The urban cleaning team from Elche has cleared up a total of 2,400 kilos of asbestos found illegally dumped in the municipality, a similar amount to the previous year.
The town hall spokesperson explained that clearing of illegal dumping grounds is carried out periodically, especially on the rural roads of the Camp d’Elx districts, but also in the neighbourhoods in urban area.
Asbestos “is a highly dangerous substance when handled, called by some experts ‘the silent killer’. Asbestos poses a real risk to public health and also to the environment”.
Héctor Díez, the councillor responsible for the department, stated that the teams have acted in a total of thirteen dumping points, such as the Almazara road, the León road, Algorós, the surroundings of the L’Aljub shopping centre, the Dolores road, the La Hoya and La Marina, El Altet, Aspe, and the Bevanent road.
Along with them, the two most conflictive points regarding the collection of asbestos are the Azud de los Moros and the Ermita de El Molar, in La Marina. “These are two points that attract our attention since they are two emblematic places of the Camp d’Elx”, he added.
The councillor recalled that it is a criminal act carried out mainly by professionals who do not follow the regulations, since asbestos can only be removed by specialised companies and by duly accredited specialists because its breakage is highly polluting and dangerous for public health.
Regarding the conflictive points, the councillor has said that some of the dumping points located last year have been eliminated, as a result of the collaboration with the Local Police that has tightened surveillance.
“In addition, the council has carried out signalling work to dissuade offenders by informing that these discharges cannot occur and of the alternatives they have when it comes to correctly managing that waste,” said the councillor who has indicated that “up to 60 points have already been marked and in many of them it has been achieved that discharges are not made or that they are significantly reduced”.
