Hazardous waste

If you live in a council-owned property and are worried about asbestos in your home, contact your housing office for help.

Asbestos in your property

The most likely form of asbestos in your home is bonded asbestos cement. This type of asbestos was used for:

• corrugated shed roofs
• rainwater pipes or guttering

Risks to your health are low if asbestos products are in good condition and left undisturbed

Asbestos removal

You can legally remove asbestos from your property but you must use proper protective equipment and follow safe working practices.

When removing asbestos, you must:

• thoroughly wet the material before handling
• not break, grind or saw the material
• take the material apart in complete sections where possible
• use a dust mask and disposable overalls
• double-bag the material in two strong plastic bags

We cannot remove asbestos for you.

If asbestos is broken or being removed, we can only:

• check that safe practices are in place
• make sure specialist licensed contractors are used
• pass your concerns on to the national Heath and Safety Executive (HSE), if necessary

You can use our pollution and noise form if you need to make a report for any of the reasons above.

Report pollution or noise

Asbestos disposal

All asbestos must be disposed of at a licensed waste site. The sites listed below are privately operated and will charge for receiving waste. They are not obliged to accept waste taken to them so it is important that you phone in advance.

You can find out more about asbestos removal on the Health and Safety Executive website.

Advice for businesses

Businesses should always dispose of asbestos waste correctly and responsibly.

You can find out more about hazardous waste management on the Environment Agency website.