I want to get rid of asbestos – how does that work?

You’re planning a demolition or renovation, but there’s asbestos involved. What now? You look at the various skips and see the same thing everywhere: no asbestos allowed. Annoying… so how do you get rid of your asbestos?

Asbestos is a collective name for various naturally occurring silicate minerals with a fibrous structure. It’s made up of fine, microscopically small fibres. It was widely used in the 1970s and 1980s because it’s a good insulator and fire-resistant. It’s often combined with a binding agent such as cement, plaster or glue. Over time, this binding agent breaks down and releases fibres. These fibres are harmful to your health, so you should avoid breathing them in. Asbestos is commonly found in cement, corrugated sheets, sheds, ceiling panels and drainpipes. Working with asbestos has been banned since 1993. But because many houses and buildings date from before then, asbestos isn’t a thing of the past just yet.

From 2024, asbestos-containing materials that are exposed to the open air will be banned in the Netherlands. The government is doing this to protect the environment from the spread of asbestos fibres.

If you need to remove asbestos, you can do it yourself, but there are rules and risks involved. If you don’t remove it properly, it’s dangerous to your health and you could also be hit with a hefty fine. To remove asbestos yourself, you need a demolition permit and you must have declared that asbestos is involved. To prevent asbestos fibres being released during demolition, drilling into asbestos is prohibited. You’re also not allowed to let an asbestos roof collapse. Unscrewing panels is tolerated. You must also always inform your neighbours, and no more than a maximum of 35m2 of corrugated sheets and/or asbestos-containing floor covering may be removed per property.

Once the asbestos has been removed, you can’t just throw it out with the residual waste. In many municipalities you can take it to the recycling centre free of charge. If you want to do this, you do have to follow a few rules. In most cases, for example, you first need to report to a member of staff at the recycling centre and show your demolition or asbestos notification. The asbestos-containing materials must also be wrapped in a double layer of airtight plastic sheeting and labelled with an asbestos logo (often also available at the recycling centre). This wrapping must be done straight after removing the asbestos. That way you prevent harmful fibres being released while the asbestos is being taken away.

In the municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Almere, Groningen. Breda, Nijmegen, Apeldoorn, Enschede, Amersfoort, Enschede, Zoetermeer, Leeuwarden, Alkmaar, Purmerend, Emmen and Delft you can take asbestos to the recycling centre free of charge.

Removing asbestos isn't a job for the inexperienced DIYer, so many people choose to have a specialist remove and dispose of it. This does come at a cost, but you can be sure the asbestos is removed and disposed of safely and professionally.

Would you like more information about disposing of asbestos? Get in contact with our customer service team.