Temporary Closure of Emu Park Transfer Station - UPDATED

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Published
12th March 2024
UPDATE - 13th March 2024

Livingstone Shire Council wishes to advise the community that Emu Park Transfer Station will be reopening tomorrow (14th March 2024) after the detection of a small amount of asbestos in a mulch stockpile.

A site meeting occurred today with representatives from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ), the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Livingstone Shire Council, and registered asbestos removalists to finalise actions responding to yesterday’s findings.

Eight samples were taken across the 5,887m3 mulch stockpile in question.  WHSQ considers the asbestos friable as it has been mulched for green waste.

The mulch stockpile was immediately fenced off yesterday and will now be removed from the site and disposed of in accordance with relevant standards for asbestos disposal.

Contact will also be made with the owners of 24 vehicles recorded to have taken mulch from this stockpile.  Offers will be made to these people to have mulch removed from their property.

Any residents who are concerned they may have received contaminated mulch from the Emu Park Transfer Station can contact Livingstone Shire Council on 1300 790 919 or the DESI Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372, press 2.

 
 
Council wishes to advise that Emu Park Transfer Station is closed until further notice after testing detected levels of asbestos on site.
 
Testing has also been undertaken at Yeppoon Landfill which returned a negative result.
 
Council will be working closely with the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation to undertake further testing and investigate the extent of the contamination, and Council will notify the community of further actions required.
 
We will advise if asbestos has been detected in piles of free mulch available to residents for loading and use.
 
Until further testing has been conducted and if you have recently collected mulch from Emu Park Transfer Station, please avoid disturbing the stockpile until further notice.