keep your windows closed and bring any clothes in off the line. Call your local council if you are concerned about a burn-out structure near you. 

Other than staying away from the structure, the best thing you can do is call your local council. For the clean-up process to commence, your local council needs to serve the owner of the premises with an emergency order to clean up the site (especially if there is asbestos involved). It cannot always be assumed that the fire brigade that extinguished the fire initially has also reported the incident to the local council, and therefore it really helps for them to be notified by any passersby. The sooner your local council knows about it, the sooner they can start making sure the site gets cleaned up!

As soon as your local council is notified of the burnt-out structure, they will commence the clean-up process. The first step is to identify the owner of the property and serve them with an emergency clean-up notice. It is then up to the owner of the property and serve them with an emergency clean-up notice. It is then up to the owner of the property to comply with the order, which allows 1-2 days to make sure the site is secured (that is, any asbestos has been contained and can no longer be released into the atmosphere). Once the asbestos is secure, the owner then has a period of time to remediate or demolish the structure entirely.