The trailers were found at various sites on the A10 and A120, with initial investigations indicating that each contained approximately 50 tonnes of shredded asbestos material.
Hertfordshire County Council said, based on previous incidents of this nature, costs could be between £35,000 and £50,000 per trailer, potentially putting the total bill at up to £200,000.
The council added that the waste is dangerous and potentially harmful, with the trailers carrying around twice the vehicles’ legal carrying capacity.
All four trailers have now been recovered by licensed waste management specialists, whose expertise was required because of the hazardous nature of the material.
However, two of the trailers are not currently considered structurally safe to move. The council and its partners are therefore working with specialist contractors to determine the safest method of removing them.
The council has pledged to make every effort to identify those responsible and recover the costs through the appropriate legal processes.
Councillor Stephen Giles Medhurst, executive member for highways at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “This is one of the most serious fly-tipping incidents we have seen recently in Hertfordshire.
“Disposing of hazardous waste in this way is reckless, irresponsible and can be very dangerous.
“This is nothing but a criminal activity that has now cost taxpayers heavily as we not only had to fund the clean-up but the disposal of this waste. It means less money for carrying out other work.
“Those responsible have no regard for the environment and local communities. We will do everything possible to support efforts to identify those responsible and recover costs where we can.”
He added that the abandoned trailers were “relatively unremarkable in appearance” and urged the public, businesses and road users to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity or abandoned trailers.
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