Request for information on recycling asbestos at recycling centres

Further to our email acknowledging your environment information request (reference 2025-246), our response is as follows: 

1. How long the asbestos container has been in place at the site; 

The asbestos container has been in place since 2004.  This was included from day one of the Hornsey Street Recycling and Reuse Centre (RRC) opening. 

As part of the service offering at RRC’s the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) requested one of the seven borough sites managed by LondonEnergy Ltd (LEL) to provide the facility to accept asbestos.  The Hornsey Street RRC was selected as it was a new site and therefore able to incorporate asbestos management into the design for the site. Hornsey Street was also designed as an enclosed site allowing for the asbestos containment to be protected from the elements and providing an additional control to prevent unauthorised access.

2. What measures have been adopted to secure the safety of both workers at and visitors to the site? 

The following key controls are in place at Hornsey Street to provide protection from asbestos exposure to employees and visitors to the site:

Asbestos containment:

• The asbestos container is in an area out of the normal flow of operations.  It is of steel construction which provides robust protection should the container be accidentally knocked or impacted in any way. The container is sealed and locked with appropriate asbestos warning signage in place.

Asbestos booking system:

• Any resident wishing to bring asbestos to site must have a pre-arranged appointment.
• As part of the appointment process the resident is advised by LondonEnergy Ltd. staff how the asbestos must be wrapped and presented.  The resident is then provided a date and time to attend site to dispose of their asbestos.
• Residents are not allowed on site to dispose of asbestos without an appointment.    Staff will advise any such resident of the booking process
• The appointment process also allows LondonEnergy Ltd. to ensure there is sufficient space available in the container to receive the asbestos.

Asbestos handling:

• Employees responsible for the collection and management of asbestos are Category B asbestos trained. This training prepares individuals who carry out non-licensed and notifiable non-licensed work to do so safely if they must work with or disturb asbestos. The training includes control measures for minimising risks, safe work methods, understanding risk assessments, personal protective equipment, waste handling, and emergency procedures. Persons requiring this type of training would include those whose work will knowingly disturb asbestos containing materials (ACMs), such as plumbers, carpenters, electricians, maintenance and demolition workers.  As such this training is of a much higher standard than required for employees whose only potential exposure is accepting pre-bagged asbestos from the public.
• PPE required for handling asbestos is kept in a dedicated locker next to the asbestos container
• No LondonEnergy Ltd. employee should touch the asbestos. Handling is limited to opening the container and asking the resident to carefully place their double-bagged asbestos material into the container.

Asbestos container removal:

• The site keeps a list of where the asbestos originated from, the date, time, vehicle registration and from which borough the resident originated from.
• Collections of the asbestos container occur approximately every two months. An approved asbestos handling contractor is used for collection of the container and forward disposal at an approved facility. Each load has a consignment note which allows for tracking of the removed asbestos container.

3. The risk assessment that was done before the decision to place the asbestos container there?

We do not currently hold a copy of risk assessment records from 2003 carried out prior to commencement of operations. We have provided the current risk assessment measures taken to mitigate any related dangers to exposure of asbestos as seen above in response 2, detailing the handling of asbestos by LondonEnergy Ltd. who manages the site.

4. Any objections raised to the decision and what they were?

We do not hold any information in this regard.

5. Whether the HSE was informed about the decision to collect asbestos waste at the site?

• LondonEnergy Ltd. who manages the site on behalf of NLWA complies with the HSE Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Approved Code of Practice and guidance.  There is no regulatory requirement to inform the HSE of the asbestos bin services provided at Hornsey Street RRC as no licensable or non-licensable asbestos works are undertaken.