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Asbestos Disposal in Flagstaff: Cinder Lake Landfill Rules

By Flagstaff Asbestos Testing ·

Most Flagstaff remodels end the same way: a trailer or a dumpster headed to the Cinder Lake Landfill. If any of that debris contains asbestos, the trip works differently. The City of Flagstaff accepts some asbestos waste at Cinder Lake, but only one kind, only with approval in advance, and only when it is packaged a specific way. The other kind is not accepted there at all.

This guide walks through what the city's published instructions say, how the friable and non-friable split works, and why a lab result is the first thing you need before anything leaves the property. It is general information, not regulatory advice. Confirm current requirements with the landfill and with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) before you haul anything.

Friable or non-friable: the question that decides where it goes

The city's Where to Take Waste chart is blunt about it. Friable asbestos is not accepted at the Cinder Lake Landfill. Non-friable asbestos is accepted there with prior approval.

The landfill's instructions define friable asbestos-containing material as any material with more than 1 percent asbestos, as determined by polarized light microscopy, that when dry can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure. Non-friable material has a binder, such as a mastic, that holds the fibers in a solid matrix so they do not release easily unless the material is mishandled, damaged, or badly worn.

In practice, that sorts common Flagstaff materials roughly like this:

  • Often non-friable when intact: vinyl floor tile and its black mastic, asphalt roofing, and cement "transite" siding or flue pipe.
  • Often friable: spray-applied popcorn texture, many old pipe and boiler insulations, and some plasters.

That list is a starting point, not a determination. The landfill's instructions say that when sampling is required, the inspector who takes the samples determines the friability of each material before sending it to the lab. Condition matters too. Under the federal asbestos NESHAP definitions in 40 CFR 61.141, non-friable material that has been sanded, ground, cut, or abraded, or that is likely to crumble during demolition, can be treated as regulated asbestos-containing material. A floor tile that pops up whole and a floor tile that has been ground off with a power tool are not the same waste.

Testing comes before the trip

You cannot tell friable from non-friable, or asbestos from no asbestos, by looking. The city's instructions point people who need testing to a local asbestos inspector, and they tie testing to ADEQ's rules: demolitions and renovations that meet ADEQ's definitions must provide all testing results to the Cinder Lake Landfill Project Manager, who reviews the application and the results and decides whether the non-friable material can be accepted.

The instructions also note that anyone doing a demolition or renovation must follow ADEQ Air Quality Division requirements before starting work. ADEQ administers the asbestos NESHAP for Coconino County, and its program expects an inspection by an AHERA-certified building inspector before regulated renovation or demolition. Our pre-renovation and demolition survey page covers who is regulated, the notification timeline, and the single-family exemption.

That exemption trips people up. A residential building with four or fewer dwelling units is generally not a regulated facility under the federal asbestos NESHAP, unless it is part of a larger project or installation, but the landfill's own acceptance process still applies to asbestos waste no matter what kind of building it came from.

How non-friable disposal works at Cinder Lake

The city's instructions lay out the process in order:

  1. Apply first. Complete the Non-Friable Asbestos Waste Acceptance Application, linked from the city's Where to Take Waste page, and get approval from the Cinder Lake Landfill Project Manager.
  2. Schedule the delivery. Non-friable loads require at least one working day of notice, coordinated with the Project Manager.
  3. Get the manifests. After approval, the Project Manager provides the manifests. The driver brings the approved application and the completed manifest to the scale house, where staff review and sign it.
  4. Package it to the standard. Non-friable asbestos cannot be mixed with other trash. The minimum standards are that it is wetted, double bagged and sealed in plastic at least 6 mil thick (either wrapped or placed in 6 mil contractor bags), sealed with water-resistant mesh-and-polyethylene tape of the duct tape type, and labeled "NON-FRIABLE ASBESTOS CONTAINING MATERIAL."
  5. Unload where directed. Accepted loads go to a designated area and are buried by landfill staff.

The instructions are also clear about what happens when something goes wrong. A load found unsecured or opened on arrival is rejected, and if a load is breached during unloading, the owner is responsible for any cleanup of the asbestos material at the site.

Where friable asbestos goes

For friable material, the city directs people to the WM Painted Desert Landfill, which WM lists as the Pen-Rob Landfill in Joseph City, in Navajo County. WM's facility page lists both friable and non-friable asbestos among the wastes it accepts, and its fact sheet shows weekday hours only, closed on weekends and major holidays. Contact the facility about its acceptance requirements before you schedule a load.

Friable material is also the kind most likely to fall under ADEQ's work practice rules for regulated projects, and it is where a licensed abatement contractor is usually the right call. Our popcorn ceiling testing page explains why spray-applied texture gets tested before anyone scrapes it.

A practical order of operations

For a Flagstaff remodel, cleanout, or tear-down, the sequence that avoids a rejected load looks like this:

  1. List every material the project will disturb: ceilings, flooring, siding, pipe wrap, attic fill.
  2. Have an accredited inspector sample them before work starts. If the attic has pebbly vermiculite, see our vermiculite insulation testing page first, since the EPA advises treating it as asbestos-containing unless testing shows otherwise.
  3. Use the report to sort materials into negative, non-friable, and friable.
  4. Confirm whether the project needs ADEQ notification.
  5. Apply to Cinder Lake for non-friable waste, or arrange Painted Desert for friable waste, before the dumpster is ordered.

The same steps apply in Doney Park, Kachina Village, Williams, and the rest of the county. Cinder Lake is a City of Flagstaff facility, so check with the Project Manager if your project is outside city limits.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take old popcorn ceiling scrapings to Cinder Lake? Not if the texture contains asbestos and is friable, which spray-applied texture often is. Friable asbestos is not accepted at Cinder Lake. Test the ceiling before it is disturbed, and if it is positive, plan for removal and disposal by a qualified contractor.

Do I need a test result for non-friable material, like old floor tile? For a demolition or renovation that meets ADEQ's definitions, the landfill's instructions say all testing results go to the Project Manager with the application. Even outside those cases, a lab report is how you show the material is non-friable, and the Project Manager decides whether a load is accepted.

What happens if my bags are not sealed properly? The city's instructions say an unsecured or opened load will be rejected, and the owner is responsible for cleanup if a load breaks open while it is being unloaded. Wetting, double bagging in 6 mil plastic, proper tape, and the required label are the minimum.

Get a free quote

If you are planning a remodel, cleanout, or demolition anywhere around Flagstaff and want to know which materials are asbestos, and which kind, before the first load leaves the property, request a free quote. Tell us when the building was built and what you plan to remove, and a certified local testing professional will follow up.

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