Asbestos Program

 

Properly Disposing of Asbestos

Cal-EPA is responsible for hazardous waste control. They define asbestos waste as having more than 1% asbestos and being friable. Call them for a ruling if you are disposing of asbestos containing material. Asbestos waste must be placed in landfill sites approved for hazardous waste. The California Water Resources Control Board licenses hazardous waste sites. The contractor will normally handle the transport and disposal of asbestos waste. The homeowner is the owner of the waste and if it is over a certain amount must sign an EPA form documenting the waste and where it will be deposited. The contractor will help obtain this form but you must sign it. Cal-EPA can give you advice on how to transport and dispose of small amounts of asbestos. They have special policies for homeowners with only small amounts of asbestos waste.

Any hazardous waste that is transported to a disposal site must be accompanied by a properly completed Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest. To properly complete the manifest, the generator must obtain an EPA Identification number. Permanent ID numbers are issued to generators who routinely generate hazardous waste. Provisional ID numbers and emergency ID numbers are issued for one-time only situations and are valid for 90 days. A special provisional number is issued for asbestos containing wastes generated in the course of residential removals. For further information and to obtain an application, call the Department of Health Services (DHS) at (916) 324-1781.

Asbestos wastes must be contained and transported in one of the following ways:

1. In sealed, leak-tight, and non-returnable containers (e.g. plastic bags of 6mm thickness, cartons, drums, or cans) from which fibers cannot escape. Wastes within the container must be adequately wetted to prevent blowing of fibers in case the container is broken.
   
   
2. For bulk wastes that will not fit into containers without additional breaking, place wastes into sealed and leak-tight wrapping after wetting. If the wastes are to be placed directly in trailer or drop-boxes, the trailer or drop-box should be lined with plastic sheeting. The wastes should be wetted to prevent blowing of fibers in case the wrapping is broken. The wrapping should be sealed (e.g. with duct tape), and the trailer or drop-box should be covered with a tarp.
   
   In California, asbestos wastes totaling more than 50 lbs., must be transported by a registered hazardous waste hauler to an approved treatment, storage, or disposal facility. Persons generating and transporting less than 50 lbs. of a hazardous waste to a permitted hazardous waste facility are exempt from this requirement and the requirements concerning possession of the manifest while transporting hazardous waste upon meeting all of the following conditions:
   
   
   1. The hazardous wastes are transported in closed containers and packed in a manner that prevents the containers from tipping, spilling, or breaking during the transporting.
      
      
   2. Different hazardous waste materials are not mixed within a container during the transporting.
      
      
   3. The person transporting the hazardous waste is the producer of that hazardous waste, the person produces no more than 100 kg of hazardous waste in any month, and accumulates no more than 1000 kg at any one time