The levy on disposal of non-friable, wrapped asbestos waste up to 250 kilograms would be dropped under a new NSW government proposal.
The government stated that as much eight per cent of all illegally dumped waste across NSW is asbestos waste. By removing the levy on disposal, it is hoped that people would have no reason to dump asbestos waste, reducing the environmental and health impacts caused by the dumping of the hazardous material.
Currently there is a $143.60 per tonne levy on waste in metro areas and $82.70 per tonne in regional areas.
The NSW Asbestos Waste Strategy 2019-21 also sought to discourage people from dumping asbestos waste illegally by introducing GPS tracking of repeat offenders and cancellation of vehicle registration for people caught doing the wrong thing.
Individuals can be fined up to $500,000 for illegally dumping asbestos, while companies can face penalties of up to $2 million.