You just renovated your house and have no idea what to do with your drywall. If that sounds like you then we can help.
WorkSafeBC states that until 1990, the tape and joint compound, or mud, which was used to seal the seams and fill gaps between drywall boards, may have contained asbestos. Since the mud is feathered to cover large areas with a smooth finish, the entire piece of drywall should be treated as containing asbestos.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral found in trace amounts throughout the world. Asbestos fibres are microscopic in nature which makes them difficult to detect with the naked eye. It has also been classified as a human carcinogen, a substance that causes cancer. Asbestos was a popular building material between 1950 and 1990 since it is fire retardant, extremely durable and resistant to chemical erosion. These properties made it a material of choice in products such as roofing shingles, floor tiles, ceiling materials, cement products, and of course drywall.
CBC News reports that in December of 2015, local landfills saw changes to their policies surrounding drywall. The landfills were having issues protecting their workers from asbestos. WorkSafeBC is therefore increasing regulations regarding the disposal of drywall containing asbestos. These new procedures will not allow homeowners and contractors to dispose of drywall at that site unless they can guarantee that it is free of asbestos.
If you are unsure if your drywall contains asbestos then we recommend having it tested by a certified independent laboratory. Some of these laboratories include:
ACM Environmental, Vancouver
Astech Consultants Ltd., Cloverdale
Pinchin West Ltd., Richmond
Sure Hazmat, Burnaby
As a result of one of the landfills being temporarily shut down to address the problem there was an increase in fly-tipping which is the illegal dumping of wallboard (drywall) on municipal land and parks. Global News notes that "when the fly-tipped [drywall] tests positive for asbestos, it goes beyond environmental degradation." We ask that anyone with drywall waste, with or without asbestos, contact us. Keep the environment safe and be mindful of others. Fly-tipping should never be an option.
Our drywall disposal process is very straightforward. We have three main steps:
Schedule an appointment
The waste gets brought to our facility
We dispose of it at the appropriate landfill
To book an appointment with us, you can fill out our contact form online, send us an email to trucking@pelsurrey.com or give us a call at 604.594.0224. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have about the process.
Next, the waste needs to be brought to our facility. This can happen one of two ways. You can contact us to have one of our certified professionals come pick up the waste or you can bring the waste to our facility located in Surrey. To bring the waste to our facility the drywall must be double bagged in 6-mil asbestos labelled bags. These bags are unfortunately not located at hardware stores so we can provide them for a fee.
Lastly, the waste will be transported out of the province by our company.
Our removal process is simple and we are here to help you every step of the way. If you have renovated already or plan on renovating this spring and come across drywall that you need to dispose of then do not hesitate to contact us.
Note: If you are not a homeowner, you are not insured to transport asbestos waste. Schedule an appointment with us to come pick the waste. For more than one pickup, it may be beneficial for you to set up an account with us.