How to dispose of asbestos

Asbestos is the most dangerous waste most businesses will ever handle. Get rid of it the wrong way and it is not just a fine, it is a risk to people's lives and a criminal record. Here is the legal way to dispose of asbestos, and who is actually allowed to touch it.

First, who is allowed to remove it?

Removing asbestos and disposing of it are two different jobs with two different rule books. The high-risk removal work, asbestos lagging on pipes, sprayed coatings, and most work on asbestos insulating board, must by law be done by an HSE-licensed contractor. Lower-risk material like asbestos cement sheets or textured coatings can sometimes be removed without a licence, but only by people trained to do it safely, and some of that work still has to be reported to the HSE first. If you are not certain, treat it as licensed work and call a licensed contractor. The rest of this guide is about disposing of the waste once it has been safely removed and bagged.

How asbestos waste must be packaged

Asbestos waste cannot go loose in a skip or a bin. Before it moves, it must be:

• Double-bagged in UN-approved asbestos sacks, usually a red inner bag and a clear outer one, each sealed shut.
• Clearly labelled as asbestos waste.
• Kept whole. Never break it, crush it, or reuse it, because that is what puts the fibres in the air.
• Kept apart from all your other waste.

Who can take asbestos waste away?

Asbestos waste is hazardous, so it can only be moved by a registered upper tier waste carrier, and it can only go to a site that holds a permit to accept asbestos. A normal tip will turn it away. Never let an unregistered carrier take it. If they dump it, the business that produced it is still liable, and with asbestos that is a prosecution you do not want your name on.

The consignment note

Every load of asbestos waste must travel with a hazardous waste consignment note, the same as any hazardous waste. It records what the waste is, who moved it, and the permitted site it went to. With asbestos, that paper trail is your proof that you did everything by the book. Our guide on how to fill out a consignment note walks through every box.

The codes you will see on the note are 17 06 05*, for asbestos in construction materials like cement sheets and insulating board, and 17 06 01*, for asbestos insulation. The star means it is always hazardous.

What about a small amount at home?

If it is a small DIY amount from your own home, such as a few old garage roof sheets, most councils take household asbestos at their recycling centre. You almost always have to book a slot first, double-bag it the same way, and stay under a limit, often a few sheets or bags. Check your council's website before you set off, because the limits and booking rules differ from place to place.

The cost of getting it wrong

Asbestos is still the single biggest cause of work-related death in Britain. The Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency both come down hard on it, and the penalties carry unlimited fines and, in the worst cases, prison. Fly-tipping asbestos, or moving it without the right note and a permitted site, is the kind of mistake that ends a business. The paperwork is the cheap part. Get it right.

If you run a skip or clearance business and asbestos turns up in a load, our consignment note software for skip hire is built for exactly that moment.

This is one of our guides on how to dispose of hazardous waste.