Adam Fox.
25 years after asbestos was banned in the UK, we are still digging a hole literally and metaphorically. Compliance expert Adam Fox has his say.
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EVERY DAY, across the country, asbestos waste is double-bagged, labelled, loaded into skips and driven to landfill, where it will sit indefinitely, taking up valuable space, creating ongoing liability and adding to our already bloated environmental burden. Yet 2025 presents a different path. A smarter one. One that replaces disposal with repurposing and turns a dangerous waste product into a useful, circular resource.
The technology exists. So the question we should be asking is not “Can we recycle asbestos?”
It is “Why the hell aren’t we doing it already?”
Let’s start with the basics. More than 1.5 million buildings in the UK still contain asbestos, most of them now approaching the end of their useful life. As these structures age or undergo refurbishment, the volume of asbestos waste is only going to increase.
Right now, we handle that waste the same way we did decades ago:
- Identify it;
- Remove it (usually under fully controlled conditions);
- Seal it in heavy-duty plastic;
- Drive it to landfill;
- Bury it;
- Forget about it.
Except we don’t forget, do we? Because landfill space is running out. Disposal costs are going up. And the environmental cost? We are only just starting to count it.
Most duty holders do not realise that we no longer have to bury asbestos. Thanks to recent advances in thermal treatment technology, we now have a method that can safely denature asbestos, breaking down its fibrous structure and rendering it harmless.
Companies like Thermal Recycling in the UK are already proving this is not science fiction. They use high temperatures to transform asbestos cement products such as corrugated roofing sheets into an inert, completely safe ceramic material.
But here is the best bit: That material is not just neutral. It is useful. It can be crushed and graded into aggregate, which can be used in road construction, paving and concrete mixes.
Instead of creating a waste burden for the next generation, we are creating a valuable, low-carbon building material.
The production of virgin aggregates through mining and quarrying is energy-intensive and environmentally damaging. It contributes significantly to carbon dioxide emissions and destroys natural landscapes.
So by replacing some of that demand with recycled aggregate from denatured asbestos, we:
- Cut carbon emissions.
- Reduce dependence on extraction.
- Shrink the environmental footprint of infrastructure projects.
- Extend the life of quarries and reduce waste tonnage.
That is not just a win for waste management. That is a win for the entire construction supply chain. And yet most people in the industry do not even know it’s possible.
As someone who has worked in asbestos compliance for over 20 years and who now helps business leaders manage risk more intelligently, I have seen the same patterns play out time and time again:
“We’ll just do what we’ve always done.”
“This project’s tight on budget—landfill’s cheaper, right?”
“We’re just following the usual route—it’s less risky.”
Let’s be honest. That mindset is outdated, short-sighted and lazy.
Cost may always be a factor but the belief that landfill is “cheaper” needs to be challenged once you factor in long-term environmental costs, reputational risks, rising disposal fees and the public pressure for sustainable practices
Thermal recycling is already starting to make sense. Especially when the output is something usable, not something buried.
This is not just about clients or duty holders. Licensed Asbestos Removal Contractors have a moral obligation too. And I say that not from a place of opinion but from first-hand experience, day in and day out for over two decades.
Too often, LARCs put profits over progress. They default to landfill because it is faster, easier to price up and keeps their margins clean. They know the alternatives exist but they do not explore them, let alone offer them to their clients.
When you hold a licence from the HSE, you are not just a business… you are a guardian of public health. That comes with responsibility. Choosing the most sustainable, forward-thinking disposal route should be part of that. Especially when the technology is available, proven and legal.
It is time for the industry to stop hiding behind what is convenient and start leading from the front.
Whether you are a local authority managing public buildings, a developer under pressure to go green, a commercia landlord looking to reduce liability or a licensed contractor with influence over disposal routes, you have a responsibility to look beyond the cheapest or fastest option.
If there is a proven, safe and more sustainable way to manage asbestos, you have a duty to understand it before choosing to ignore it.
Because – let’s be honest – “We didn’t know” is not going to wash when the public starts asking why we are still filling landfill sites with a problem we already have the technology to eliminate.
No one is asking you to overhaul your entire waste strategy overnight. But you can – and should – start asking better questions:
- Is landfill our only option here?
- Could this waste stream be recycled instead of buried?
- What suppliers, contractors, or experts do we know who can help us explore this?
You do not have to be a global pioneer. But if you are in a position of responsibility, you should at least be aware that the old way is not the only way any more.
Asbestos will be with us for decades to come. That is a fact.
But how we handle it and whether we choose to keep repeating the past or do something smarter is up to us.
Thermal recycling and other denaturing technologies offer a rare opportunity to do something that actually moves the industry forward. Not just ticking the compliance box. Not just burying the problem. But solving it—turning it into something useful in the process.
If you are involved in asbestos management in even the slightest way, ask yourself this: Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution?
Adam Fox is a director of Consulo Compliance.
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