Warning against fly-tipping asbestos as dump charges increase

Friday 31 August 2018

With the cost of dumping asbestos going up, Guernsey's Health and Safety Executive is urging people not to fly-tip the dangerous substance.

The HSE said waste charges are a matter for the States Trading Supervisory Board, and fall within the remit of the staff introducing the island's new Waste Strategy which comes into force on Sunday.

As a result, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was not involved in the setting of the new charges for the disposal of asbestos at the Mont Cuet landfill, which Express reported this week have increased from between £200 and £450 a tonne, to £600 a tonne.

Guernsey's Senior Waste Manager put the hike down to Mont Cuet becoming more specialised in hazardous materials following the wider changes to waste management coming in which will see the new waste management facility at Longue Hougue opening to deal with food waste and recyclable materials.

"When the new transfer station at Longue Hougue is fully operational, in a few weeks’ time, Mont Cuet will no longer be used to dispose of general waste. It will however still be required for hazardous waste, which we cannot export and have to deal with locally," Sarah Robinson, Guernsey Waste Senior Manager, said.

“The amount of material entering Mont Cuet is therefore going to reduce significantly. In 2016 around 29,000 tonnes of waste was disposed of there, but next year that is expected to fall to around 5,000 tonnes. That will be materials that are unsuitable for export, including around 400 tonnes of asbestos.

“The ongoing costs of operating Mont Cuet will therefore have to be met through a much reduced input, hence the reason why gate fees for hazardous waste will increase next year. We have written to all commercial customers to advise them of this."

Ms Robinson said, "We do not envisage this will materially impact on households for the simple reason that most do not dispose of asbestos on a regular basis. However it is of the utmost importance that if anyone encounters asbestos they engage an appropriately qualified contractor to remove it, because it is hazardous to health.

"Under no circumstances should they try to dispose of any quantity in their general refuse, as that would pose a severe risk to anyone subsequently handling it.”

Pictured: Asbestos was routinely used in building materials, however health concerns over the product's fibres date back decades 

The HSE said that as asbestos is a Group 1 carcinogen breathing in the fibres from it will increase the risk of serious respiratory diseases, often many years after exposure. As such, it poses a potential risk not only to the public but also to anyone handling it without appropriate protection.  

The HSE said, "for anyone to even consider fly-tipping this material would be reckless in the extreme, and hazardous not only to others but also to themselves."

The HSE and the Office for Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation work with the local construction industry to regulate asbestos removal work, and they licence the transport and disposal of hazardous waste.

"We encourage businesses and householders to use reputable contractors when they undertake building work. You should include the cost of asbestos surveys, removal and disposal in the project’s budget.

"Before undertaking invasive building work, refurbishment or demolition, an asbestos survey must be conducted, as this will enable proper management of the asbestos materials and will save costs in the long run," they said. 

Pictured: The entrance to the Mont Cuet tip, where asbestos and other hazardous materials will continue to be dumped 

Asbestos is buried in Mont Cuet when it is disposed of and the increased costs will continue to pay for that to be done.

Further information on the risks of asbestos can be found here.

Pictured top: The Mont Cuet tip where asbestos is dumped