Bulky Waste Kerbside Collection Service

Image of bulk waste on kerbside

Bulky Waste Collection Update

In response to community queries regarding the status of Council’s Bulky Waste Collection Service, council wants to assure residents that council remains committed to the provision of the service. The service was discussed at the 21 February 2024 - Ordinary Council Meeting. During this meeting new measures aimed at streamling and enhancing the Bulky Waste Collection Service were endorsed.

The new measures include:

  1. Continuation of Service: The Council has confirmed its commitment to ensuring the availability of the Bulky Waste Collection Service for residents into the future. This service will now be included as a requirement in future contracts to ensure its ongoing provision.

  2. Transition to Pre-Booked Service: Endorsing a significant change to the current bulky waste collection model, the Council has approved the transition from a scheduled service to a pre-booked system. This change aims to improve efficiency and convenience for residents.

  3. Increased Entitlement: Residents will now be entitled to two (2) collections per financial year, with a total cap of 16,800 collections per annum. This annual entitlement provides residents with increased access to the service, ensuring their needs are met effectively.

  4. Entitlement Provision: To receive the bulky waste service resident must be paying the domestic waste charge and receive a kerbside collection service. 

  5. New Contract Arrangements: the items collected remains the same including mattresses and that new contract processing arrangements will mean that 50% of the material collected will be diverted for landfill.

The Bulky Waste Collection Service will be available for residents from 1 July 2024. Further details about the new Bulky Waste Service process and how to book this service will be made available in the coming weeks. 

Report Illegal Dumping (RID) tool

If you see large illegally dumped items, or items that remain after a bulk waste collection service the best thing you can do is report it through the EPA's RID ONLINE tool

Reporting illegal dumping not only aids the EPA and Council in safeguarding human health and the environment, detecting and penalising dumpers, but also assists in finding and cleaning up dumped waste, and identifying dumping hot-spots to prevent this behaviour in your area in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I put my bulky waste items on the kerbside?

You must sort your items into three piles by the Sunday night of your scheduled collection week:

  1. General waste
  2. Metals
  3. Mattress (limit of one per household)

The three piles will be collected separately at any stage during your collection week. Exact pickup days for each pile differ from zone to zone and will depend on logistical requirements of the collection truck teams and the total volume of material left out for collection across your suburb.

Kerbside collection rules for bulky waste:
  • Collections are limited to 2 cubic metres.
  • Collections should be no more than 1 metre tall, 1 metre wide and 2 metres in length, approximately the same as a 7ft x 4ft box trailer.
  • All items left for collection must be able to be handled by a maximum of two people.
  • Larger piles will not be collected and may be treated as illegal dumping.

What happens to bulky waste after it is collected?

Reducing waste and recycling is an important step in waste management, that’s why we try to recycle as much as we can.

The following items will be recycled that are collected through the bulky waste collection:
  • Metals will be collected separately and recycled through scrap metal
  • Mattresses will be separated and recycled through Soft Landings

All other bulky household items will go to landfill.

What if I put my pile out late?

  • Please place all your items out on the kerbside in front of your property the night before (Sunday) your collection commences in your area 
  • Items that are put out late will not be collected

Not all my items place out for the bulky waste collection were collected. Why?

Some items are not suitable for the bulky waste collection service and will not be picked up by Council’s contractors.

Please review the lists of acceptable and unacceptable items for kerbside collection and the other restrictions listed below and at the top of this page. 

Restrictions on bulky waste items left out for collection
  • Items left out for collection must be sorted into three piles: 1. General waste, 2. Metals, 3. One mattress (limit one per household).
  • All items must be able to be lifted by a maximum of two people.
  • Items must abide by the size regulations (no taller than 1 metre and no wider than 2 metres).
  • Limit of one mattress per household.
  • If you want to discard a hot water system, you must first contact the Wingecarribee Waste Hotline on 1300 133 969 prior to your collection date to ensure its eligibility. Only small hot water systems are accepted.
 
Items not accepted for kerbside collection
The below items will not be picked up if presented at the kerbside as part of the collection:
  • Asbestos or items contaminated with asbestos.
  • Car tyres and batteries, vehicle engines or other car parts.
  • Household chemicals or hazardous wastes such as oils, paint, gas bottles, pesticides, herbicides, pool chemicals, fire extinguishers and poisons.
  • Demolition waste including fibro, roofing iron, concrete, bricks, builder’s rubble, fencing wire.
  • Electronic waste such as televisions, computers and phones.
  • General household rubbish, food or green waste such as food scraps, recycling, compost, garden clippings, and tree branches.
  • Glass and mirrors
  • Oil heaters.
  • Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners.

 
Items accepted for kerbside collection
  • Household furniture (that can be lifted by two people).
  • Household goods and loose items (toys, cutlery, crockery, clothing, bikes, kitchen appliances).
  • Metals and whitegoods (excluding refrigerators).
  • Timber off-cuts.
  • Mattresses (one per household).
  • Small hot water systems (excludes large hot water systems, please contact the Wingecarribee Waste Hotline on 1300 133 969 prior to your collection date to ensure eligibility of your hot water system).
  • Old carpet (provided it meets to size restrictions outlined above).

My bulky waste kerbside collection has not be collected. Why?

There are a few reasons why we may not have removed your bulky waste:
  • When we visited your property, no items were placed out for collection. Always place your bulky kerbside items out for collection the evening before your collection commences as the service may begin early. While most collections are not removed until 7:00 am, some can occur earlier to avoid road congestion during peak hours.
  • Vehicles or other obstructions prevented our drivers from collecting the materials.
  • We could not find your address.
  • The items were presented in a way that made it difficult for our drivers to remove it. Please review the guidelines at the beginning of this page for more information on how your kerbside collection must be presented.
  • Your items were located on private property and not on the kerbside. Our drivers will not enter private property to collect twaste.
  • If none of the above applies, we may have missed your collection. To report a missed service, contact Customer Service on (02) 4868 0888.

 

Where can I donate my bulk waste items?

There are a number of local organisations that take a range of products from large furniture to textiles and clothing:

  • Father Riley's Youth Off The Streets Op Shop, Bowral (clothing and household goods only - no furniture)
  • Cool Room Emporium, Robertson
  • Anglicare Op Shop, Bowral
  • Lifeline Shop, Moss Vale
  • Red Cross Shop, Bowral
  • Reviva Centre, Moss Vale
  • R & R Recycled and Retro, Bundanoon
  • Salvation Army Op Shop, Bowral
  • Save the Children Op Shop, Bowral
  • Southern Highlands Community Hospice Furniture Shop, Mittagong
  • Timeless: Southern Highlands Community Hospice Fashion and Furniture, Bowral 
  • Vinnies, Moss Vale, Bowral and Mittagong