Items we can't collect
Do not include these items in your clean-up
The following items aren’t accepted in the bulky waste clean-up service because they are:
- Dangerous, hazardous or toxic
- Can explode in the waste truck
- Too big or heavy to be safely moved by two people
- Too small to be considered bulky waste (use your red bin)
- Not household waste (businesses do not pay the Domestic Waste Charge that funds this service)
If you put these items out for collection, you could be fined up to $4,000.
To find out where to take items that aren't accepted in clean-ups, use Recycle Mate.
We can't collect
Please note, this is not a complete list. Similar items may be rejected by the collection crews.
❌ Glass and mirrors
- Broken and non-broken glass, windows, glass sheets, tables with glass tops, aquariums, fish tanks, shower screens, cabinets and doors with glass, windshields, windscreens, etc.
- Broken and non-broken mirrors, handheld mirrors, standing mirrors, desks with mirrors, cabinets or doors with mirrors, vanities with mirrors, etc.
How do I get rid of them?
Small quantities of glass and mirrors can be put in your red bin (wrap them in paper or cardboard first). If it can’t fit in your bin, you can take glass and mirrors to your local tip, or you can hire a skip bin.
Use Recycle Mate to find waste disposal locations in your area.
❌ Gas bottles and batteries
- Gas bottles/cylinders/tanks, fire extinguishers, nitrous oxide gas canisters (nangs), cream chargers, N2O cylinders/tanks, helium tanks, pressurised cans, butane gas canisters, oxygen tanks, flammable gas, gas cartridges, etc.
- Handheld batteries, car batteries, e-bike/scooter batteries, mobility aids/scooters, etc.
- Battery-operated toys like ride-on toy cars and toys that light up (remove the battery so the toy can be collected).
- Items with hidden batteries inside including drones, laptops, mobile phones, power banks, power tools, wireless headphones, wireless speakers, electric toothbrushes, shavers, solar-powered garden lights, adult toys, etc.
How do I get rid of them?
Council holds FREE waste disposal drop-off events throughout the year for hazardous and electrical waste.
- Chemical CleanOut events are held twice a year. You can drop off any type of battery and gas bottles/cylinders, fire extinguishers, nitrous oxide gas canisters, cream chargers, butane gas canisters, helium tanks and oxygen tanks.
- Electrical waste recycling events are held twice a year. You can drop off any type of battery, as well as products with batteries inside them like computers, mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, power tools, solar-powered garden lights, etc.
If you can’t wait for a waste drop-off event, use Recycle Mate to find waste disposal locations in your area.
❌ Chemicals, liquids and paint
- Cleaning chemicals for the house, garden or pool.
- Pesticides, fungicides, chemical drums, etc.
- Oil drums, cooking oils, motor oils, petrol, gasoline, containers with any type of liquid inside including water, etc.
- Paint tins (empty and full), paint strippers, wood and deck coatings, varnishes, stains and shellacs, undercoats, primers and sealers, etc.
How do I get rid of them?
Council holds two FREE Chemical CleanOut events a year for hazardous waste such as chemicals, paint, and cooking and motor oils.
You can drop off unused paint for FREE at any Paintback location. They are usually located at hardware and home improvement stores like Bunnings. They also accept products like wood and deck coatings, varnishes, stains and shellacs, undercoats, primers and sealers.
Use Recycle Mate to find waste disposal locations in your area for chemicals and paint.
❌ Heavy and extra-large items
- Pianos, treadmills, rowing machines, garage roller doors, bathtubs, safes, electric and medical beds, massage chairs, rugs bigger than three metres, hot water tanks over 1.5 metres tall (empty and dismantle larger tanks), heated water tanks over 1.5 metres tall (empty and dismantle larger tanks), etc.
- Bricks, concrete, cement, tiles, rocks, stones, etc.
- Items made of marble or stone such as benchtops, tiles and coffee tables.
- Soil, tree stumps, logs, large branches (over one metre long and 15 centimetres wide), etc.
- Extra-large furniture over 1.5 metres long.
