Disposal information
Residential customers may bring limited amounts of asbestos-containing materials to a Metro household hazardous waste facility. These materials cannot be delivered to a Metro transfer station.
Asbestos information for Metro customers
Common hazardous ingredients
Asbestos is the generic name for a group of naturally occurring minerals.
Potential hazards
Products and building materials containing asbestos can release small, invisible mineral fibers into the air when drilled, sawed, damaged, scraped, sanded or shattered. Breathing in asbestos fibers can cause asbestos-related diseases and cancer.
Until the late 1970s, many types of commercial and home building products contained asbestos, and these products were often not labeled. Some flooring contained asbestos through the mid-1980s.
Some common products that contained asbestos include:
- steam pipes, boilers and furnace ducts insulated with asbestos wrapping, block and paper tape
- resilient floor tiles (vinyl asbestos and asphalt) and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring
- cement sheet, millboard and paper used as insulation or a heat barrier around furnaces and wood burning stoves
- cement roofing shingles and siding
- decorative material sprayed on ceilings (common name “popcorn”)
- patching, leveling and joint compounds for walls, ceilings and floors • older household products such as hot pads, old ironing board covers and some old hairdryers
- automobile brake pads and linings, clutch facings and gaskets.
Maintenance
Minimize your exposure to toxic asbestos fibers. Locate all asbestos-containing materials by having your home or business surveyed professionally. If the material is in good condition, leave it alone. If the material is damaged or you are planning to make changes that may disturb the asbestos-containing material (such as remodeling), contact the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
Disposal
Best: Special authorization is given to landfills that handle asbestos waste. Two landfills close to the Portland area, Hillsboro Landfill and Wasco County Landfill, are permitted to accept asbestos waste by appointment only. Please call a landfill in advance of your delivery for details, hours of operation and pricing.
Metro’s hazardous waste facilities can accept small amounts (two 25-pound, double-bagged and sealed 6 mil bags) of asbestos-contaminated waste from non-commercial customers only. For information about proper packaging and labeling of asbestos waste, ask Metro at 503-234-3000 or consult DEQ.
Second best: Outside the Portland metropolitan area and northwest region of Oregon you may hold small properly packaged and labeled amounts of asbestos containing materials for a DEQ household hazardous waste collection event.