Playgrounds across Melbourne’s west will be inspected for asbestos after harmful fibres were found in mulch by a concerned resident.
Jason Murphy reported the items found at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood, west of the CBD, with two fragments confirmed to be asbestos on Wednesday.
The Yarraville father of two was visiting the park on April 1 with his children when he made the discovery.
“I was sitting under a tree near some mulch when I noticed a piece of wood still in it,” he said.
“I just thought, ‘well that’s weird, I wonder what else is here?’ And then I found crunched-up building material, insulated wire and this white composite material.”
Mr. Murphy said he does not believe there are efficient systems in place to stop dangerous objects being in mulch near public spaces.
“I am just furious that people would be so careless about children’s safety and someone needs to be held accountable,” he said.
“There is no way that this is the only playground where this is used.”
Hobsons Bay City Council will now check more playgrounds across the area for asbestos.
The council covers the suburbs of Altona, Brooklyn, Laverton, Newport, Seabrook, Seaholme, South Kingsville, Spotswood, Williamstown and Williamstown North.
“The safety of our community is our priority and council is working with the EPA and [a] hygienist to inspect other sites using this mulch,” a council spokeswoman said.
“There are two types of mulch used on the reserve—a recycled product around mature tree planting and a virgin soft mulch around the playground.
“The two pieces of material were found in the recycled product.”
Council was made aware of the find after Mr. Murphy posted a photo of the compound material to Reddit.
“New Spotswood children’s playground has tanbark made of old building materials, including wood with nails and a suspicious piece of compound material,” he wrote.
The playground has been closed since April 2 after a hygienist inspected the site.
All playgrounds in the area are regularly inspected by a safety auditor, the council said.
The EPA said the mulch at the reserve may contain demolition building materials.
“Reports were observed over social media but not reported directly to EPA,” a statement read.
It comes after Victorians were urged to steer clear of free garden mulch from online marketplaces after asbestos was detected in one batch.
The EPA conducted precautionary inspections of commercial mulch producers after asbestos was found in the soil of a Sydney park leading to more discoveries in NSW and Queensland.
Fifty-nine producers in Victoria were inspected and no traces of asbestos were found in their garden mulch products.
Testing was triggered after fragments of bonded asbestos were detected in Sydney’s Rozelle Parklands in January.
Queensland authorities have identified at least 90 sites for investigation.
