As the list of locations affected by the NSW asbestos mulch crisis grows, reports say the processing plant at the centre of things has been contaminated with asbestos before. The number of affected sites rose to more than 30 yesterday, and includes a hospital, schools and parks. What they have in common is their mulch came from a company called Greenlife located in southwest Sydney, and it has had several clean-up notices from the Environment Protection Authority dating back to 2016. Greenlife disputes the claim, saying its mulch was “cleared of any asbestos contaminates” by independent contractors during several site visits last year. NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe says a taskforce is investigating the contamination, and that there’s “clearly a problem and a regulatory gap when it comes to how the asbestos has got there”.