Waste
Asbestos and skips
Never put asbestos in a normal mixed skip. Asbestos waste is hazardous. It must be double-wrapped, labelled, kept intact, and taken only to a site permitted for asbestos – usually in a sealed lockable asbestos skip or by a registered hazardous-waste carrier. Hire firms refuse it in a mixed load for a reason.
If asbestos goes into a mixed skip, the operator can leave the load, reclassify the whole skip as hazardous, or refuse collection. Do not break sheets to “make them fit”. Do not throw a tarpaulin over ordinary waste and call it an asbestos skip.
What the rules say
HSE’s asbestos essentials sheet EM9 – Disposal of asbestos waste (PDF) is the plain working guide:
- Any asbestos product or material ready for disposal is asbestos waste. That includes contaminated materials, tools that cannot be cleaned, PPE and damp rags used for cleaning. If in doubt, treat it as hazardous.
- Avoid breaking large pieces. Double-wrap in suitable polythene (HSE cites 1000-gauge) and label.
- To carry it yourself you need a waste carrier’s registration. Use a sealed lockable skip, or a vehicle with a segregated, easily cleaned, lockable compartment. “It is not good enough to throw sheeting over a standard skip.”
- Dispose only at a licensed / permitted disposal site. Complete a hazardous-waste consignment note and keep copies for three years.
Householders: start with GOV.UK: asbestos in your home. Some council HWRCs take a small, pre-booked amount of bonded asbestos cement. Higher-risk material (sprayed coating, lagging, most insulating board) should be removed by an HSE-licensed contractor where the work is licensable under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
This page does not invent disposal fees, HWRC booking charges or contractor prices. Ask the council and the licensed carrier for the figure that applies to your load.
Usual routes
| Situation | Usual route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bonded asbestos cement sheets from a shed or garage | Pre-booked HWRC drop if your council accepts it, or a licensed asbestos carrier with a sealed skip | Ask the council first. Keep sheets whole, double-wrapped and labelled. |
| Sprayed coating, pipe lagging, asbestos insulating board | HSE-licensed removal contractor | Licensable work must be notified. Do not DIY this into a domestic skip. |
| Suspect material in a strip-out | Stop. Sample / survey before you fill a mixed skip | Once mixed, the whole load can be treated as contaminated. |
| Mixed building waste with no asbestos | Ordinary hire skip | Still keep plasterboard, WEEE and sofas on their own routes – see below. |
Related waste that also stays out of a mixed skip
- What you cannot put in a skip – full banned and restricted list.
- Plasterboard and skips and plasterboard separate bag – gypsum must not go to a biodegradable landfill cell.
- Soil and hardcore (inert) / soil, rubble and concrete – weight and inert rules, not asbestos.
- Fridges, freezers and WEEE – electricals are a separate stream.
Placement and the carrier
- Size the non-hazardous waste on the size guide.
- Highway skip placement: Do I need a skip permit?.
- Carrier check: how to check a waste carrier licence. For asbestos movements, confirm hazardous-waste / asbestos capability as well as the CBDU number.
Skip Clerk has no hire partners yet and no prices on this page. When we add a booking link it will be marked as an affiliate link. Until then, use a licensed local operator and confirm asbestos acceptance in writing before the skip arrives.
Sources
- HSE EM9: Disposal of asbestos waste (PDF) – double-wrap, sealed lockable skip, licensed disposal site, consignment note.
- GOV.UK: asbestos in your home.
- HSE: licensable work with asbestos and HSE asbestos FAQs.
- GOV.UK: hazardous waste consignment notes – asbestos from domestic premises when a contractor produces or collects it.
- What you cannot put in a skip – asbestos row.
- No invented disposal fees or hire prices on this page.