Rubble, rubble, toil and trouble

Rubble disposal weighs heavily on the minds of Taupō residents. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

Taupō District Council is looking for a contractor to get rid of piles of asbestos-contaminated crushed concrete at a landfill.

By RNZ

It has been estimated it will cost at least $1.3 million to remove the concrete from the Broadlands Road Landfill.

Council tender documents say the work must be done by a Class-A licensed asbestos specialist.

The council began an investigation at the Broadlands Road landfill - beyond the eastern edge of town - last year.

Tests of 80 piles of crushed concrete found asbestos in 60 of them, amounting to about 10,000 tonnes.

The loads will be taken to Ridge Road Quarry near Pokeno, starting in late May and ending in late June.

An investigation report in December looked into if people could be exposed to toxic material at Broadlands.

It found "potentially complete pathways" from touching or inhaling dust from the piles for landfill users, construction workers and the general public, although there was generally no public access to the site.

Customers who had bought recycled concrete prior to the alarm being raised have been alerted.