How To Dispose of Asbestos
How to dispose of asbestos? a common questions asked by many homeowners. Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999 and is classed as a hazardous waste. If you find asbestos in your property you must follow the guidelines set out by the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency to safely dispose of asbestos. Any buildings constructed before the year 2000 may contain asbestos.
Asbestos is responsible for approximately 5000 deaths in the UK, referred to as the silent killer.
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibre that was widely used in construction until the late 1990s. Asbestos contains microscopic “fibrils” that when released into the atmosphere and inhaled can cause mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, laryngeal cancer, COPD and other asbestos related diseases.
Asbestos fibres are smaller than a human hair
Where can you find asbestos? (corrugated roofing sheets, roof tiles, wallboards, ceiling tiles, soffits, gutters, soil pipes, floor tiles). If you’re concerned about asbestos in your home, call a professional asbestos removal company. Asbestos if untouched is completely harmless.
Professional Asbestos Disposal Service Northern Ireland
How To Dispose of Asbestos
Do not dispose of asbestos into your household bin. It is also illegal to bury asbestos. Can I take my asbestos to the local recycling centre? Unfortunately No, local recycling centres do not accept asbestos.
Asbestos must be disposed off at a licensed landfill site that is authorised to accept asbestos. There are two facilities for disposing of asbestos in Northern Ireland – Eastwoods and McQuillan.
Below is a step by step guide on how to safely remove asbestos. Remember too close your windows, keep any pets inside and avoid removing asbestos on a windy day.
1) For health and safety, always wear PPE. Use a P100 respirator mask, disposable overalls, gloves and safety glasses.
2) Fill a garden sprayer with 4 parts water and 1 part PVA sealer. Soak the asbestos with the diluted mixture. PVA mixed with water sticks to the asbestos controlling the amount of fibres released into the air while removing the asbestos.
3) It is a legal requirement that all asbestos once removed be double wrapped in thick 1000g plastic for disposal. Lay out two large sheets of thick plastic, one on top of the other. Place the asbestos into the centre of the plastic and wrap tightly, tapping the sides and ends of the plastic over the asbestos.
Asbestos double wrapped in heavy duty plastic
Before finally wrapping the last of the asbestos, sweep up any debris, remove your gloves, overalls and wrap everything in plastic ready for disposal.
If you have removed the asbestos yourself, without a contractor you can legally transport it without a permit to a waste transfer station and they will accept the asbestos for disposal. You will need to pay the gate fee and disposal charges which are determined by weight. Entry onto the landfill site is not permitted unless your asbestos is double wrapped in heavy duty plastic.
Local Asbestos Removal
Alternatively contact Removerr on 0743 469 1809 for asbestos collection. We will submit the relevant paperwork to the NIEA and arrange a suitable date to collect your asbestos. We will then transport the asbestos to one of the two licensed landfill sites in Northern Ireland. After the asbestos has been processed, we will forward you a copy of the paperwork to show that the asbestos was disposed of safely.
If you require your asbestos to removed, wrapped and disposed off, give us a call for a FREE no obligation quotation. All our prices are inclusive and come with free consignment note. Please note paperwork must be submitted to the NIEA three days prior to any asbestos collection.
Areas we cover across Northern Ireland include: Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon, Derry, Dungannon, Lisburn, Newry, and Omagh.
