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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Lisa Cox

NSW is getting serious on contaminated soil. It only took 10 years – and the media doing lab tests

EPA New South Wales Environment Tony Chappel Guardian Australia
Composite image of soil samples in test tubes over a page with a pen
The EPA had been aware since at least 2013 that soil products potentially contaminated with asbestos, lead and other chemicals were making their way into public spaces and backyards. Composite: Getty Images

It’s taken more than a decade but the New South Wales environment watchdog is now talking tough when it comes to the safety of recycled landscaping materials.

Last week the chief executive of the state’s Environment Protection Authority, Tony Chappel, announced a crackdown on waste facilities producing a type of cheap landscaping soil – called recovered fines – made from recycled construction and demolition waste.

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