Who is responsible for removing building rubbish?

Waste is one of the largest silent variables in a renovation quote. A bathroom strip-out produces several cubic metres of dense rubble, and the difference between a quote that includes removal and one that does not is substantial.

Settle it in the quote

• Whether removal and disposal are included, or whether the contractor will stack it on site.
• Who provides the skip, where it goes, and whether a council permit is needed for a skip on the street.
• How regulated waste is handled, which is a separate question from general waste.
• Whether the site will be left clean, and to what standard.

The regulated categories

• Asbestos, which can only go to a facility licensed to receive it, double wrapped and labelled, with regulated transport.
• Treated timber, which cannot be burnt and in many areas cannot go to general landfill.
• Paint, solvents and adhesives, which are hazardous waste.
• Concrete washout and slurry, which must not enter stormwater.

Why the owner cares

Environment agencies pursue illegal dumping, and liability can attach to the person who generated the waste as well as the person who tipped it. If a contractor takes your asbestos away for a suspiciously low price, the question of where it went can come back to your address.