Disposal of Hazardous Waste in the Barnsley Area

Waste that is legally hazardous is waste that can cause harm to the environment or humans.

Strict laws govern disposal of hazardous waste throughout the country: these laws are set by the national government, not local authorities such as Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

What is considered to be hazardous waste?

• asbestos
• chemicals, such as brake fluid or print toner
• batteries
• solvents
• pesticides
• oils (except edible ones), such as car oil
• equipment containing ozone depleting substances, like fridges
• hazardous waste containers

How does this affect a House Clearance in Barnsley?

When looking for a house clearance service it’s essential to ensure that the contractor will dispose of all the waste in the correct manner and has an Environmental Agency Waste Licence. It doesn’t matter where you. live in the UK, Whether you’re within the Barnsley area or another region: in this instance national law apply and not local council byelaws

Normally we might not expect hazardous waste to be an issue in a normal domestic house clearance. However, this can depend on the scale of the clearance. If only furniture and larger objects are needed to be cleared then is unlikely to be an issue. On the other hand, a complete, top-to-bottom house clearance may well need us to take away any number of items mentioned in the above list.

Things that might not be thought of as hazardous may actually need careful consideration and the chances are that items found during a house clearance in sheds, garages, gardens and even in the cupboard under the kitchen sink will contain often overlooked hazardous waste.

Do the same rules apply to the disposal of structural hazardous waste in Barnsley?

Broadly speaking, yes  — all hazardous waste has to be disposed of carefully. This is by law a nationwide requirement, not just in the Barnsley and South Yorkshire region.

Structural waste can include the following:

• Insulation containing asbestos
• Some concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics
• Some treated wood, glass, plastic (alone or in mixtures)
• Bituminous mixtures containing coal tar
• Waste electrical and telecommunications

(This is by no means an exhaustive list. You can read more about hazardous construction and demolition waste in the Barnsley region in this post: Disposing of Construction and Demolition Waste in the Barnsley Area.)

Although these might be thought of as construction or demolition waste, these can often be found in a garage clear-out and even in lofts and cellars.

Naturally, we will dispose of these materials as set out by the relevant guidelines.

How will I know if we have hazardous waste such as asbestos on our property – is it obvious or do we need and expert to advise us?

Materials that can be considered hazardous are often “hidden” within a building and to a lay person they might not be immediately apparent — professional advice is often needed in these instances.

When we do a house clearance in Barnsley (or elsewhere!) we just clear the house for you unless we are asked to specifically look for issues such as hazardous materials which are part of the building(s).

Because we have a roofing and construction division, it means that we can advise you in matters regarding this. The most common instances of troublesome materials tend to be old loft insulation and roofing on garden sheds and garages. Because we are licensed to dispose of these materials we can safely remove them and also carry out any further work if required.

Please note that this is an extra service and not covered within the cost of a house clearance. For more information get in touch using the form on the contact page or call 01226 766977 (landline) or 07771 795112 (mobile).

Alternatively you can find out more about our high quality roofing and construction services at donnachierooffing.co.uk