Dealing with the disposal of asbestos from home remodelling projects
If you are planning a home renovation or remodelling, you have to think about how you will safely dispose garbage from the project. If the home under renovation was built in the '80s or earlier, there is a fair chance that there are structures that contain asbestos. Asbestos was prevalent because it is corrosion resistant, non-combustible, and cheap. However, it has been proven to have adverse health and environmental consequences, which is why people no longer use it. Before renovating a house from the past, therefore, you are supposed to make sure that it has been tested for asbestos. In case it does, you will have to employ different disposal methods.
Protecting the home from spread of asbestos during removal
The government allows homeowners to remove small quantities of asbestos in the home, as long as it does not interfere or contaminate the environment in any way. When removing these traces of asbestos, you are required to remove all furniture and other objects that are close to the affected area to protect yourself from contamination. You are also supposed to cover the working area with heavy plastic to avoid the spread of the fibres. The furnace and air conditioning systems should be turned off during the removal to prevent fibres from getting into the central air conditioning. Remember to use plastic to cover all return air vents.
Protecting yourself from asbestos during removal and disposal
Before you or the remodelling experts start removing asbestos, you should invest in good quality but disposable coveralls. The coveralls will protect your clothes from getting asbestos contamination. You should also use water to wet the entire area which has asbestos and prevent dust from rising. Ensure that you also protect your nose and mouth from inhaling asbestos.
Disposing asbestos correctly
The regular skip bins cannot be used to dispose garbage from a house that has asbestos. You are required to call a skip bin rental company so that they can provide you with the bins to transport the material to an approved facility.
If you are doing a home renovation, and you suspect that structures such as textured paint, pipe insulation, door gaskets, and vinyl floor tiles, ask the garbage disposal company for directions on asbestos testing. If asbestos presence is confirmed, they will direct you on how to acquire the protection materials needed. They will also assist with the removal and disposal to ensure that no asbestos contamination happens in your home.