Our friendly staff look forward to assisting with your enquiry.
We are committed to actively encouraging, promoting and supporting best-practice waste management in our communities.
In its 2023-24 Budget, Council introduced a charge for green waste dropped off at our waste sites.
The cost of processing green waste continues to rise and is expected to be as much as $700,000 this year.
It will now cost $12 to drop off one cubic metre of green waste (approximately a 6 x 4 trailer load).
Over 80% of the green waste we process is from green waste dropped off at our waste sites – not from kerbside collection.
Introducing this new charge means people who dispose of green waste will contribute to its processing cost.
This is consistent with the principle of ‘user pays’. Without this new fee, Council would have needed to increase household kerbside waste fees – therefore continuing to subsidised customers who drop off green waste.
The green waste fee will be introduced from Friday 1 September 2023.
A free green waste amnesty will be held in November to allow residents to prepare their properties for bushfire season.
All rate payers will also be offered one green waste voucher per year allowing them to dispose of up to 1.5 cubic metres of green waste free every year.
The green waste voucher will be included in the annual Rates and Valuation Notice sent to all ratable properties.
Take a virtual tour of the Bairnsdale Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), run by Tambo Waste. This is where your recycling goes to once it leaves your kerbside bin or transfer station. Check out the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) video.
Many of these items do not belong in your general waste bin as they are hazardous to those that collect and dispose of your waste to landfill.
Needles
Needles can be disposed of free of charge at your local health centre or hospital.
Bairnsdale Hospital has large orange bins for needles for anyone to use.
Orbost Regional Health also has sharps containers for public use.
Council offers free exchange of sharps containers at its customer service centres for diabetic patients only.
Masks
Disposable or cloth masks go in the general waste bin. Cut the loops off before putting in the bin to prevent injury to wildlife.
If you or a family member have been diagnosed or have symptoms of COVID-19, place the masks in a sealed plastic bag and place in the general waste bin.
Medicine
Any unwanted or expired medicines can be returned free to a pharmacy under the Return Unwanted Medicines Project.
To find out how to dispose of other items, please see the A-Z Waste - Where to Next page.