Hutt City Council will soon begin a New Zealand-first trial of asbestos waste management utilising its new asbestos destruction plant at Silverstream Landfill.
The trial, a collaboration between Council and Environmental Decontamination Limited (EDL), will test EDL’s MCD® technology, which is designed to destroy the dangerous fibres in asbestos and asbestos containing material into a safe form that no longer poses a health and environmental risk.
It works using high-energy milling to break down the fibrous crystal structure of asbestos minerals. This process alters the material at a fundamental level, removing the fibre structure responsible for its hazardous behaviour and converting it into a stable, non-hazardous form.
Asbestos was widely used in building materials for decades. It is highly dangerous to the environment and can cause serious health problems if fibres are breathed in.
Lower Hutt Mayor, Ken Laban says the city worked hard to bring the trial to Silverstream to help create a safe, long-term solution for asbestos waste.
“For decades, asbestos has been buried and left for future generations to manage. This trial gives us the chance to explore a safer and more sustainable alternative to simply burying asbestos waste,” he said.
“If the trial delivers the results we expect, there is real potential for a long-term facility here in Lower Hutt that could support jobs, innovation and safer waste management.”
EDL Chief Executive, Marcus Glucina says the project is about carefully testing the technology at the landfill under controlled conditions.
“This is the kind of challenge MCD® was built for. We are working with material that would otherwise remain a long-term hazard and through this trial we will test whether the material can be safely treated and potentially reused in the future,” he said.
“This trial is not about making big claims before the evidence is in. It is about gathering the evidence needed to understand whether this technology can work safely on a global scale.”
Council confirmed the trial will be safely run by EDL specialist engineers and scientists with asbestos handling experience, with strict safety controls in place throughout the programme.
