Skip hire asbestos waste management

Asbestos disposal costs are rising  and another major problem we face as a skip hire company is the disposal of hazardous asbestos by irresponsible customers trying to save money or customers that are not aware that they are disposing of a hazardous product.

You will be surprised at the lengths that people will go to, to try and hide asbestos in skips. Asbestos is hazardous waste, it has to be disposed of by specialist companies who are licensed to handle the waste.

There are many different types of asbestos, all are hazardous in their various forms. People just assume that once the skip is removed from their property it is taken away and tipped into a big hole and never seen again.

This could not be further from the truth, skip hire companies have a duty of care to sort and treat all waste before the residue is sent to landfill.  This forms part of the waste hierarchy process that we have a duty of care to adhere to. Some irresponsible customers try and hide asbestos at the bottom of the skip as it is cheaper to hire a skip than it is to hire a specialist removal company. When the skip is tipped, the weight of the contents can break the asbestos causing dangerous fibres to escape onto staff clothing and into the air.

Asbestos can be found in buildings and materials used from the 1930’s to the 1980’s.  In 1990 it was banned from being used. If you find asbestos in a property you should contact your local council for advice on how to dispose of asbestos, or for help identifying if you have asbestos.