UNECE: M356 - carriage of waste contaminated with free asbestos

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has published a document on the carriage of waste contaminated with free asbestos (UN Nos. 2212 and 2590).

This Multilateral Agreement M356 under section 1.5.1 of ADR was published on 9 April 2024.

(1) By derogation from the provisions of Table A of chapter 3.2, waste consisting of objects and materials contaminated with free asbestos (UN Nos. 2212 and 2590), which is not fixed or immersed in a binder in such a way that no emission of hazardous quantities of respirable asbestos can occur, may be carried in bulk under provisions VC1 and VC2 of 7.3.3.1 of ADR, provided the following provisions are complied with:

General provisions

(2) The waste is carried only from the site where it is generated to a final disposal facility. Between these two types of sites, only intermediate storage operations, without unloading or transferring the container-bag (see paragraphs (8) and (9)), are authorized.

(3) The waste belongs to one of these categories:
(i) Solid waste from roadworks, including asphalt milling waste contaminated with free asbestos and its sweeping residues;
(ii) Soil contaminated with free asbestos;
(iii) Objects (for example, furniture) contaminated with free asbestos from damaged structures or buildings;
(iv) Materials from damaged structures or buildings contaminated with free asbestos which, because of their volume or mass, cannot be packed in accordance with the packing instruction applicable to the UN number used (UN No. 2212 or 2590, as appropriate); or
(v) Construction site waste contaminated with free asbestos from demolished or rehabilitated structures or buildings which, because of their size or mass, cannot be packed in accordance with the packing instruction applicable to the UN number used (UN No. 2212 or 2590, as appropriate).

(4) Waste covered by these provisions shall not be mixed or loaded with other asbestos-containing waste or any other hazardous or non-hazardous waste.

(5) Each shipment shall be considered a full load as defined in 1.2.1.

Provisions concerning carriage in bulk

(6) The waste may be carried in bulk provided that it is contained in a bag of the size of the load compartment, referred to as a "container-bag".

(7) The container-bag is intended to be loaded only when placed inside a bulk load compartment with rigid walls. It is not intended for handling or to be used alone outside of this compartment.

(8) For the purposes of this multilateral agreement, container-bags shall have at least two components.
The inner component shall be dust-tight to prevent the release of dangerous quantities of asbestos fibres during carriage. The inner component shall be a polyethylene or polypropylene film.
The outer component shall be polypropylene and shall be fitted with a zipper system. It shall ensure the mechanical resistance of a container-bag loaded with waste to the shocks and stresses in normal conditions of carriage, in particular when a load compartment loaded with container-bags is transferred between vehicles and storage facilities.

(9) Container-bags shall:
(a) Be designed to resist perforation or tearing by contaminated waste or objects due to their angles or roughness;
(b) Have a zipper system that is sufficiently tight to prevent the release of dangerous quantities of asbestos fibres during carriage. Laced or flapped fasteners are not authorized.

(10) The load compartment shall have rigid metal walls of sufficient strength for its intended use. The walls shall be sufficiently high to completely contain the container-bag. Provided the container-bag offers similar protection, the sheeting of the vehicle can be omitted when using the VC1 provision.

(11) Objects contaminated with free asbestos from damaged structures or buildings, as well as construction site waste contaminated with free asbestos from demolished or rehabilitated structures or buildings as mentioned in paragraph (3) (iii), (iv) and (v) above, shall be carried in a container-bag placed inside a second container-bag of the same type. The total mass of the contained waste shall not exceed 7 tons.

(12) In all cases, the maximum mass of the waste shall not exceed the capacity specified by the container-bag manufacturer.

Provisions concerning loading, unloading and handling

(13) The load compartments shall have no sharp internal edges (internal steps, etc.) capable of tearing container-bags during unloading. They shall be inspected before any loading operation.

(14) The container-bags shall be placed in the load compartments for carriage prior to any filling. The outer component of the container-bags shall be positioned so that the slider of the zipper is placed on the front side of the load compartment when closed. After filling, the container-bags shall be closed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

(15) Once loaded, the container-bags shall not be lifted or transferred from one load compartment to another. Multiple filled container-bags shall not be loaded into the same load compartment.

(16) After any filling operation and after closing, the outer surfaces of the container-bags shall be decontaminated.

(17) Container-bags carried in removable load compartments shall be unloaded with the latter placed on the ground.

(18) The unloading of container-bags filled with roadworks waste or with soil contaminated with free asbestos by tipping the load compartment is authorized, provided that an unloading protocol agreed jointly between the carrier and the consignee is respected to prevent the container-bags from tearing during unloading. The protocol shall ensure that the container-bags do not fall or tear during the unloading operation.

Transport document

(19) The transport document shall be marked "Carriage under multilateral agreement M356".

(20) The description of wastes carried in accordance with paragraph (3) above shall be added to the description of dangerous goods required in 5.4.1.1.1 (a) to (d) and (k).

(21) The transport document shall also be accompanied by the following documents:
(a) A copy of the technical data sheet for the type of container-bag used, on the manufacturer’s or distributor’s letterhead, giving the dimensions of the packaging and its maximum mass;
(b) A copy of the unloading procedure in accordance with paragraph (18) above, if applicable.

Validity of the multilateral agreement

(22) This agreement shall be valid until 31 December 2024 for carriage on the territories of the ADR Contracting Parties signatory to this Agreement. If it is revoked before that date by one of the signatories, it shall remain valid until the above-mentioned date only for carriage on the territories of those ADR Contracting Parties signatory to this Agreement which have not revoked it.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):