How do you package asbestos waste?

Asbestos is highly toxic, especially when it is friable which means it is in a crumbled or powdered state.  For this reason, any time asbestos is being disturbed, either for demolition, renovation or transportation it is important to make as little dust as possible since the toxins are inhaled through the dust.  Eliminating the spread of dust will prevent contamination to people and the surrounding areas. 

When packaging asbestos for disposal the first line of defense is to make sure the material is wet.  Materials that contain asbestos generally absorb water rapidly and will help keep the material together and make it less likely to become airborne and become a hazard. 

There are industry specific bags that that are especially made for packaging and transporting asbestos waste.  Bags are a minimum of 6 mils thick, measure approximately 36” tall and 50” wide and are specifically labeled according to Federal law.  The wet asbestos material is placed into bags but not so much as to overload the bag and cause it to split or burst open. Once the bags are filled, the top should be twisted tightly and secured with duct tape.  This bag should then be placed in another bag, the top twisted and taped again.  These steps are very important and mandated by law.   In addition, anything that was used on site that cannot be cleaned thoroughly needs to be packaged and sealed in a similar manner.  This means clothes, polyethylene plastic sheets, rags etc. must be disposed of in the same way the actual asbestos is packaged. It may be hard to fit larger supplies in bags.  If that is the case, there are also 55 gallon drums that are especially designed for asbestos disposal. 

Bags, drums, or any other containers transporting asbestos for disposal must be properly labeled.  Labeling is regulated in text and font size.  A typical label would read as follows:

DANGER

CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBERS

AVOID CREATING DUST

CANCER AND LUNG DISEASE HAZARD

AVOID BREATHING AIRBORNE ASBESTOS FIBERS

In addition, separate tag labels need to be attached and include the date the material was collected for disposal, the name of the waste generator, as well as the location at which the waste was generated.  Check with local regulatory agencies as labeling requirements can vary by state.

All of the steps above should be performed by licensed, certified workers wearing proper personal protective equipment.