Asbestos Removal in West Central London

West Central London is a constituency on the London assembly and comprises the London boroughs of the City of Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea. This area of the capital is affluent and consists of hundreds of historical buildings. Due to this, many of these buildings will require an asbestos removal service if they undergo construction or DIY is carried out on the property as the toxic substance can be found in the majority of buildings in London as it was not banned until as late as 1999 despite the dangers of exposure to it being known since the 1940s.

Asbestos was used extensively during construction work in the mid-20th century, reaching a peak from the 1960s to the 1980s. The material is made from six naturally occurring minerals and has been around for thousands of years. It was a seemingly ideal construction material due to its natural properties that include resistance to chemicals, water and heat. It is also resistant to biological degradation. Asbestos was used as insulation, in pipes, boilers and guttering so it is likely that there is asbestos waste in your home if it was built before the UK ban.

Many London councils do not offer an asbestos removal service and instead refer their residents to the City of London Hazardous Waste Disposal Service. The West Central area councils are no exception to this. There are also a number of private companies that offer asbestos removal as well as asbestos surveying services, however the importance to use a professional asbestos removal company is more important than any other waste type.

At Wayst, we work with trusted asbestos collection service providers who are licenced to remove asbestos and strictly follow the hazardous waste handling regulations that have been set out by the government. We will provide you with all the correct documentation so that you know your hazardous waste has been disposed of legally and responsibly.

The impact of asbestos waste, as well as asbestos removal, on our health has been known since as early as the 1940s, however, despite this, there was still little asbestos awareness in society and the substance was not completely banned in the UK until 1999.

There are two types of asbestos; Serpentine (white asbestos) which was more widely used, and Amphibole (blue and brown asbestos) which was banned in 1985 and is more toxic than serpentine.
When left undisturbed, asbestos waste actually poses little to no risk as it is the fibres within the sheets of material that cause damage to the lungs and other internal organs. When the fibres are inhaled or ingested during contact with asbestos or during asbestos removal, they scar the tissue within our bodies which can lead to serious implications that affect our breathing in particular. Asbestos fibres can cause respiratory illnesses that cause a thickening of the lung tissue and an increase in heart size. Ultimately, these complications can be fatal and symptoms often take decades to appear, making these illnesses harder to treat.

If you suspect that asbestos waste is in your home or you have found a material that you suspect to be asbestos, do not test for it and definitely do not attempt any form of asbestos removal yourself. Secure the area and make sure that those within the building, whether it is residential or commercial, are making as little contact with that area as possible.

Visually, you may be able to identify asbestos as it is either white, grey, blue or brown, depending on what type has been used, yet this may be hard to determine as the colour may be affected if it is dusty. However, a BBC survey suggests that 45% of homeowners would not be confident identifying asbestos waste within their home and 50% of homeowners were not aware that asbestos was used as a building material. It is difficult to identify asbestos roofing, tiles and other forms of asbestos waste as it can look like many different materials, such as other forms of insulation.

We strongly recommend against trying to determine whether a material is asbestos. Instead, we recommend that you implore the use of an asbestos surveyor to take a sample of the substance. It can then be sent off to a secure facility where it can be tested and assessed. You can ring your local council for further information on how asbestos is surveyed in your area. However, council services can often be time consuming which is particularly frustrating when dealing with asbestos clearance.

At Wayst, we can give you expert advice on how to find a licensed and legitimate asbestos surveyor. We work with a number of trusted asbestos removal partners in the West Central area who will provide you with a professional and thorough service.

In the UK, asbestos recycling and reuse is not an option and instead must be disposed of in landfill. Our company ethos is to prioritise the preservation of our environment above all else, followed by the protection of our community and therefore, we work towards improving the waste disposal journey and avoiding landfill.

Unfortunately, as UK regulations make it unavoidable to use a landfill site for the disposal of asbestos, we work instead towards improving the safety of asbestos removal processes and improving the customer experience.

We strongly recommend that you do not remove asbestos yourself, despite the law permitting small amounts of asbestos to be removed by the property owner. It is extremely dangerous and unless you are trained in the health and safety standards surrounding asbestos removal, we advise that you contact a professional company to remove asbestos for you.

The West Central councils of London recommend that you use the City of London Hazardous Waste Disposal Service, however, the City of London does not wrap or package the asbestos for you and only remove small amounts of asbestos from residential buildings and not commercial buildings, construction sites or schools. Packaging asbestos is very hazardous and should be included in a removal service.

Luckily, at Wayst, we can connect you with trusted professionals who are fully trained in asbestos removal and will arrive prepared with full PPE and specialist equipment to take the hassle out of the process. Our teams in your area will package, remove and dispose of the substance responsibly and with care. We will keep you informed every step of the way and will provide you with all of the correct documentation so you know that it has not been disposed of dangerously or in a way that will cause harm to others or the environment.

In some cases, asbestos only has to be sprayed with an adhesive so that it does not release any fibres into the air. This will ‘seal’ the substance and so it can be left in place as long as it is whole and not fragmented or broken.

As it is dangerous to handle and does put employees at a significant risk, asbestos removal can be costly. This often depends on where the asbestos is within a property and the amount that needs removing. Prices can range between a few hundred to a few thousand pounds. Some private companies include the cost of asbestos removal within an overall waste disposal service.

Wayst’s dedicated customer service teams can give you advice on how much it may cost to have asbestos removed from your property.and what next steps to take to deal with asbestos removal promptly and professionally.

Any asbestos surveyor or removal company must have the correct licenses and permits that allow them to be handling hazardous materials. You must ensure that you research any service provider before you use them. If asbestos is not disposed of properly, you will be held accountable and could face legal action. If a service provider is irresponsible with hazardous materials, you will also be considered responsible for this breach of regulations and so it is imperative to find a team of trusted employees.