Where Can You Dispose of Asbestos?
Posted on: 25 October 2018
If you're doing some work on your home and find some asbestos, then you may have decided to remove and dispose of it yourself. You're pretty confident you can work out how to manage the asbestos safely and package it up securely so it doesn't harm anyone else, but you aren't sure what to do with it when you've got it all out.
What's the best way to dispose of asbestos?
Asbestos Isn't Regular Garbage
Before you get rid of your asbestos, it's important to realise that this can be an extremely dangerous material. As such, you can't just put it in your regular rubbish bin.
This applies to any kind or amount of asbestos. It doesn't matter if it is whole and relatively safe or loose and more dangerous. It doesn't matter how securely you wrap it up. You are not allowed to put any asbestos in with regular rubbish as this is illegal, and you could be prosecuted if you're caught. If asbestos goes into general landfill, it could go on to harm people and the environment.
Asbestos Needs Specialist Disposal
When you need to get rid of asbestos, you should take it to a specialist landfill site that accepts the material. Unlike regular landfill sites, these facilities are able to deal with asbestos safely.
However, you can't just source a facility that accepts asbestos and then turn up with your waste. The facility may not accept it. Some sites only take commercial asbestos, so you need to find one that accepts domestic waste as well.
Plus, you need to check how you should prepare the asbestos before you take it for disposal. Asbestos usually needs to be wrapped securely so that none of its fibres can escape.
Asbestos disposal sites may all have their own rules on how this should be done. To avoid being turned away, find out what these rules are and follow them before you turn up to the site.
Be Prepared to Pay a Fee
Specialist asbestos disposal isn't necessarily free, either. You may need to pay the site to take the waste. It may be easier to hire a specialist disposal company to do this for you.
It's worth thinking twice about removing and handling asbestos disposal yourself. If you haven't done this before, you could put your health at risk. If you decide to put safety first, a disposal company can also remove your waste, package it up safely, and take it away to be disposed of.
Share