- Heavy items over 55 kilograms that cannot be safely moved by two people (items under this weight may still be rejected if they cannot be safely moved by two people).
TIP! Dismantle large items like trampolines, exercise equipment, bed frames, greenhouses, pianos and flatpack furniture, so they can be safely collected.
How do I get rid of them?
If you can transport the large or heavy items, you can take them to your local tip. Alternatively, you can hire a skip bin.
Use Recycle Mate to find waste disposal locations in your area.
❌ Small items and beanbags
- Clothing, shoes, toys, books, cutlery, crockery, glassware, coasters, pots and pans, ornaments, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, records/vinyl, cassette tapes, vases, sanitary products, nappies, candles, candle holders, towels, tea towels, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, tissues, general household rubbish, etc.
- Beanbags, polystyrene/styrofoam, foam blocks and beans, small foam beans/beads, etc.
- Loose or poorly bagged/boxed items.
TIP! If you’ve run out of room in your red bin, small items can be put out in bulky waste clean-ups if you put them in sealed boxes or bags. Boxes should be taped shut and bags should be tightly knotted so items can’t spill onto the ground.
How do I get rid of them?
All small items should be put in your red bin. If they are in good condition, clothing, shoes and household items like crockery and glassware can be donated to your local charity shop.
❌ Organic waste
This excludes branches under one metre long and 15 centimetres wide.
- Food waste, vegetables, fruit, food scraps, meat, fish, bones, food in fridges or freezers (remove so the fridge/freezer can be collected), etc.
- Soil, leaves, garden cuttings, grass cuttings, logs, tree stumps, plants with thorns, palm fronds, twigs, etc.
TIP! If you cut down logs into smaller pieces, you can put them out in your bulky waste clean-up. They should be under one metre long and 15 centimetres wide.
How do I get rid of them?
Food waste should be put in your red bin. If you have access to a compost, you can dispose of certain types of food scraps in there.
Garden waste should be put in your green bin. If you can cut down large items like tree stumps and logs into smaller pieces, you can put them in your green bin. If you cannot cut them down, they can be taken to your local tip, or you can hire a skip bin.
❌ Car parts
- Car doors, engines, tyres, windshields, windscreens, steering wheels, motor oils, etc.
How do I get rid of them?
Car parts can be taken to your local tip, or you can hire a skip bin. Scrap metal recyclers and car wrecking yards may be interested in certain car parts.
Use Recycle Mate to find waste disposal locations in your area for car parts.
❌ Sharp and spiky items
- Wood with exposed nails, barbed wire, steel fencing wire, needles, syringes, knives, broken glass, etc.
- Plants and garden cuttings with thorns or sharp ends such as cactus and palm fronds.
How do I get rid of them?
- Wood with exposed nails: if you remove the nails or hammer them into the wood, you can put it out for collection in bulky waste clean-ups. To dispose of the nails, put them inside a plastic bag and put it in your red bin.
- Barbed wire and steel fencing wire: drop it off at your local tip, hire a skip bin, or contact a scrap metal recycler to see if they will accept it.
- Knives: wrap the knife in newspaper or cardboard, put it in a plastic bag and put it in your red bin.
- Needles and syringes: drop them off at a participating pharmacy.
- Cactus plants and palm fronds: cut them down and put them in your green bin.
❌ Business waste
- Pallets, pallet racks, pallet jacks, commercial shelving, shop fittings, cable spools, medical waste, commercial fridges and printers, etc.
- Any type of waste generated by a business including construction, demolition and large-scale renovation waste.
How do I get rid of them?
Business waste cannot be disposed of through residential waste services. Businesses are responsible for their own waste and should organise a waste collection service through a commercial operator.
❌ Dangerous and illegal items
- Asbestos and other toxic materials.
- Drugs and narcotics.
- Weapons, firearms, ammunition, swords, machetes, tasers, etc.
- Explosives, bombs, fireworks, gun/black powder, flares, internal combustion engines, heat producing devices, dry ice, etc.
- Self-inflating personal safety devices (life jackets), avalanche rescue backpacks, etc.
Before you book, make sure you’ve read through the clean-up guidelines.