County Councils across Ireland are concerned with asbestos waste that is not being handled and disposed of in a safe and lawful manner. There is also a great deal of community concern about the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos when it is being removed, transported and disposed illegally by companies who are not trained and insured to work with asbestos and do not have a waste collection permit.
Asbestos waste must be packaged and transported by an appropriately trained and insured waste collection company who have been specifically vetted and issued a hazardous waste permit to collect Asbestos Waste from the County Council where the asbestos is being removed from. It is the responsibility of the building owner where the asbestos is removed to ensure that their asbestos is packaged and collected by a company who is approved by their local county council to collect asbestos waste. Approved companies are issued a waste permit by each county council to ensure it is handled safely and not dumped illegally. When the asbestos is collected correctly the collection company will always issue certification, which will give details of their waste permit, which can be verified by your county council to ensure that your waste is traceable and not transported and dumped illegally.
Many businesses and householders are simply not aware of the risks associated with asbestos waste, which is a toxic waste, and therefore has special legislative requirements relating to its handling, storage and transport. These special requirements are being deliberately ignored to save time and cost, which then poses serious health, safety and environmental problems, when it is removed, transported and dumped illegally.
To overcome this there are specific legislative requirements in place under Health, Safety and Environmetal guidelines for the removal, transport and disposal of waste containing asbestos. These include ensuring the asbestos waste is removed, packaged, transported and disposed of safely at a licensed hazardous waste facility.
Many business and home owners may not be aware of the legal processes necessary to dispose of asbestos waste appropriately, so education is provided at each council council office. Further information can also be obtained from the Health and Safety Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The message from the local authorities is “don’t allow asbestos from your premises to be collected without first obtaining the waste collectors waste collection permit number, which you can verify with your local council council before the asbestos is collected”. This will ensure that the waste will not be transported and dumped illegally. If the waste collector does not have a waste permit they are not permitted to collect and transport asbestos legally and their actions must be reported to either the Health & Safety Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency or your local County Council, in order to help prevent the rise in illegal transport and dumping of toxic asbestos waste.