What Rubbish Removal Services Can't Take (and What to Do Instead)

Rubbish removal covers a huge range of stuff — but a few items need special handling for safety and legal reasons. Knowing what they are before you book saves time on the day.

What we can’t take

• Asbestos — including fibro sheeting from old sheds, fences and eaves
• Liquid paint, thinners and solvents
• Chemicals — pool chemicals, pesticides, herbicides
• Oils and fuels — motor oil, petrol, diesel
• Gas bottles — full, part-full or “empty”
• Medical waste and sharps

What to do instead

Asbestos: In South Australia, asbestos must be handled by a licensed asbestos removalist. If you think something might contain asbestos (common in homes and sheds built before 1990), don’t break or cut it — get it tested.

Paint, chemicals, oils and gas bottles: Household hazardous waste can be taken to dedicated drop-off facilities and collection days. Check the Green Industries SA website for current locations and dates.

Empty paint tins: Fully dried-out, empty tins are generally fine to go with general rubbish.

Where to take hazardous items in the north-east

You don’t have to drive across Adelaide. Under the Green Industries SA and Paintback schemes, NAWMA’s Edinburgh North Resource Recovery Centre (Bellchambers Road) and the Campbelltown Works Depot on Newton Road both take household chemicals, gas bottles and liquid paint free of charge. Opening days and quantity limits change, so check before you load the car.

A few tips for getting them there safely:

• Keep chemicals in their original containers with the labels on, and never mix them together
• Stand containers upright in a box or tub so nothing tips over in the car
• Close lids tightly, and keep anything leaking separate
• Don’t put gas bottles inside the car cabin if you can avoid it — a ute tray or a well-ventilated boot is better

Your council hard waste won’t take them either

It’s not just private removal services. Every council in our area excludes hazardous items from its free hard waste collection. Tea Tree Gully Council’s service won’t take chemicals, gas bottles or paint; Salisbury, Playford and Gawler (all run through NAWMA) exclude hazardous waste; and Port Adelaide Enfield’s Cleanaway service excludes asbestos, gas bottles and chemicals. Councils also exclude building materials and green waste — which, unlike chemicals, we can take.

Items that are fine, but worth mentioning

Some things we take every week still affect the price, so it helps to mention them when you ask for a quote:

• Mattresses and tyres have their own disposal charges at the tip
• Concrete, soil, bricks and tiles are heavy and attract weight-based tip fees, so large amounts are priced separately
• Fridges and freezers are fine — mention them so we can plan the lift. See appliance removal
• Old sheds and cubbies can be dismantled as well as removed — see light demolition

Clearing a shed with old chemicals in it

Garage and shed clean-outs are where most hazardous items turn up — half-used tins of paint, old pool chlorine, weed killer, a forgotten gas bottle behind the mower. Before we arrive, set those items aside in one spot, away from everything else. We’ll clear the rest of the shed, and you can drop the hazardous items off on your own schedule. More on garage and shed clean-outs.

If you find sheeting you think might be fibro, leave it where it is. Don’t sweep, sand or break it. Get it tested, and if it’s asbestos, have a licensed removalist deal with it first — then we can clear everything else.

What we can take

Pretty much everything else:

• Household junk and general rubbish
• Furniture and mattresses
• Fridges, washers and appliances
• Green waste and garden rubbish
• Renovation and building waste
• Garage, shed and carport junk

Not sure?

Just mention it when you send us the job details. If there’s something we can’t take, we’ll tell you upfront and point you in the right direction.