An intricate surveillance operation has uncovered a plan to illegally dump asbestos waste next to wetlands in the north of Adelaide.
Ronald Shaw of Reynella admitted to leaving the bag of asbestos near the Barker Inlet Wetlands after the Port Adelaide Enfield Council caught him using CCTV footage. The dumping ground was a few hundred metres from a waste depot that accepts hazardous material.
In the Environment, Resource and Development Court, council prosecutors showed the footage from the cameras, which had been set up as part of a trial. The footage shows Shaw driving his vehicle into the area with waste in the back, which were absent as he left.
Claire Boan, the local mayor, said the council was taking illegal dumping “very seriously”, especially when asbestos is involved.
“I’m shocked that while we all know the dangers of asbestos, people still casually throw this dangerous material into a public place instead of disposing of it responsibly,” Ms Boan said.
Mr Shaw was fined close to $6,500 for the illegal dumping and will be required to pay investigative costs associated with the case.
A council spokesman said that they were spending about $600,000 a year cleaning up illegally dumped waste.