City of Newcastle - Bulk Waste Collection

Bulk Waste Service - Kerbside Collection

Our on-demand bulk waste service helps you dispose of items too big for your kerbside bins, such as mattresses, old furniture and broken appliances. The service is provided at your request, rather than a scheduled neighbourhood collection, so you can get rid of your bulky wastes when it suits you.

You can choose from two service options:

Kerbside collection

Have your bulk waste items collected from the kerbside of your property. To book a collection, read on to check your property eligibility and learn about what items are accepted as part of this service.

Self-haul voucher

Dispose of items faster by taking them to Summerhill Waste Management Centre. This option allows a greater variety of wastes than the kerbside collection. Request a voucher online.

What you can dispose of

Accepted items service comparison

You can dispose of up to two cubic metres of bulk waste per service. The items accepted through each service option are outlined below.

Our collection vehicles are staffed by two team members. All items placed out for kerbside collection must therefore be able to be safely and reasonably handled by two people. As a guide, individual items should not exceed 50kg.

Items Accepted	Kerbside pick-up	Self-haul voucher
Mattresses, bed frames and bases	Yes	Yes
Household appliances and electronics, such as vacuum cleaners, TVs, computers and handheld kitchen appliances	Yes*	Yes
Whitegoods that do not contain refrigerant gases, such as washing machines, clothes dryers, microwave ovens, dishwashers and hot water tanks	Yes	Yes
Bicycles, BBQs and other scrap metal	Yes	Yes
Furniture such as lounges, chest-of-drawers, bedside tables and chairs	Yes	Yes
Carpet, rugs and linoleum (rolled and tied)	Yes	Yes
Toys and sporting goods	Yes	Yes
Small tree branches less than 100mm thick (bundled and tied)	Yes	Yes
All other garden waste, such as lawn clippings and tree stumps	No	Yes
Car tyres and rims	No	Yes
Mirrors, windows, shower screens, solar panels, other glass items	No	Yes
Building waste e.g. concrete, bricks, tile, stone, plasterboard and soil	No	Yes
General (red-lid bin) garbage, food waste and bean bags	No	Yes
Household (yellow-lid bin) recyclables	No	Yes
Asbestos wastes, including asbestos contaminated soil (conditions apply see bulk waste voucher asbestos only option)	No	Yes
Problem wastes accepted at the Summerhill Community Recycling Centre, such as paint, oil and batteries. Standard quantity limits apply.	No	Yes
All other liquids, gases and hazardous/poisonous items, such as cleaning chemicals, pesticides and hobby chemicals.	No	No

E-Waste

To ensure electronic items are recycled, residents are encouraged to take them to Summerhill Waste Management Centre. Up to 10 items are accepted free per visit. Conditions apply.

Fridges freezers and air-conditioners

Items	Kerbside collection	Self-haul voucher
Fridges, freezers and air-conditioners that have not been de-gassed by an ARC licenced technician	No	Yes
Fridges, freezers and air-conditioners that have been de-gassed by an ARC licenced technician	Yes	Yes

Old fridges, freezers and air-conditioners may still have refrigerant inside them, even if they are no longer working.
If these refrigerants escape into the atmosphere, they can damage the ozone layer and/or contribute to global warming.
If you would like to have a refrigerant-containing appliance collected through our kerbside collection service, you'll need to have the refrigerant 'recovered' from the appliance by a licensed technician or business authorised by the Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC).
It is an offence for anyone else to handle fluorocarbon refrigerants (heavy fines apply). The licensed technican will send the recovered refrigerant to Refrigerant Reclaim Australia, the sole facility in Australia approved to destroy refrigerants in an environmentally friendly manner.
You can use the ARC 'Look for the Tick' search to find an authorised business or licensed individual in your area.

What you need to know

Service entitlement

You can request up to two services per 12-month period (either kerbside collection or self-haul voucher).
Each service allows disposal of up to two cubic metres of bulk waste.
Entitlement applies per residential rated property, not per occupant.
You must live at the property to request a service.
Unused entitlements do not carry over.
The 12-month rolling period starts from the date of your last service.
Example: If you used the service in February and October, your next service is available from February the following year.

Bookings

Special conditions

Raise a request

Before you begin

You can dispose of these items at Summerhill Waste Management Centre, free of charge, without using the bulk waste service:

White goods (excluding fridges, freezers and refrigerant air-conditioners).
E-waste (up to 10 items free per visit).
Products containing embedded batteries accepted at the Summerhill Community Recycling Centre, such as e-bikes and e-scooters, cordless vacuum cleaners and ride-on toys.
Household (yellow-lid bin) recyclables, including flattened cardboard.
Conditions apply.

Location matters!

Providing specific details about where you present your waste helps us to find and collect it quickly. Please include the usual location your kerbside bins are collected, such as rear lane, side street or front of property.

Request a Collection

Next steps

You'll receive an acknowledgement with your request number.
Our team will review your request and your property's service entitlements. If eligible, we will make every effort to accommodate your preferred collection date (if provided).
You will receive a confirmation email with the scheduled date, along with helpful details, including a list of acceptable and unacceptable items.
You will receive another notification once your bulk waste has been picked up.

Time frames

Your collection will be scheduled for the next available weekday that follows your regular weekly kerbside bin collection day.
For example, if your bins are serviced on a Monday, your bulk waste collection will be scheduled for the first available Tuesday. (Please note: this does not apply to Rankin Park residents, whose bulk waste will be collected on the first available Monday).
If you have nominated a preferred collection date, your collection will be scheduled for the next available weekday nearest this date.

FAQs

Can I use both entitlements at once?

Residentially rated properties are entitled to two bulk waste services within any 12-month rolling period. You may request up to two bulk waste collections, but each must be scheduled at least two weeks apart.
Additionally, a maximum of two cubic metres of waste can be placed kerbside for each collection.
Alternatively, you can request two Self-Haul vouchers and use them in one visit if they are for the same property.

Multi-unit dwellings

Social housing (Housing NSW) tenants

Single dwellings: If you live in stand-alone public or community housing, please contact us directly to make a booking. Eligibility criteria applies.
Multi-unit dwellings: We make advance arrangements with Housing NSW to provide two kerbside collections to eligible public and community housing complexes within a 12-month period. Communal collections are provided to all residents in the complex on the same day. Please contact your Housing NSW liaison officer to find out your next collection date.

When should I put out my bulk waste?

My items weren't picked up. What should I do now?

Our collection team will arrive any time after 5am on your scheduled collection day.

On occasion, short delays may occur due to unforeseen circumstances, such as adverse weather, fleet outages, traffic or access issues.

If none of your bulk waste has been collected on your scheduled date, please leave it on the kerb. If we have not picked it up within three working days of your collection date, please notify us on 02 4974 2000.

If we only collected some of your bulk waste, you may have put out items we don't accept, or you may have exceeded the two cubic metre quantity limit. Please check your letterbox for a note, or call us on 02 4974 2000.

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Bulk Waste Collection