Asbestos removal

Please read this before dealing with asbestos products

If you are a council tenant and have concerns about asbestos materials in your home, please do not attempt to remove them yourself. Asbestos can pose serious health risks if not handled properly. Please contact our repairs team on 0121 569 6000.

Asbestos cement was commonly used in a lot of DIY products between 1930 and 1980. Typical examples include roofing tiles and sheets, rainwater pipes and guttering, bath panels, insulation boards etc.

Asbestos cement products typically contain between 10 - 15 % bound asbestos fibres, but may contain up to 40%.

Removal

Sandwell Council recommends that a licensed contractor is used to remove and dispose of asbestos. If products made from asbestos cement are in good condition, they are often best left where they are. If they are damaged, it may be possible to repair by sealing or enclosing the material. Always seek advice on the most appropriate method.

Sometimes asbestos cement products may be used to provide fire protection, and should therefore be replaced with a suitable alternative.

If you wish to remove asbestos yourself, please view the Health and Safety Executive website on working with it safely.

Self-removed asbestos

If you live in Sandwell, you can take a limited amount of household/small scale DIY asbestos cement waste to the tip (the Household Recycling Centre (HRC) in Shidas Lane, Oldbury).

Please note that any waste materials that you take to the tip must have been removed from your own home by you as part of home improvements/work on your property.  

If you have employed a tradesmen or other contractor, any waste that they produced during the work on your home is classed as trade waste and this is strictly prohibited from this site.

To dispose of asbestos at the tip, you must get a permit from the site and use the special asbestos bags (a small charge is made, see below), even if you have already wrapped your asbestos waste. You do not need to book to visit the tip if you are ONLY collecting an asbestos disposal permit/asbestos disposal bags.

Please follow the process below in order to dispose of your asbestos waste at the tip:

  • Visit the site and ask for an asbestos permit, taking with you proof of residence and identification.
  • Once you have been issued with a permit you should purchase bags with which to contain the asbestos waste by making payment using the on-site payment machine.
  • The bags cost £1 for a pair of the smaller size (26" x 36" or 66cm x 91cm) and £4 a pair for the extra large size (36" x 48" or 91cm x 121cm). Please bring exact change in coins as no change is available from the machine or staff on site.
  • Information on safely working with asbestos and bagging it safely will be handed to you on the issue of a permit.
  • Present the payment ticket to the supervisor who will issue you with the required number of bags. You cannot bring more bags of asbestos than you have a permit for.
  • Return home and double bag the asbestos waste, as instructed, using the bags you have purchased from the HRC. No other bags will be accepted.
  • Return to the HRC with your bagged waste, permit, proof of residence and identification, and alert a member of staff you have bagged asbestos with you.
  • Once they have seen your permit and identification they will take your permit and direct you to the asbestos skip to dispose of your waste.

Further information

  • You will need to book an appointment to visit the tip.
  • You may only dispose of your bagged up asbestos at the HRC between 8am and 9am or between 2pm and 3pm daily.
  • To save a wasted journey, you may wish to ring the site before you set out to find out if the asbestos skip is on site and available to take waste, on 0121 569 6886. This number is available between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday.
  • Serco, the site operators, have the right to refuse asbestos waste if:
    • It is not presented inside the red bag and the clear bags sold at the Household Recycling Centre (HRC) in Shidas Lane .
    • The bags are damaged, split, or are otherwise hazardous.
    • They believe it is trade waste and / or the resident refuses to sign a declaration of non-trade waste form.
    • The waste is from someone employed to work on the resident's house.
    • The waste is not presented by the person who applied for the permit or no identification or proof of residence is provided.
    • The number of bags presented exceeds the permitted amount.
  • Waste arising from a business or trade is strictly prohibited from being taken to the tip.

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