Victorians are being urged to steer clear of free garden mulch from online marketplaces after asbestos was detected in one batch. The warning comes after the state’s Environment Protection Agency conducted precautionary inspections of commercial mulch producers in the wake of asbestos being found in the soil of a Sydney park, leading to more discoveries in NSW and Queensland. The agency inspected 59 producers in Victoria and found no traces of asbestos in their garden mulch products.
This demonstrates why garden mulch should only be obtained from reliable sources where quality checks are enforced, the agency said. “I urge the community to watch out for anyone offering garden mulch who can’t demonstrate they follow appropriate high standards and quality checks to avoid contamination,” agency director of regulatory services Duncan Pendrigh said. People who suspect their mulch might contain asbestos should not disturb it and instead contact the agency.