---
title: "Where do Asbestos go? Hazardous waste collection"
description: "Do not break it, do not drill it, do not sweep it. It needs a licensed route, and most household waste centres take it only by prior arrangement. Why that route, wha"
url: https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/asbestos/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Where do Asbestos go?

**Where do Asbestos go?: Do not break it, do not drill it, do not sweep it. It needs a licensed route, and most household waste centres take it only by prior arrangement.**

Hazardous waste collection

Asbestos is only dangerous when fibres become airborne, which is precisely what breaking, cutting, sanding or sweeping does — the fibres are respirable, they lodge in the lung, and the diseases they cause appear decades later. Intact asbestos cement — garage roofs, soffits, old rainwater goods — is stable until disturbed, and the correct action is often to leave it alone. Where it must go, many councils accept small quantities of bonded asbestos from householders by appointment, double-wrapped in heavy polythene and labelled, and anything friable or in quantity is a licensed contractor job. Never put it in a skip, a bin or a general builders load.

## How to prepare it

1. Ring the council first — acceptance is by prior arrangement almost everywhere, and quantities are capped.
2. Double-wrap in heavy-gauge polythene, seal with tape and label it as asbestos.
3. Damp it down rather than sweeping, and use a disposable coverall and a proper P3 mask, not a dust mask.

## What not to do

- Never break, cut, drill, sand or jet-wash asbestos — every one of those releases respirable fibres.
- Never sweep or vacuum debris with a domestic machine; it puts fibres into the air and the machine.
- Never put asbestos in a bin, a skip or a general waste load.

> Kerbside collection rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always win over general guidance. The reasoning above is what transfers — if your service differs, it will usually be for a reason described here.

## Other things that go to hazardous waste collection

- [Paint thinner, white spirit and turpentine](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-thinner/) — Hazardous waste collection. Flammable, and lethal to a septic tank or a river.
- [Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pesticides/) — Hazardous waste collection, in the original container with the label intact.
- [Old petrol and diesel](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/petrol/) — Hazardous waste collection. Stale fuel is still fully flammable.
- [Bleach, drain cleaner and household chemicals](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/household-cleaners/) — Use them up as directed if you can. Anything left over goes to hazardous waste, in its own container.
- [Mercury thermometers and thermostats](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/mercury-thermometers/) — Hazardous waste. Never in a bin, and never vacuum a spill.
- [Antifreeze and screenwash](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/antifreeze/) — Hazardous waste. Ethylene glycol tastes sweet and kills cats, dogs and children.
- [Fertiliser, lawn feed and pool chemicals](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/garden-chemicals/) — Hazardous waste. Oxidisers and concentrated fertiliser are reactive, not just polluting.

## Common questions

### Where do Asbestos go?

Do not break it, do not drill it, do not sweep it. It needs a licensed route, and most household waste centres take it only by prior arrangement.

### What happens if you put Asbestos in the wrong bin?

Never break, cut, drill, sand or jet-wash asbestos — every one of those releases respirable fibres. Never sweep or vacuum debris with a domestic machine; it puts fibres into the air and the machine. Never put asbestos in a bin, a skip or a general waste load.

## Related pages

- [Where do Paint thinner, white spirit and turpentine go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-thinner/)
- [Where do Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pesticides/)
- [Where do Old petrol and diesel go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/petrol/)
- [Where do Bleach, drain cleaner and household chemicals go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/household-cleaners/)
- [Where do Mercury thermometers and thermostats go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/mercury-thermometers/)
- [Where do Antifreeze and screenwash go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/antifreeze/)
- [Where do Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/batteries/)
- [Where do Lithium-ion batteries go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/lithium-batteries/)
- [Where do Vapes and disposable e-cigarettes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/vapes/)
- [Where do Medicines and tablets go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/medicines/)
- [Where do Pizza boxes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pizza-boxes/)
- [Where do Leftover wet paint go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-wet/)

## Sources

- US Environmental Protection Agency — EPA (https://www.epa.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]