SIMON Corbell has announced that the ACT government will waive disposal fees where houses containing loose-fill asbestos are renovated or demolished.
“The government has made the decision to waive these fees following recommendations from the Asbestos Regulators Forum, and is part of a suite of measures to address the future management of loose-fill asbestos,” Simon said.
“This is a significant measure as contaminated waste would normally attract a fee of $75 to $150 per tonne. A standard three or four bedroom family house could generate between 50 to 150 tonnes of waste, even more depending on the level of contamination, so this could amount to a savings from about $3,500 to well over $10,000 for a knockdown rebuild.
“I intend to make further announcements in the coming weeks, but it is timely that this decision is announced now, so that homeowners who may be considering undertaking work on homes where loose fill asbestos is present know of their options.”
It is important homeowners do not attempt to remove loose-fill asbestos themselves. They must ensure they engage a licensed asbestos assessor or removalist to undertake this work. The removalist/assessor needs to secure EPA approval for the disposal of the material prior to the commencement of the job. This needs to be provided to ACT NOWaste.
“ACT NOWaste must be notified of the intended disposal date at least 5 working days prior to the commencement of the disposal”
On completion of the processing by NOWaste, the removalist will be advised of a disposal project code that is to be used for the disposal and will be provided with a book of disposal dockets that need to be issued to each truck driver for every load, that are handed in at the weighbridge. These dockets are to have the disposal project code noted on them.
“Due to competing priorities, ACT NOWaste may not be able to make the site available on the removalist’s preferred disposal dates. On occasions NOWaste may only be able to give limited notice (1-2 days) of the availability of the facility and removalists will need to be fairly flexible.
“It is important to note that it is only the disposal fees that are waived. Homeowners are still responsible for demolition and haulage charges involved in getting the material to West Belconnen”.
[Image via www.m3asbestos.com]
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