- Asbestos removal
- Pipes, ceilings and cladding
Asbestos removal for pipes, ceilings, cladding and more
Asbestos is not only on roofs: old pipes, ceiling boards, wall cladding, gutters, water tanks and floor tiles can all contain it, and removing them is regulated work. Removing asbestos cement, whether pipes, roof sheets, ceiling boards, cladding, gutters or tanks, is Type 2 work; removing other asbestos materials such as lagging, sprayed ceilings or floor tiles is Type 3. Both need a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour, seven days’ notice, a licensed landfill and a clearance certificate. We take on all of these jobs across South Africa. For roofs, start with asbestos removal and roof replacement, which has the prices and the quote tool.
Something other than a roof? Send the address and a photo on WhatsApp, and say what needs to go. You get one fixed, compliant quote.
How do you get rid of asbestos?
You have a registered asbestos contractor remove it and take it to a licensed landfill; you don’t break it up, bag it or dump it yourself. Removing asbestos cement is Type 2 work: the contractor gives the Department seven days’ notice, wets and removes the material whole, wraps it, and takes it to a site licensed for asbestos. You keep two papers at the end: the clearance certificate from the approved inspection authority and the disposal document from the landfill.
Where the waste can go depends on the province: where to dispose of asbestos lists the licensed landfills. Small pieces left over from an old job still count as asbestos waste, so they go the same way. For a roof, start with asbestos removal and roof replacement.
Which jobs need a registered asbestos contractor?
The Asbestos Abatement Regulations, 2020 sort asbestos work into three types. Type 1 is painting asbestos cement without surface preparation, or removing less than 10 m² of asbestos-cement products (including gutters and piping) or asbestos insulating board, not repeated on the same site within six months. It needs no registration, but it still needs seven days’ written notice to the Department of Employment and Labour.
Type 2 is removing asbestos-cement products or asbestos insulating board, or repairing or sealing asbestos cement without surface preparation. Type 3 is removing, repairing or sealing any other asbestos and asbestos-containing material. Types 2 and 3 need a contractor registered with the Department for that type, and a contractor may only do the type it is registered for (regulation 12).
What every job includes
Whatever the material, a compliant job runs the same way: seven days’ written notice to the Department, a written plan of work you co-sign, an approved inspection authority appointed in writing, wet removal with no power tools that cut or grind, sealed and labelled waste, a licensed landfill with a disposal document, and a clearance certificate at the end.
Not sure whether something contains asbestos? Material installed before the 2008 ban often does, but only a laboratory test confirms it. See asbestos testing and inspection.
Asbestos removal by material
We take on all of these across South Africa, through the same compliant process.
| What needs to go | Work type |
|---|---|
| Asbestos roofsCorrugated or Big Six asbestos-cement sheeting, ridges and flashings, lowered whole after wetting. The most common job, usually done together with a new roof. | Type 2 Quote on WhatsApp |
| Asbestos-cement pipesOld water, sewer and stormwater pipes, and pipe off-cuts left after a replacement. Johannesburg Water’s July 2026 request for quotes for pipe off-cuts required a Type 2 registered contractor. More on asbestos cement pipes. | Type 2 Quote on WhatsApp |
| Ceiling boardsFlat asbestos-cement ceiling boards are Type 2 work. A sprayed or popcorn ceiling that tests positive is friable and Type 3. | Type 2 or 3 Quote on WhatsApp |
| Walls and claddingAsbestos-cement wall panels, side cladding on factories, eaves and fascia boards. | Type 2 Quote on WhatsApp |
| Gutters and downpipesAsbestos-cement gutters, downpipes and ridge capping. Often missed on a roof-only quote. | Type 2 Quote on WhatsApp |
| Water tanksOld asbestos-cement water tanks on roofs, stands or in ceilings. | Type 2 Quote on WhatsApp |
| Floor tiles and adhesiveOlder vinyl floor tiles and their black adhesive can contain asbestos. They are not asbestos cement, so removal is Type 3 work once a test confirms it. | Type 3 Quote on WhatsApp |
| Lagging and insulationPipe and boiler lagging, sprayed insulation and other friable asbestos. The highest-risk material. | Type 3 Quote on WhatsApp |
Work types from regulation 1 of the Asbestos Abatement Regulations, 2020. Johannesburg Water’s July 2026 request for quotations (RFQJW75SC26) for removing asbestos pipe off-cuts to a licensed landfill specifies a Type 2 registered contractor.
Asbestos roof removal
Most jobs are roofs, and the roof has its own pages: how asbestos roof removal works, step by step, and what it costs, from R150 to R250 per m² to strip and dispose in Gauteng. Outside Gauteng, transport to the nearest licensed landfill is quoted after the site visit. If the ceiling, gutters or a water tank are asbestos too, they go in the same job, under one plan of work and one clearance.
Pipes, walls, ceilings and the rest
Pipes, cladding, ceilings, gutters, tanks and tiles don’t have a published per-metre or per-m² rate we can stand behind, so they are priced after a site visit. What drives the price is the amount of material, the work type, access, and the distance to the nearest licensed landfill.
Two rules to know before anyone starts: broken or cracked asbestos material should be left alone, with people kept away from it, and the person the work is done for, the asbestos client, signs the seven-day notification and co-signs the plan of work. Not sure what you have? See the full list of asbestos-containing materials, or read more on asbestos ceiling boards and the national register of asbestos contractors.
Questions people ask
Do I need a registered contractor to remove asbestos?
For anything from 10 m² of asbestos cement upwards, yes. Removing asbestos-cement products or asbestos insulating board is Type 2 work, and removing any other asbestos-containing material is Type 3; both need a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour for that type.
Can asbestos pipes be removed?
Yes. Asbestos-cement water and sewer pipes are asbestos-cement products, so removing them is Type 2 work for a registered contractor, with the waste going to a licensed landfill.
Is removing asbestos floor tiles Type 2 or Type 3?
Vinyl floor tiles and adhesive are not asbestos cement, so if a test confirms asbestos, removing them is Type 3 work under the 2020 regulations.
Do you do asbestos removal outside Gauteng?
Yes, anywhere in South Africa. Outside Gauteng, transport to the nearest licensed landfill is quoted after the site visit. Every province, and the landfill each one uses, is on areas we cover.
Asbestos removal in South Africa covers roofs, pipes, ceilings, cladding, gutters, tanks, floor tiles and lagging. Removing asbestos cement or asbestos insulating board is Type 2 work and other asbestos materials are Type 3; anything from 10 m² upwards needs a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour, seven days’ notice, a licensed landfill and a clearance certificate. Roofs in Gauteng cost R150 to R250 per m² to strip and dispose; other materials, and transport outside Gauteng, are priced after a site visit.
Get a compliant quote
Send the address on WhatsApp, or see your roof from above and get a quote on screen. The final price is confirmed on a site visit.