Hazardous waste must not be included with your domestic waste. You may be able to take small quantities of potentially hazardous household products to recycling centres such as engine oil, pesticides, and paint thinners.
Please note: Unidentified chemicals, petrol and diesel are not accepted at any of the recycling centres.
Asbestos
You can dispose of asbestos at Kirkless recycling centre on Saturday mornings only between 9am and 12 noon. An appointment must be arranged beforehand by calling 01942 825755.
If you are transporting your waste in a van shaped vehicle, campervan, minibus, or pickup vehicle, you will need to obtain a free waste permit.
Permits will be delivered direct to your mobile or computer device within 2 hours.
Asbestos is extremely harmful to health and disposing of it is at your own risk.
- Always wear a mask and gloves when handling asbestos
- Avoid breaking-up the sheets and ensure that they are damped down with water
- You must double wrap asbestos in thick, durable plastic sheeting (such as builder’s rubble bags) and seal the bags well before bringing it to site, ensuring there are no holes or rips
- No physical assistance is provided
- The material must be in manageable pieces, so it can be lifted into the container. The opening to the asbestos container is 1m x 1m therefore the packages will need to fit into the opening
- DO NOT leave your asbestos on the floor near the container. It is your responsibility to place the asbestos in the container
- If the quantity exceeds 15 packages (within reason) you will be required to have a home visit by a Wigan Council representative to find out the origin of the material. Please email recycling@wigan.gov.uk to arrange this if needed.
Alternatively, you may want to use a licensed waste company to dispose of the asbestos for you.
Pesticides
To dispose of old pesticides, you must firstly visit the Pesticides Safety website (external link) to check if they are legal for use and, if not, take them to the Kirkless recycling centre.
Pesticides are only accepted from a domestic household. Trade waste is not permitted at any of the recycling centres, this includes waste from traders, landlords or property developers.
Gas cylinders
Household LPG and inert gas cylinders will be accepted at the waste and recycling centres.
Oxygen and compressed air cylinders will only be accepted at the Kirkless recycling centre.