Asbestos

Asbestos is the name given to naturally occurring fibrous minerals that are contained within rock and mined in many countries. It has a number of valuable properties including physical strength, resistance to chemicals, non-combustibility and good thermal and electrical insulation.

It is due to these properties that asbestos has been widely used in industry for a range of applications. However, when asbestos is disturbed or damaged, the fibres can be released into the air and inhaled, which creates a risk to human health.

If you are working on or removing something containing asbestos you must take precautions to protect the health and safety of both yourself and others who may be affected, for example others in your household or visitors. For further information on asbestos please contact The Health and Safety Executive or The Environment Agency.

If you have to remove a large quantity of material that contains asbestos you should consider the services of a licensed asbestos removal contractor. Details of local contractors can be found in the Yellow Pages under Asbestos.

Plymouth City Council no longer offers a free asbestos collection scheme.

You can take your asbestos waste to Chelson Meadow recycling centre for disposal. Please contact them first to check on the conditions of disposal, and to arrange a date and time for you to take the waste.