Asbestos waste

Learn about asbestos waste, the law and its impact on your health.

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Asbestos is a group of natural minerals found in rock. It was mined in Australia until 1983.

There are broadly 2 types of asbestos:

  • friable asbestos
  • non-friable asbestos, or bonded asbestos.

Friable asbestos is generally loose, and when dry can crumble under light pressure. It's more dangerous, because the fibres are not bound and can become airborne and breathed in.

Non-friable asbestos products are made from a bonding compound mixed with a small proportion of asbestos. Non-friable asbestos products include fibre cement sheets or pipes, commonly called fibro, asbestos cement or AC sheeting.

Non-friable asbestos products cannot be crumbled or crushed with hand pressure. Although when damaged or badly weathered, non-friable asbestos may become friable.

Where you might find asbestos

Houses built before 1990 are likely to have some asbestos present. Asbestos cement was commonly used in residential buildings from the 1940s to the 1980s. Asbestos was also used widely in industrial and commercial applications from the late 1800s.

Parts of buildings, cars and other products can contain asbestos, including:

  • brake pads in vehicles
  • electrical parts
  • fibre cement sheeting and piping
  • fire doors
  • roofing tiles
  • vinyl floor tiles.

For more information about materials that contain asbestos, go to Asbestos in Victoria(opens in a new window).

Land might be contaminated by asbestos waste. This could be from:

  • previous onsite demolition
  • imported fill that was contaminated with asbestos.

Learn more about contaminated land and groundwater.

Asbestos waste can be present in floodwater and is a hazard when cleaning up after flood. Learn more about managing waste after a flood.

Asbestos waste is also a hazard when cleaning up after fire. To learn more, visit After a fire: asbestos hazards.

Asbestos and the law

We regulate the management of asbestos waste from business and industry. This includes:

  • transporting asbestos waste
  • storing asbestos waste
  • disposal of waste
  • treating soil containing asbestos waste
  • management of contaminated land.

The general environmental duty applies to managing asbestos waste at all times.

Asbestos waste is pre-classified as reportable priority waste under Schedule 5 of the Environment Protection Regulations 2021.

The duties that apply to managing, depositing and transporting reportable priority waste are:

You must also get a permission to conduct certain activities involving asbestos waste from industrial sources. Permissions have conditions that must be met. The relevant permissions are:

Duties that may apply where asbestos has contaminated land or groundwater are:

Asbestos waste crime

Some individuals and businesses dump asbestos waste and material contaminated with asbestos. Illegal dumping and mis-classifying waste are serious crimes that put people and our environment at risk.

Offenders can appear to be legitimate waste transport businesses. It is your responsibility to ensure that waste is transported and deposited at a lawful place. Always ask for a Waste Tracker record when hiring a business to remove asbestos waste. This record can help protect you if the waste is not disposed of lawfully.

If you see or suspect dumping, report it.

Read Manage asbestos waste for more information on lawful disposal.

Read Report illegal waste dumping for information on how to make a report and what happens after.

The asbestos compliance strategy

We’re coordinating with regulators and others to reduce risks from asbestos.

The asbestos compliance strategy involves:

  • building awareness and accountability
  • improving pathways to lawful disposal sites
  • working together to enforce the law.

Download the Reducing illegal dumping of asbestos compliance strategy flyer for more details.

Reducing illegal dumping of asbestos compliance strategy
PDF 302.68 KB
(opens in a new window)

Asbestos and your health

Asbestos cement materials in good condition are considered a very low risk. This is because the asbestos fibres are bound together.

Asbestos only poses a risk to your health when you breathe in the fibres as dust. Asbestos materials that are damaged or crumbling or that have been cut, drilled or sawed can release fibres into the air.

If you breathe in asbestos dust, the fibres can get stuck in your lungs. Cancer and other serious lung conditions can develop many years after exposure.

Over time, breathing in microscopic asbestos fibres may cause:

  • lung inflammation
  • lung scarring
  • lung conditions
  • lung cancer
  • mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.

The development of asbestos-related disease depends on many factors – for example:

  • the level and duration of your exposure to asbestos dust
  • length of time since the first exposure
  • the type of asbestos fibre
  • whether you were also exposed to tobacco smoke and other carcinogens.

For more information about the health risks of asbestos and how to protect your health when handling asbestos, visit:

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