The simple act of discarding Hazardous waste in your kerbside bins, often done without much thought has become a scaringly real and significant threat to both human safety and the environment.
The Federal Government estimates that an alarming 90 per cent of used handheld batteries/small portable electronic devices end up in landfill or are disposed of incorrectly. This means they find their way into kerbside bins, garbage collection trucks, and processing facilities, creating a significant and genuine fire risk.
The consequences are real and potentially fatal. Without the cooperation of residents in responsible waste disposal, it’s only a matter of time before a binned battery, electronic device or other hazardous waste item severely damages a waste facility or truck, or worse, an essential worker is injured or killed.
The message is clear and urgent: do not put batteries, electronic-waste (e-waste), or other hazardous items like gas bottles, household solvents, and chemicals in ANY kerbside bin. The repercussions of these actions are far reaching, affecting the lives and well-being of those working hard every day to manage our waste.
Types of Hazardous Waste that can NOT be placed in ANY kerbside bin:
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All types of batteries, new and used; | |
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Small portable devices, such as power tools and vapes; | |
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Gas cylinders; | |
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E-Waste; | |
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Household cleaners; | |
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Automotive products; | |
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Garden chemicals; | |
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Paints; | |
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Thinners; | |
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Adhesives; | |
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Varnishes; | |
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Pool cleaners; | |
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Asbestos; | |
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Oils; | |
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Fluorescent tubes and globes. |
There are convenient options for responsible disposal of your hazardous and problem waste.
Cessnock, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Singleton Councils offer residents easy disposal of hazardous and problem waste at their Waste Management Facilities.
Click on your Council link below for more details on the types of Hazardous/Problem waste they accept:
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Cessnock City Council
Disposal of other household waste Cessnock City Council (nsw.gov.au) Cessnock Waste Management Centre Cessnock City Council (nsw.gov.au) |
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Lake Macquarie City Council | ||
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Maitland City Council
Waste disposal guide | Maitland City Council (nsw.gov.au) Using Maitland Waste Facility | Maitland City Council (nsw.gov.au) |
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Singleton Council
Waste and Recycling | Singleton Council (nsw.gov.au) Singleton Waste Management Facility | Singleton Council (nsw.gov.au) |
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Further to your local Council’s Waste Management Facilities, there are many more options locally to help you dispose of your Hazardous and Problem waste.
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Battery Disposal
B-cycle is Australia’s official battery recycling Scheme, they are about creating a responsible battery lifecycle – from buying better batteries for the planet, to safe use, and convenient recycling.
Many Large retailers, such as Woolworths, Coles, Bunnings, Aldi, Battery World and Officeworks have dedicated recycling points for standard batteries, button batteries, and rechargeable batteries.
For more information and to find your nearest battery drop off location, visit Australia’s official battery stewardship scheme – B-cycle (bcycle.com.au)
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Mobile Phone Disposal
MobileMuster is the product stewardship program of the telecommunications industry, managed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA). It is voluntarily funded by major handset manufacturers and network carriers to provide a free mobile phone recycling program in Australia to the highest environmental standard. The program is committed to raising awareness and educating the community on repair, reuse and recycling.
The program accepts all brands and types of mobile phones, plus their batteries, chargers and accessories. Our extensive collection network provides 3,000 public drop off points across the country along with a free post back option.
For more information and to find your nearest mobile phone drop off location, visit Homepage – MobileMuster
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E-Waste Disposal
TechCollect is a free national recycling service for computers, computer accessories and TVs (e-waste). Under the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NTCRS) only the following products CAN be dropped-off for free recycling at a TechCollect service location;
- Personal and laptop computers and all cables
- Tablets, notebooks and palmtops
- Computer monitors and parts (e.g. internal hard drives and CD drives)
- Computer peripherals and accessories (e.g. mice, keyboards, web cameras, USBs)
- Printers, faxes, scanners and multi-functional devices
- All televisions (Retail sites such as Officeworks have limited space for collections, and it is therefore a store by store decision whether they accept TVs).
For more information about TechCollect and to find a drop off location, visit TechCollect TechCollect
Matthews Metal Management (MMM) is a leading scrap metal and e-waste recycling service provider. MMM specialises in servicing regional NSW and have yards located in Maitland, Parkes, Kempsey, Tamworth, Dubbo, and Maclean. MMM offer FREE collections of E-Waste and Scrap Metal; some of the e-waste items they collect include, but are not limited to:
- Small and Large Household Appliances e.g. Microwaves, Stereos, Dryers, Washing Machines and Fridges (Must be empty)
- Power Tools – Drills, Circular Saws, Power Boards, Lawnmowers, Leaf Blowers
- Treadmills and Electric Exercise Equipment.
For a full list of items MMM accept and to book a collection, visit Homepage – Matthews Metal Management (matthewsmm.com.au)
Vapes
Vapes, otherwise known as electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or personal vaporisers, are a hazardous waste item because they contain a lithium-ion battery (which is a fire risk) and potentially harmful chemicals in the e-liquid. Used vapes that contain a battery should NOT be put in household recycling or garbage bins.
For more information about recycling vapes, visit recyclingnearyou.com.au/vapes and Can vapes be recycled? – RNY News (recyclingnearyou.com.au)
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Household Chemical Disposal
The safe way to dispose of potentially hazardous household chemicals is at a Household Chemical CleanOut event. These events are free services held across NSW on specified dates. Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) are also permanent drop-off centres for common household problem wastes and can be dropped off at these centres year round, free of charge.
Residents can take household quantities of the following household chemicals and items – up to a maximum of 20 litres or 20 kilograms of a single item:
- Solvents and household cleaners
- Floor care products
- Ammonia-based cleaners
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Poisons
- Pool chemicals
- Hobby chemicals
- Motor fuels
- Fluorescent globes and tubes
- Acids and alkalis
- Smoke detectors
- Paint and paint-related products
- Gas bottles
- Fire extinguishers
- Car and household batteries
- Motor oils and cooking oils
For further information and to find a drop off location or a Free Household Chemical CleanOut event, visit Community Recycling Centres (nsw.gov.au), Household Chemical CleanOut (nsw.gov.au), or Find CRCs or Chemical CleanOuts (nsw.gov.au)
Additional information:
If you would like to find out more about recycling hazardous materials or would like to read about all things recycling in Australia, please visit Community Recycling Centres (nsw.gov.au) and Planet Ark – Planet Ark Recycling Near You.