An asbestos skip is a roll-off container for demolition waste into which only properly packed asbestos waste may be placed. You need an asbestos skip when a renovation or demolition job produces asbestos-containing waste - for example fibre cement sheets, pipe insulation, vinyl tiles or asbestos-containing tile adhesive.
Important: before you order an asbestos skip, you need to know whether the material you are removing really does contain asbestos. That can only be established by laboratory analysis. Analysing an asbestos sample costs 39,90 € + VAT, and an asbestos survey of the whole property starts at 119 € incl. VAT.
When is an asbestos skip needed?
Asbestos waste is hazardous waste. It must not be mixed with general waste, placed in an ordinary construction waste skip, or put in a household bin. An asbestos skip or another approved receiving arrangement is needed when:
- asbestos-containing structures are demolished (roof, facade, floor, pipe insulation)
- the removal work is carried out by an authorised asbestos removal company - the company usually arranges the waste transport as well
- loose old asbestos-containing material is found on the property and has to be disposed of
The price of an asbestos skip
Skip hire and the reception of asbestos waste are usually priced separately. The total cost depends on the size of the skip, the hire period, the transport distance and the amount of waste. As a rough guide:
- Skip hire and transport: typically from a few hundred euros upwards, depending on the locality and the supplier
- Asbestos waste reception fee: waste stations and waste centres price asbestos as hazardous waste, either per tonne or per consignment
- Small quantities: many municipal waste stations also accept small, tightly packed batches of asbestos without a skip - check the instructions and prices of the waste management company in your own area
Always ask for exact prices from skip suppliers and the waste management company in your own area, because practices vary from one locality to another.
How is asbestos waste packed?
- Dampen the material - damp asbestos produces far less dust
- Pack it tightly - heavy-duty construction plastic or a bulk bag, taped airtight
- Label the package - a clear marking: "Asbestos waste. Breathing the dust is dangerous."
- Deliver it to an approved reception point - an asbestos skip or the hazardous waste reception at a waste station
Remember that demolishing asbestos-containing structures is licensed asbestos removal work, which as a rule may only be carried out by an authorised asbestos removal company. Read more: asbestos removal permit.
Asbestos skips by area
Asbestos skips and asbestos waste reception are offered by both nationwide and local operators. Availability and prices vary between regions:
The Helsinki metropolitan area and Uusimaa
Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kerava, Järvenpää, Tuusula, Nurmijärvi, Hyvinkää, Kirkkonummi, Siuntio, Inkoo, Lohja, Vihti, Karkkila, Hanko, Tammisaari (Raasepori), Sipoo, Pornainen, Mäntsälä, Porvoo, Askola, Pukkila, Myrskylä, Lapinjärvi and Loviisa all lie in the region with the widest choice of skip services. In the metropolitan area, HSY's Sortti stations also accept small, tightly packed batches of asbestos - check the current instructions and limits with HSY.
Kanta-Häme and Päijät-Häme
Hämeenlinna, Hattula, Janakkala, Riihimäki, Hausjärvi, Loppi, Lahti, Hollola, Orimattila and Kärkölä: the regional waste management companies and local skip suppliers handle the reception of asbestos waste. Ask your own municipality's waste management company for prices.
The rest of Finland
Elsewhere in Finland, the reception of asbestos waste is handled by the regional waste management companies. Almost every waste centre has a hazardous waste reception point that accepts properly packed asbestos.
First make sure the waste really is asbestos
An asbestos skip, hazardous waste charges and licensed removal work cost many times more than ordinary demolition waste. That is why it pays to establish in the laboratory first whether the material contains asbestos at all:
- Take an asbestos sample yourself and send it to our laboratory - the analysis costs 39,90 € + VAT
- Or order an asbestos survey, in which the surveyor takes the samples for you - from 119 € incl. VAT
If the result is negative, you save the entire cost of asbestos handling and the waste can go into an ordinary construction waste skip.