Asbestos
Find out how to identify, manage, remove and dispose of asbestos safely in Albury.
Asbestos must not be placed in any kerbside bin, public place bin, or mixed with other waste materials.
There are strict requirements for the handling and disposal of asbestos due to the serious health risks it poses to you, the community, and the environment if it is not managed correctly.
Asbestos Awareness and Safe Handling
Products containing asbestos generally do not pose a risk if they are in good condition and remain undisturbed. However, when asbestos-containing materials become weathered, broken, cut, or drilled, harmful fibres can be released into the air, posing serious health risks.
Before undertaking any building, demolition or renovation work, homeowners and renovators should seek accurate information about asbestos. Council strongly recommends engaging a licensed asbestos removal contractor for the removal and disposal of all asbestos-based materials.
It is important to obtain professional advice on the correct identification, handling, and removal of asbestos-containing products. Special precautions should always be taken, even for minor renovation works that do not require Council approval.
Council recommends that you:
- Treat all fibro sheeting as though it contains asbestos unless laboratory testing confirms otherwise.
- Use a licensed asbestos removal contractor to remove any materials that contain asbestos.
Bonded asbestos is non-friable. It is considered non-friable because the asbestos fibres are tightly bound into a solid material like cement or resin, making them unlikely to be released into the air unless the material is damaged. In contrast, friable (or loose) asbestos is easily crumbled and poses a higher risk of releasing fibres when disturbed.
Bonded (non-friable) asbestos:
- Has fibres mixed with a bonding compound like cement or resin.
- Is solid and rigid, and cannot be crumbled by hand pressure alone.
- Only releases fibres when the product is damaged, weathered, or disturbed.
- Is the most common type of asbestos found in building materials like asbestos cement sheeting ("fibro"), roofing, and floor tiles.
Friable (non-bonded) asbestos:
- Consists of loosely packed fibres.
- Can be easily crumbled into a powder or dust by hand.
- Poses a higher risk of releasing airborne fibres.
- Is often found in applications like insulation, pipe lagging, and sprayed coatings, typically in commercial or industrial settings.
Removing Asbestos
Under NSW law, you must use a licensed asbestos removal contractor for:
- The removal of any friable asbestos (asbestos that can crumble or release fibres easily), and
- The removal of more than 10 square metres of bonded (non-friable) asbestos (asbestos that is mixed with cement or another hard material).
Using a licensed contractor ensures asbestos is handled and disposed of safely, protecting you, your neighbours, and the environment.
Asbestos Disposal
The Albury Waste Management Centre (AWMC) is licensed to accept asbestos waste that has been safely removed and correctly packed in line with all legislative requirements.
To protect the safety of all site users and the environment, it’s important that any asbestos waste is declared, either when you arrive at the Centre or before your visit (many landfills require a booking at least 24 hours in advance). This helps staff manage the material safely and ensures it is disposed of in the correct way.
Charges apply for the disposal of asbestos waste. Please check current fees and disposal requirements before visiting the Albury Waste Management Centre.
Further information on facilities that accept household asbestos, NSW EPA.
Transporting and Tracking Asbestos Waste
Commercial Purposes
In NSW, asbestos transporters are legally required to report the movement of asbestos waste to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
To make this process easier, the EPA has introduced the Integrated Waste Tracking Solution (IWTS), an online system for tracking and reporting the movement of hazardous and regulated waste, including asbestos.
If you are transporting or disposing of more than 100 kilograms of asbestos waste or more than 10 square metres of asbestos sheeting in a single load, you must use the IWTS to report this activity to the EPA.
The IWTS generates a unique EPA consignment ID for each load, allowing it to be monitored from the point of collection through to disposal. If you are disposing of asbestos waste at the Albury Waste Management Centre (AWMC), this consignment ID must be presented upon entry.
Please note: Entry will not be permitted without a valid consignment ID.
Asbestos disposal may be affected by weather conditions. If wet weather is present, please contact the Centre on (02) 6043 5860 to confirm disposal approval.
Commercial asbestos disposals are accepted during business hours, Monday to Friday, unless otherwise authorised.
For more information on the Integrated Waste Tracking Solution (IWTS), visit the NSW EPA website.
Residential Purposes
Council will accept small quantities of asbestos waste, from residents only. All asbestos must be triple-wrapped and sealed in accordance with the required safety standards before being brought to the AWMC.
If your load exceeds this amount, it must be managed and transported by a licensed asbestos removalist.
When disposing of asbestos at the Centre, residents are responsible for removing the wrapped material from their vehicle and placing it in the designated area, where onsite staff will safely handle it using bucket and loader machinery.
