Disposal of asbestos roof sheets from a farm building

A farm roof of asbestos cement sheets can carry solar panels in two ways: strip the sheets and re-clad, or lay a new roof over the old. If you strip, the sheets become hazardous waste, and the disposal rules are part of what any quote has to deal with. This guide sets out what the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and GOV.UK say about packing, carrying and disposing of asbestos cement roof sheets. It gives no prices, because no sourced UK price for removal or disposal was found; it explains what decides the figure instead.

What counts as asbestos waste

HSE’s task sheet EM9, “Disposal of asbestos waste”, defines it: “Any asbestos product or material that is ready for disposal is defined as asbestos waste.” That includes contaminated building materials, tools that cannot be decontaminated, protective equipment and damp rags used for cleaning. In England and Wales asbestos waste is hazardous waste when it contains more than 0.1% asbestos, and the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 apply. In Scotland the equivalent is special waste under the Special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004. EM9 adds a warning: “Don’t mix asbestos waste with other waste to get below 0.1 %.”

Who may do the work

HSE says “Most work on asbestos cement can be carried out without a licence”, provided the people doing it have suitable information, instruction and training. Task sheet A14 covers removing asbestos cement sheets on a small scale “as long as AC stays intact during removal”. If the sheets start to break up and create significant dust, A14 says the job becomes notifiable non-licensed work. A14 is not for large-scale work or mechanical demolition, which need a full risk assessment and plan of work, and it is not for sites where other asbestos materials such as lagging or insulating board are present. A14 also warns that “AC roofs are always fragile and cannot bear weight”: the precautions are in fragile roofs and solar installation on farm buildings.

Packing and labelling

• A14 says to avoid or minimise breaking the sheets, to lower large pieces to the ground rather than drop them or use rubble chutes, and to double-wrap large pieces in 1000-gauge polythene sheeting, seal with duct tape and attach asbestos warning stickers.
• EM9 says standard practice is a red inner bag marked with asbestos warnings and a clear outer bag, and to avoid breaking up large pieces: “double wrap in suitable polythene sheeting (1000-gauge) and label accordingly.”
• For several sheets, A14 says to use a lockable skip. EM9: “it is not good enough to throw sheeting over a standard skip.”

Carrying and disposing of it

• Carrier. EM9: to transport waste you need a waste carrier’s licence; otherwise arrange transport by a registered waste carrier. GOV.UK tells businesses in England to check that waste carriers are registered and waste sites have environmental permits.
• Consignment note. EM9 says to complete a consignment note for England and Wales and to use a licensed disposal site. GOV.UK says the producer or holder completes the parts that apply to them, keeps one copy and gives two to the carrier.
• Records. GOV.UK: producers and holders keep a register for 3 years at the premises that produced or stored the waste; carriers keep theirs for one year. EM9 also says to keep copies of the documents for three years.
• Dangerous goods rules. EM9 says the carriage-of-dangerous-goods regulations (CDG 2009) do not apply to firmly bound asbestos cement, but the hazardous and special waste regulations still apply.
• Where you are. EM9 covers England, Scotland and Wales and names the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and SEPA as the regulators to contact. For Northern Ireland, ask the Northern Ireland Environment Agency before work starts.

What decides the cost

No UK figure is quoted here because none was found from a primary source. The factors that move a quote are the ones the sources imply:

1. how many square metres of sheet and whether they can come off intact;
2. roof height and the access, edge protection and platforms needed for a fragile roof;
3. whether anything else containing asbestos is present, which takes the job beyond A14;
4. the skip type and the distance to the licensed disposal site;
5. whether the quote includes the carrier, the consignment note and the paperwork you must keep.

Ask each contractor to price the removal and disposal as separate lines from the re-roofing and the panels, so the three can be compared.

Strip or overlay

A14 poses the question itself: “Can you overlay sheets with non-asbestos material instead of removing the AC?” If so, it says to attach the new material to the existing purlins and avoid drilling through the AC. That route avoids most of the waste, and it is compared with stripping in overclad or strip an asbestos cement farm roof. If the roof is due for replacement anyway, the sequence with the panels is in combined re-roof plus solar, and the weight the new roof must carry is in solar panel weight and roof loading. The overall decision for solar is on solar panels on asbestos cement farm roofs.

Questions to put to anyone quoting

1. Who removes the sheets, and what asbestos training do they hold?
2. Which registered waste carrier takes the waste, and what is their registration number?
3. Which licensed disposal site, and will you receive a copy of the consignment note?
4. What fragile-roof precautions will be in place, and who is supplying them?
5. Is the removal priced separately from the new roof and the array?

Sources

Point	Source	Date
Definition of asbestos waste; 0.1% threshold; Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 (England, Wales); Special Waste (Scotland); double wrapping; lockable skip; carrier licence; consignment note; keep copies three years; CDG not applying to firmly bound AC	HSE, EM9 Disposal of asbestos waste	2 Nov 2026
Removing AC sheets: keep intact, lower rather than drop, double-wrap 1000-gauge polythene, lockable skip; notifiable non-licensed work if it breaks up; AC roofs always fragile; overlay question	HSE, A14 Removing asbestos cement sheets	2 Nov 2026
Most work on asbestos cement can be carried out without a licence; sheets not to be broken up; licensed disposal site	HSE, Asbestos FAQs	2 Nov 2026
Producers and holders: check carriers are registered and sites permitted; consignment note copies; register kept 3 years	GOV.UK, Hazardous waste: producers and holders	2 Nov 2026
Carriers: follow the steps; copies stay with the waste; register kept for one year; take waste to the authorised site on the note	GOV.UK, Hazardous waste: carriers	2 Nov 2026

This is general information, not legal advice. HSE guidance says following it is not compulsory unless stated, but doing so will normally be enough to comply with the law; the regulator for your nation can confirm the rules for your job.