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Free Homeowner Guide: How to Dispose of Asbestos Properly in New Zealand (and Why It’s Hard Without a Licensed Removalist)

Free Step-by-Step Safe Advice: How Homeowners Should Dispose of Asbestos (Without Turning Their Property Into a Contamination Zone)

If you’ve discovered asbestos at home, you’re not alone. Thousands of Kiwi houses still have asbestos in cladding, soffits, fences, vinyl tiles, roofing, and old backyard junk piles.

But here’s the part that catches homeowners out:

Asbestos disposal isn’t like chucking gib offcuts in a trailer.
The moment you disturb it, you can create an invisible, airborne problem that spreads across your lawn, your house, your car, and your lungs.

This blog gives free, practical, step-by-step advice to help you dispose of asbestos safely and legally in New Zealand. It also explains why it’s genuinely difficult for homeowners to do this right without an asbestos licence and a proper system—like a licensed Class B removalist such as PropertyHelp Ltd.

Important: This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. If in doubt, stop work and contact a licensed asbestos professional.

Step 1: Don’t “Just Move It” — Identify What You’re Dealing With

Before disposal, you must know what the material is.

If your home was built or renovated before the mid-1990s and the material is:

  • grey fibre cement sheets (cladding/soffits/fences)

  • old corrugated roofing

  • brittle panel fencing

  • vinyl tiles and black adhesive

  • broken building fragments in soil

…assume it may contain asbestos until proven otherwise.

Best practice: get a survey done or have a sample tested by an accredited lab.

Step 2: Understand Why Disposal Is So Hard Without a Licence

Here’s the truth bomb: even when asbestos is “only” Class B (non-friable/bonded), disposal is still a mission for homeowners because:

  • Many landfill sites have strict acceptance rules

  • Packaging must be correct, labelled, and sealed

  • Transport must prevent tearing, leakage, or contamination

  • Some sites require pre-booking or paperwork

  • You must not contaminate public roads, vehicles, or the landfill area

  • If the asbestos is broken or degraded, the risk jumps fast

  • You may inadvertently create “friable-like” dust if you mishandle it

Licensed asbestos removalists like PropertyHelp Ltd don’t just remove asbestos — they have the systems: ARCPs, trained staff, PPE, controlled work methods, proper wrapping, and compliant disposal pathways.

Homeowners often have the motivation but not the gear, not the training, and not the tolerance for what disposal actually requires.

Step 3: If You’re Handling Any Asbestos Waste, Lock Down Safety First

If you must handle small amounts of asbestos waste (and only if it’s legal/appropriate), your safety checklist looks like this:

PPE (Minimum)

  • P2 respirator (properly fitted)

  • Disposable coveralls (Type 5/6)

  • Disposable gloves (nitrile)

  • Safety glasses

  • Closed footwear (boots)

Work Rules

  • No power tools

  • No dry sweeping

  • No household vacuum cleaners (they blow fibres straight through)

  • Keep kids and pets away

  • Work in calm weather (wind is a fibre taxi)

Step 4: Wet It Down — But Don’t Blast It

Use a light mist spray bottle with water and a small amount of detergent.

You’re trying to:

  • reduce airborne fibres

  • stop dust lifting

  • keep fragments together

Do not use a high-pressure hose. That’s just turning your yard into a fibre sprinkler system.

Step 5: Package Asbestos the Right Way (This Is Where Most People Stuff It Up)

Correct packaging is non-negotiable. Landfills can reject loads if it’s not wrapped properly.

The Gold Standard for Packaging

  1. Keep pieces intact
    Don’t break sheets to “fit them in the trailer.” That’s how fibres get released.

  2. Wrap in 200-micron plastic sheeting
    Lay plastic on the ground first. Place asbestos pieces on it.

  3. Fully wrap and seal
    Wrap like you’re mummifying it for the afterlife.
    Seal seams with strong duct tape.

  4. Double wrap if broken
    Broken pieces and debris should be double wrapped and sealed.

  5. Label clearly
    Write: “ASBESTOS WASTE” on the outside.

  6. Bagging small debris
    Use asbestos-labelled bags (double bag), seal, then place bags into a second sealed bag or wrapped bundle.

If packaging tears: stop, re-wrap, and re-seal. Do not keep going “because it’s nearly done.”

Step 6: Transport Without Contaminating Your Vehicle

If you’re transporting asbestos waste:

  • Use a lined trailer (plastic sheeting)

  • Secure the load so it can’t shift

  • Cover it completely

  • Do not carry asbestos inside your car boot/cabin

  • Avoid rough roads and sharp tie-down points that can tear wrapping

After transport:

  • Treat the trailer as contaminated until cleaned (wet wipe methods only)

  • Bag used wipes and plastic as asbestos waste

Step 7: Dispose Only at an Approved Facility

Asbestos must go to an approved landfill or transfer station that accepts asbestos waste.

Before you go:

  • Call ahead

  • Confirm acceptance requirements

  • Confirm packaging and booking rules

  • Ask about quantity limits and fees

If they turn you away (it happens), you’ll be stuck with a wrapped asbestos bundle on your trailer and no legal place to put it. That’s one reason homeowners often tap out and call a licensed operator.

Step 8: Clean-Up and Decontamination

After handling asbestos waste:

  • Wet wipe tools (don’t dry brush)

  • Dispose of wipes as asbestos waste

  • Remove PPE carefully (inside-out)

  • Bag PPE and seal as asbestos waste

  • Wash hands, face, and hairline thoroughly

  • Shower if possible

Do not stomp around the house in the same boots you wore near asbestos debris. That’s how fibres hitchhike indoors.

Why PropertyHelp Ltd Makes This Easier (and Safer)

If your asbestos is:

  • widespread

  • broken and dusty

  • located overhead (soffits, eaves, ceiling spaces)

  • part of demolition work

  • in fencing or cladding that will snap when moved

…then a licensed Class B removalist is the safest, cleanest option.

PropertyHelp Ltd (licensed Class B asbestos removalists) can manage the full process:

  • assessment and advice

  • safe removal methods

  • compliant packaging

  • approved transport and disposal

  • documentation and disposal dockets

In plain English: they take the headache, hazard, and legal risk off your shoulders.

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