Lismore City Council has issued a $1500 fine to the person responsible for dumping asbestos in Kadina Park five weeks ago.
Twelve sheets of asbestos fencing were found in the Kadina Park carpark by a family walking their dog in late August. Thanks to local media coverage, Lismore City Council received information from numerous public sources and the culprit was identified and issued with an infringement notice.
‘I’m very grateful for the public response into the matter – illegally dumping asbestos is a serious offence and puts the health of our community at risk, so we’re very pleased with this outcome,’ said the council’s environmental compliance officer Stuart Thomson.
‘We hope this sends a message to others that the illegal dumping of asbestos will not be tolerated. The fees and charges for legally disposing of asbestos at the Wyrallah Road Waste Facility are not exorbitant – it’s much like dumping any other waste.
‘Often people have the wrong idea that it will cost them a lot of money. It’s not expensive and it’s incredibly important that people do the right thing – we’re talking about a really dangerous product here,’ he added.
‘We’d like to thank the media and the public for their support in this matter.’
$1500 is nowhere near enough penalty considering the potential danger.