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UK Asbestos Disposal Made Safe With New Collection and Disposal Product

24th April 2006 - The Asbestoclear™ products consist of two different disposal packs (mini and maxi bags) each contain working instructions, Personal & Respiratory Protective Equipment and asbestos disposal sacks. Once the asbestos has been safely removed and bagged up, a dedicated telephone number should be called or builders can go online to their website www.asbestoclear.co.uk where the low cost collection of the completed packs can be conveniently arranged.

The Asbestoclear solution was developed in answer to recent legislation which closed the door to asbestos at 95% of the UK landfill sites. Since the introduction of the legislation, there has been a significant increase in fly-tipping which poses a risk to the public.

Paul Woodhead, Managing Director, comments: “There are limited choices available now to the general builders and tradesman when it comes to disposing of UK asbestos cement products. New laws mean it is often not possible to take the asbestos to disposal sites. Some builders do not know what to do with it legally. This can result in additional costs not quoted for in the original works.”

Paul continues: “In a situation where tradesmen have a small amount of asbestos cement to remove and dispose of, they run the risk of removing it without instruction and safety equipment or they have to invest in using a licensed asbestos contractor. Asbestoclear reduces the costs for the building contractor and eliminates the need to hire skips, or at worst, the temptation to fly-tip.”

Asbestoclear™ will be sold through UK builders merchants as well as online and consist of two different sized disposal packs (mini and maxi bags) each containing working instructions, a short guide to asbestos in the home, a high grade disposable hooded coverall, disposable fibre filter mask, working gloves, disposal sacks and polycoth tape. The packs will retail at £25 for the mini and £55 for the maxi bags. Once the asbestos has been safely removed a dedicated telephone number should be called where the collection of the completed packs can be arranged.

Come and see us at Interbuild 2006 - NEC - Birmingham

We will be showcasing our new Asbestoclear product and service.

Asbestos disposal made simple, safe and clear. New product offers simple disposal solutions to construction trades.

Asbestoclear, part of the PPF Waste Management, provide dedicated solutions to minimising the impact of waste related issues on companies and the environment. This year saw the launch of a new asbestos cement disposal service for tradesmen and the building trade.

The two-step solution sees Asbestoclear provide disposal packs, available in mini and maxi sizes, with complete usage instructions to tradesmen onsite. Once the asbestos has been safely removed and bagged up, builders can go online or use the dedicated telephone number to arrange for Asbestoclear to collect the completed packs.

The solution was developed in response to recent legislation that closed the door to asbestos at 95 per cent of UK landfill sites. Since the introduction of the legislation there has been a significant increase in fly tipping, which poses a significant health risk to the public.

As asbestos products and materials age, or become damaged or worn, they release tiny fibres into the air, which can be breathed in, causing lung diseases including cancer. The exact level of exposure to asbestos fibres required to cause ill health is unknown, but what is known is that the more asbestos a person breathes, the greater the risk. It is therefore vital that the release of asbestos dust is kept to a minimum.

Asbestos was widely used in building materials from about 1930 to 1980, so the issue is of particular relevance to those in the construction and building maintenance trades. Many heat resistant household products such as ironing boards and oven gloves also contain asbestos materials, although its use in most products has been banned since 1993.

Paul Woodhead, managing director of PPF Waste Management, comments: “There are limited choices available now to general builders and tradesmen when it comes to disposing of asbestos products. New laws mean it is often not possible to take the asbestos to disposal sites. Some builders do not know what to do with it legally. This can result in additional costs not quoted for in the original works.”

Woodhead continues: “In a situation where tradesmen have a small amount of asbestos cement to remove and dispose of, they run the risk of removing it without instruction and safety equipment or they have to invest in using a licensed contractor. Asbestoclear reduces the costs for the building contractor and eliminates the need to hire skips, or at worst, the temptation to fly tip.”

For further information, please visit our stand at Interbuild 2006 06-D14.

DEMOLITION COWBOYS STAGE ASBESTOS FIDDLE
Leeds Today 21st January 2006 has reported:

Woman duped out of £700 as gang flees
By Geoff Fox

A GANG of cowboy demolition workers who duped an elderly woman out of £700 went on the run after police and environmental officers swooped as they illegally removed lethal asbestos. The terrified woman phoned the Environment Agency after the men demanded even more money to pull down her asbestos garage.

The call triggered a raid on the woman's Seacroft address by Leeds City Council's environmental enforcement team, West Yorkshire Police and Trading Standards. Two of the four men believed to be working in the area were caught in the act of loading asbestos into a white van.

One of them escaped in another vehicle, leaving a 16-year-old alone with the van filled with potentially deadly asbestos to face officers.

The vehicle was found to be untaxed and uninsured and has been impounded by the police. It is likely the van, a white Ford Transit, will be destroyed.

The teenager was arrested in connection with theft offences but has since been released without charge.
Leeds City Council executive member for city services Coun Steve Smith said: "This is a terrible story and I have every sympathy with the woman involved who was obviously put in a very difficult situation. These are extremely unscrupulous people.

Licence
"Our advice to householders who find themselves in a similar situation is that they ring the police or the council immediately. "Traders who call offering to remove waste from somebody's property should always have a waste carrier licence and householders should not agree to anything without seeing this first. "Just as important is that householders or businesses should always get a receipt for their waste from whoever they give it to."

The woman told officers she had been put under extreme pressure when the men first called at her home. They said they were part of a gang working in the area demolishing and removing derelict garages.

The men returned to the woman's house later demanding even more cash, informing the woman the waste was asbestos and needed to be disposed of at a hazardous waste site, which was even more expensive.

Chief Officer for West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service, Graham Hebblethwaite said: "My advice is simple – don't do deals on the doorstep as they invariably end in disaster. "Anyone who has concerns about traders operating in their neighbourhood should report the matter to Trading Standards by calling Consumer Direct on 08454 040506."

A maximum fine for fly-tipping is £50,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment. A householder can be prosecuted if they allow their waste to be taken by anyone who is not licensed to carry controlled waste.

Police are appealing for witnesses who saw the men working in the east Leeds area on the morning of January 13 to contact them on 0113 241 3659.

21 January 2006