For any questions or to confirm disposal requirements, please contact the AWMC on (02) 6043 5860.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don’t. If you want to remove a small sheet of asbestos as part of a minor renovation, or because it is damaged, then you do not need approval. But remember, we strongly encourage you to use a licensed contractor for any asbestos removal, and if the quantity is greater than 10m2 in area, then you MUST use a licensed contractor.
Definitely not! We know that this option is tempting from a convenience point of view, but adding asbestos to your garbage bins puts many unsuspecting people’s lives at risk, so please don’t do it!
From a legal point of view, placement of asbestos in your household garbage bin is an offence. By doing so, you are breaking the law; specifically, the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2005.
Definitely not! It is never OK to place pieces of asbestos in any public place, including out on the footpath as part of a bulky waste collection. In doing this you are placing Council staff and innocent people passing by at risk, as well as facing a hefty fine yourself. It also contaminates the local area and requires costly remediation work.
If you have a small quantity of asbestos to dispose of, you are allowed to transport it to a licensed facility, like the Albury Waste Management Centre. It should be wrapped in thick builder’s plastic, separate from other wastes, and should only be moved in a covered, leak-proof vehicle. Please contact the Albury Waste Management Centre to confirm the permitted times for asbestos disposal.
For more information about transporting asbestos, have a look at the NSW Environment Protection Authority website.
The only way to lawfully dispose of asbestos is to transport it to a waste management facility that is licensed to accept it. It must be wrapped in black plastic and separate from other waste materials. The Albury Waste Management Centre is licensed to accept asbestos waste. Please contact the Albury Waste Management Centre to confirm the permitted times and costs for asbestos disposal.
You may also contact licensed asbestos removal or disposal companies operating in your area for assistance with asbestos disposal.
In the past, it was not uncommon for asbestos waste to be buried in backyards. If you happen to find the odd piece, wet it down (from a distance) and, wearing gloves, place it in a sturdy plastic bag and tie it off. Place it in a second plastic bag and tie it off again. Place the bag in a sealed bucket or container out of harm’s way. It is illegal to place this waste in your garbage bin.
It will need to be disposed of in the manner addressed in the questions above. That is, at a disposal facility licensed to accept it or by paying a licensed contractor to take it away for you.
Sorry, this is not something we can help you with. You will need to contact an appropriately licensed professional to undertake the removal of this asbestos.
Definitely not! If you end up removing a small amount of asbestos as part of a minor renovation, you cannot add the material to a skip bin you have hired for the remaining construction and demolition waste.
There are lots of reasons why, including:
- The skip may be taken to a facility not licensed to receive asbestos.
- By adding asbestos, all waste in the skip will be classified as special/hazardous waste, and therefore you will be charged as if the whole load is asbestos.
- The potential to recycle the remaining construction and demolition waste is eliminated by adding asbestos to the skip – the entire load is contaminated, and no recycling will occur.
- By placing asbestos in a skip bin, you are placing staff who are involved in the collection and processing of the waste within the skip at risk.
Skip bins can be hired solely for the purpose of collecting asbestos. You should never mix asbestos with any other waste material.
Call the NSW EPA Pollution Line on 131 555. If you can record any details that will assist in the investigation of the matter, such as a car number plate or address of the offender, that would be great. Council will attend to the scene as soon as possible and arrange for the removal of the material. If we can catch them in the act, even better!
Call the NSW EPA Pollution Line on 131 555. Information will be gathered to assist with identifying the person responsible for dumping the material. The asbestos material will be removed from the scene as soon as is practical. Dumping of asbestos is a serious offence, and even after the material has been removed the offender if identified, will be fined.
There are many penalties that can be imposed for people who illegally dispose of asbestos. The penalty imposed depends on the severity of the offence and many other factors that need to be considered carefully.
The main options available are:
- On-the-spot fines for transporting asbestos to an unlawful facility – $15,000 (individual) and $30,000 (company).
- Clean-up notices – These can be issued to instruct someone to clean up their waste (if they have been found to dispose of it in a public place). The fee attached to this is $803.
- Court action – If found guilty of unlawful transport/disposal of asbestos, in very serious cases the penalty can reach $1M for individuals and $4M for corporations. The fine imposed depends largely on the circumstances of the case.
Dumping of any waste in a public place is not a great idea for many reasons, but dumping asbestos in a public place has added health and safety risks for the community, making it an even more serious offence.
Lawful disposal of asbestos at a licensed facility is not a cheap exercise, and it is thought that these disposal costs account for the high amount of asbestos dumping we see in our community. Avoiding tip fees, however, is obviously not a valid excuse when it comes to dumping a hazardous material in a public place, for any innocent party to stumble across. While the cost to dispose of asbestos might appear expensive to some, the cost to clean up illegal dumped asbestos and penalties for illegal dumping are much higher. Dumping of waste in a public place makes the area look terrible, can invite further dumping of waste and reduce community morale, so please don’t do it.
