Between November 2019 and February 2020, bushfires burned across South Australia. At the same time, significant fires were burning across Australia, with the biggest impacts felt by New South Wales and Victoria. These fires have been called the Black Summer Bushfires. In South Australia, the fires resulted in more than 1,180 homes, non-residential buildings, and facilities being destroyed or damaged. Sadly, 3 people died.
These large-scale bushfires burnt 278,603 hectares of land, severely impacting Yorketown, the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island and key industries including tourism, primary producers, viticulture and forestry.
Green Industries SA led the disaster waste management and clean-up following the fires.
Clean-up measures completed through the program included:
- rapid encapsulation of asbestos material prior to subsequent removal and disposal
- safe debris management from damaged and destroyed structures
- disposal vouchers
- remediation of burnt CCA post stockpile sites
- clean-up of fire-affected trees on road verges to help improve road safety and reduce fire fuel loads
- collection of fire-damaged fencing materials.
The clean-up by numbers
- More than 150 properties sprayed for rapid asbestos fixation
- 541 properties cleaned up, ready for rebuild
- Approximately 50,000 tonnes of bushfire waste managed
- Approximately 30% of debris material recycled
- More than $15 million spent in partnership with the Australian Government to assist the statewide clean-up
Watch the clean-up
Adelaide Hills bushfire waste clean-up, 2020
Kangaroo Island bushfire waste clean-up 2020
Gosse landfill pit, bushfire waste, Kangaroo Island 2020
