Fibreglass is glass spun into extremely thin fibres, used loose as insulation or set in resin to make tough plastics for things like boat hulls and baths. In NSW, bagged fibreglass waste with no asbestos in it is pre-classified as general solid waste, the same class as glass and plastic. Councils still treat it differently, so check yours before you put it out.
Last updated: November 2026
What is fibreglass?
Britannica's definition is short. Fibreglass is extremely thin glass fibre with a resin coating. It's used mainly as insulation and to reinforce plastics.
The fibres start as molten glass pushed through a bushing, a plate with hundreds of fine nozzles in it, and the streams that come out are gathered into strands. From there the strands are woven into cloth or chopped up and bonded into a mat. You'll also see it spelt fiberglass, or called glass fibre.
Batts or GRP? The two kinds in a Sydney house
Most of the fibreglass you'll ever throw out comes in one of two forms, and they need different handling.
Glasswool is the soft kind. It's the insulation batts in your ceiling and walls, and Britannica rates fibreglass wool as an excellent sound absorber and thermal insulator. GRP, or glass reinforced plastic, is the hard kind, where the fibre is locked into a resin that cures solid, and its high strength for its weight is why it ends up in pleasure boat hulls and car body panels. Britannica adds its resistance to rusting and corrosion, even outdoors.
Glass fibre comes in grades as well. The type is set by the ratio of raw materials in the glass batch.
- A-glass (alkali glass): high chemical resistance, used in process equipment and chemical handling
- AE-glass (alkali-resistant glass): designed to resist alkali environments, common in cement composites
- C-glass (chemical glass): similar to A-glass, used in applications requiring chemical durability
- E-glass (electrical glass): provides electrical insulation, the most widely used type in construction and electronics
- S-glass (structural glass): highest tensile strength of the common types, used in aerospace and structural components
Most household and construction fibreglass (insulation batts, pool shells, boat hulls) uses E-glass. UNSW's School of Materials Science names E-glass and S-glass as the two that matter most, with E-glass the common one because it's cheap and S-glass the pricier, stronger-for-its-weight choice in aerospace applications.
Fibreglass, fibro and asbestos
Fibreglass often gets confused with fibro, and older fibro can contain asbestos. You can't settle it by looking. The NSW Government's asbestos fact sheet says only scientific testing of a sample can confirm asbestos, and that manufacturing stopped in 1987 before a complete ban in Australia after 31 December 2003. Safe Work Australia gives the same December 2003 ban.
So if a sheet, pipe or panel in an older house might be fibro, treat it as asbestos until a test says it isn't. Look twice at ceiling insulation too. The same fact sheet lists loose-fill insulation in roof cavities, the "Mr Fluffy" houses, among the places asbestos turns up. Our guide to the difference between asbestos and fibro goes through the rest.
Does fibreglass irritate your skin, eyes and lungs?
Yes. It's a mechanical itch, from the fibres themselves.
SafeWork NSW says the main risk from low-biopersistence glasswool and rockwool is mechanical irritation of the eyes, skin and upper respiratory tract. Those products are considered bio-soluble, meaning they break down in the body, and toxicology testing has them classed as non-hazardous under the Globally Harmonized System. Knauf's safety data sheet for its Earthwool glasswool goes as far as calling it a nuisance dust.
That guidance is written for insulation, and SafeWork says it doesn't apply to refractory ceramic fibres or special-purpose glass fibres, the kinds that may be classed as hazardous chemicals under that same system.
Getting fibreglass off your skin and out of your eyes
Use cold water. Do it before you shower. Don't rub your eyes or skin if fibres get on them, because rubbing can drive the fibres deeper. Knauf's Australian safety data sheet for its glasswool says that if your skin gets irritated, take off the contaminated clothing and wash the skin gently with cold water and soap. The cold water, it says, reduces the itching. Fibres in the eyes need rinsing with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, the sheet says. And if the discomfort carries on after that, the same sheet says to get medical advice.
How to dispose of fibreglass in Sydney
A few offcuts from a repair or a ceiling job are manageable on your own. A whole bath or a hull takes more planning, mainly because of the cutting.
- Wear the right gear, and work outdoors or in a well-ventilated space. SafeWork NSW lists safety goggles or a face shield, gloves, and loose-fitting long clothing such as disposable coveralls with hoods. For pulling out insulation that's already installed, a Class P1 respirator is the minimum.
- Cut with hand tools where you can, because power-tool cutting generates significantly more airborne fibre dust than hand cutting. If you have to use a power tool, SafeWork recommends on-tool dust capture feeding a Class M vacuum. Taking out a spa? Our spa removal tips cover the shell and the rest of the job.
- Pack the pieces and the dust into plastic bags. SafeWork recommends it for storing and transporting the waste, to stop the fibres escaping, and it also matters for how the waste is classed (see below).
- Check your council's rule first. Up the coast, Lake Macquarie Council says fibre glass shouldn't go in the garbage bin and sends residents to its Awaba Waste Management Facility, where fees apply. Your own council's A to Z or your local tip will tell you the rule where you live.
Is fibreglass hazardous waste in NSW?
Usually not. The NSW EPA's Waste Classification Guidelines (2014) pre-classify synthetic fibre waste, from materials such as fibreglass, as general solid waste (non-putrescible), as long as it's packaged securely to prevent dust and doesn't include asbestos. Fully cured fibre-reinforced resins are on the same list, which is where an old GRP bath or hull fits.
Liquid resin is a separate case. The EPA's process checks for liquid waste before it ever gets to the pre-classified list, so a half-used tin of resin needs its own answer from your council.
Can fibreglass be recycled in Australia?
Not through any council service we found. Every council guide we read that mentions fibreglass, Nillumbik's in Victoria included, treats it as rubbish to dispose of.
Recycling fibreglass is hard because of the resin. The University of Strathclyde's Advanced Composites Group explains that the glass has to be separated from the resin first, either with chemical solvents or by burning the resin off at more than 500°C, and that heat leaves the glass fibre so weak it's effectively worthless as reinforcement. Their own work has won back more than 80% of the original strength. That's still research. For a Sydney household, the tip is where fibreglass ends up.
If you're a business with a regular stream of it, talk to a waste contractor. Knauf's data sheet tells industrial users to dispose of glasswool through a supplier authorised to handle that waste.
Fibreglass facts, with dates and sources
- 1930s: the decade glass fibres stopped being a novelty, once their thermal and electrical insulating properties were appreciated (Britannica, updated October 2026).
- Over 5 million tons: glass fibre made each year for reinforced composites, about 70% of it set in thermoset resins such as epoxies or polyesters (University of Strathclyde Advanced Composites Group, page undated, checked November 2026).
- 2 mg/m³: the workplace exposure standard for low-biopersistence glasswool and rockwool, inhalable fraction, averaged over an 8-hour shift (SafeWork NSW, page read November 2026).
- 7,000: the most small fibreglass shards marine biologist Corina Ciocan found in oysters in Chichester Harbour, England (University of Brighton, writing in The Conversation, 2020).
Renovating a bathroom or laundry?
A booking made before midday usually gets Paul out to you the same day, and Paul's team does the carrying. Get a free quote for renovation waste removal, or see spa and jacuzzi removal if the job is a whole spa.
