Weddin Shire Council have confirmed progress is being made toward reopening the Caragabal and Quandialla Waste services following their closures due to asbestos contamination in 2023.

Director of Environmental Services Luke Sheehan explained during the March council meeting, that both facilities were shut on the advice of the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and an occupational hygienist after asbestos was identified on site.

"We were required to close the Caragabal and Quandialla waste facilities due to asbestos contamination," Mr Sheehan said.

"Initial advice from the EPA required full removal of the material, but the estimated cost was in the millions which was not financially viable for council."

Instead council has been working closely with the EPA and industry experts to explore a more practical solution - encapsulation of the asbestos material on site.

This approach recommended by waste consultants, an occupational hygienist and asbestos removal specialist, involves safely containing the material rather than removing it entirely.

Council engaged Premise Australia to carry out detailed investigations and reporting.

This work has included geotechnical assessments and sampling of waste materials to properly classify the contamination.

A draft report outlining the proposed encapsulation method was received by council on 10 march and forwarded to the EPA the following day for review.

According to Mr Sheehan early feedback from the EPA has been [positive.

"They were generally happy with the draft report. We've now asked premise Australia to finalise the report and we will send it back to the EPA for hopefully final sign-off."

If approved, the next step will be to complete detailed engineering designs for containment cells at both sites and seek quotes from contractors to carry out the work.

To date council has spent $173,551.61 on remediation efforts.

This includes $74,441.74 in funding from the EPA's Illegal Dumping and Flood Waste Recovery Program, which has helped pay for new security fencing and surveillance cameras at both facilities.

The total cost of the project remains unknown until the design work is finalised and quotes are received.

Council continue to liaise regularly with the EPA as well as external contractors and consultants to progress the project and consider long-term options for waste services in the two communities.