Using Skip Bins for Stone Benchtop Disposal

What is the best way of disposing of Stone Bench Tops?

Stone Bench Tops are very fashionable. You only have to do a quick search for “Stone Bench Tops” and you will see by the volume of search results that this is a very hot topic. Probably made popular by all of the media's focus on property, renovations and home and garden TV shows, Stone Bench Tops are a hot topic. Maybe not quite as hot will the the question of what do you do when you want to get rid of an unwanted Stone Bench Tops because it doesn't fit in with the new colour scheme of style of a new kitchen or make-over. 

What sort of Waste  is a Stone Bench Top?

Natural stone bench tops are usually made of marble or granite (or more recently Purcellian) which are heavy materials, comparatively. For example:-

• Granite is between 2.65 and 2.75 tonne/m³
• Marble has a density ranging from 2.55 to 2.75 tonne/m³
• Porcelain 2.3 to 2.4 tonne/m³
• Concrete 1.75 to2.4 tonne/m³

 Light general waste is considered to be about 0.150 tonne/m³, so these stone benchtops weigh a lot more that that, maybe two or three times heavier, so this means that these materials will be considered heavy general waste.

What size bin will I need for the disposal of my Stone Bench Top?

Another very good question and the answer depends on how you extract the bench tops and handle them. Bench tops can range in size from a couple of metres long to 3 or 4 times that length. As the stone bench tops are solid, if you remove that in one piece and want to put them in a bin in that form you might need quite a large bin to fir the benchtop in (unless you can find long narrow hook lift bins). The volume of material in a bench top is often a relatively small volume at the bench tops are relatively thin, maybe only 20 to 30 millimetres thick.  So for a bench top that is 4 metres long and 700mm wide the solid volume is only 0.084 cubic metres (not even a tenth of a cubic metre). The bottom-line to this question is that if you break up your stone bench top then you can fit the remains in a small skip (like a 2 or 3 cubic metre) bin but if you leave it in one piece. You will need a bigger bin if the bench top is left in one piece usually something like a 4 or 6m bin (or a 3 or 4.5 m hook bin). So this is probably a vote for giving your unwanted bench top a treatment with a hammer.

Can Stone Bench Tops be placed in light waste skip bins?

Hmmm that is an interesting question and the answer depends on two factors.  There are two ways general light waste skip are defined really. By this I refer to the description of the waste that can be placed and the other is whether there is an amount of tipping included in the price of the bin. If there is no specified amount of tipping included in the price of the bin then the depot is relying on the description of the acceptable wastes that can be put in the bin. If you waste does not match that description then the depot will seek to be paid based on  what was actually placed in the bin which would mean the bin would be charged as a heavy waste bin. Where there is an amount of tipping included in the price of the bin then the depot will usually just charge for the extra tipping to pay for the landfill charges they have incurred. So finding a skip bin with an included amount of tipping can be a more cost effective strategy for the disposal of a stone bench-top as you are only paying for the actual weight of the material placed in the bin. 

Is it OK to use Skip Bins for the Disposal of Stone Bench Tops

Why yes it is OK to use skip bins for the disposal of natural stone bench tops, that is as long as they are real stone. This is not always the case with engineered or manufactured stone products. The engineered or manufactured stone products have caught the spot-light because of the health issues associated with their manufacture and fitting as a result of the silica dust that is created and has been breathed in by tradespeople causing lung diseases. Safework Australia says:

"Available evidence suggests engineered stone products do not pose a safety risk after installation in your home or workplace, as long as they are not processed (eg, cut or polished) with electric tools. Health and safety risks may arise if silica dust is generated during the removal, repair, minor modification or disposal of legacy engineered stone.

It is important that you don’t undertake DIY work with engineered stone. You should contact a qualified tradesperson if you require repairs, minor modification, removal or disposal of legacy engineered stone already in place in your house or workplace, such as benchtops or splashbacks. The tradesperson must use control measures to minimise the generation of dust and must wear respiratory protection."