Housing Tenants Contact Number - 01245204871

News

Asbestos disposal horror stories from around the UK

If you would like to find out more about any of Environtec’s services, please get in touch. With offices and laboratories across the UK, we can help you wherever you are located.

T: 01245 381900
E: enquiries@environtec.com

Halloween is just around the corner, which got us thinking – is there anything more frightening than companies and individuals choosing NOT to get rid of their asbestos-containing materials correctly?

Judging by the huge impact this type of hazardous waste can have on people and the planet, we don’t think so.

We and many other organisations have spent decades educating the general public on the dangers of disposing of asbestos irresponsibly. However, despite our warnings, many people continue to dump their building waste without a second thought for our communities and our wildlife.

A few weeks ago, the BBC picked up on a case in Cornwall whereby criminals left around 150 bags of waste, including asbestos materials, on moorland near Liskeard. Carry out a broader Google search, and you’ll find plenty of similar stories being published near enough every week. For example:

Suspected asbestos sheeting was left next to a river in Nottinghamshire (in fact, local residents say it’s been there for some four years, but authorities have failed to remove it, despite calls for action)

A fly-tipper in Basingstoke was fined thousands of pounds after leaving asbestos waste in a field – after accidentally leaving a sat-nav device in the dump that helped to identify and locate the 24-year-old perpetrator

A Newcastle man left piles of rubbish dumped in a location in Northumberland and was ordered to pay penalties plus more than £1,000 in removal costs

Clearly, it’s a problem that’s affecting all corners of the country.

Why does asbestos disposal matter?

  • Asbestos can contaminate our land. If left to its own devices, it will leach into the ground and into our water sources – and once asbestos fibres have been dispersed, it can take a long time to get rid of them, as there’s no way of truly knowing where they have ended up.  

  • Once asbestos gets into the air, it can travel great distances and pose a threat to anyone who comes into contact with it. And as we know, asbestos is responsible for a variety of respiratory diseases, including asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer – so we need to avoid breathing it in, either knowingly or unknowingly.

The most concerning thing is that, in most cases, it’s easier and more affordable than ever to instruct a capable firm to get rid of this kind of hazardous waste.

If you are planning to get rid of asbestos from your site, make sure you know who is going to be carrying out your removal works to ensure your asbestos waste is disposed of properly and safely. Instructing an asbestos removal project management company will ensure the entire process is dealt with swiftly and compliantly.  

Get in touch

We will only use your information to provide the services requested. For more information on how we use your information, please see our privacy notice.

National Framework
Partnership - Framework Partner

Head Office

Environtec House
Hatfield Peverel
Chelmsford
Essex CM3 2EJ

Environtec Wales

5a Turner Street
Newport NP19 7BA

Environtec Central

Hermitage Way
Mansfield
Nottinghamshire NG18 5ES

Environtec North East

Unit 2 Riverside Business Suites
Amethyst Road
Newcastle Business Park NE4 7YL

Environtec Scotland

Unit 3
Cadzow Park
82 Muir Street
Hamilton ML3 6BJ

Environtec Ltd is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory (No. 0197) and inspection body (No. 2030).

Our accreditation is limited to those activities described on our UKAS schedule of accreditation.