That old couch taking up half the garage. The broken washing machine you’ve been meaning to deal with. A mattress that’s somehow survived three house moves and a few too many questionable sleeps. This is exactly what Canberra’s bulky waste collection service is designed for.
But before you start dragging everything out to the kerb, there are a few things you need to know. Otherwise, your nature strip could end up looking like a miniature Mugga Lane.
We’ve pulled together everything you need to know about bulky waste collection in Canberra, including what you can put out, how to book your collection, and what you can do when bulky collection isn’t enough.
If you’ve used council clean-up services in other Australian cities, Canberra works a little differently. There aren’t multiple local councils with different collection dates, allowances and rules depending on your suburb.
Waste services across Canberra are managed by the ACT government, so whether you’re in Belconnen, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, Woden Valley or somewhere else in the Territory, you’ll be accessing the same bulky waste collection service as everyone else.
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Here are the basics of Canberra collection you need to know:
There’s also a little more happening behind the scenes than simply throwing everything into a rubbish truck. Two trucks are used in the service:
They can arrive at different times on collection day, so don’t panic if only part of your pile disappears on the first pass.
The easiest way to think about Canberra's bulky waste collection is: big household items that won’t fit in your regular bins.
That covers a pretty wide range of things you might uncover during a move, clean-out or long-overdue garage purge, including:
There are a couple of catches to watch for:
Remember your entire collection needs to stay within the 2 m³ allowance, but there are also limits on size and weight:
As tempting as it might be to use collection day to finally empty the entire garage, anything over the limit may be left behind.
This is where it pays to check your pile before collection day. Just because something is bulky doesn’t necessarily mean the ACT government will take it.
Items not accepted in bulky waste collection services include:
If something in your pile isn’t accepted, it’s your responsibility to remove and dispose of it another way. So, it’s worth getting really clear on all of the rules ahead of collection day rather than discovering that half your pile is still sitting there when the removalists arrive.
For single residential households, booking is pretty straightforward:
If you’re planning a move, booking early is a good idea. With only one free collection available each financial year and a 14-day booking cut-off, it’s not really a service you want to leave until the week before moving day.
If you live in an apartment or townhouse complex with shared waste facilities, you won’t book your collection in the same way as a standalone home:
A little preparation will help make sure your pile actually gets picked up:
Don’t assume you’ve been skipped if there are still items sitting outside at the end of the day. Canberra’s bulky waste service uses separate trucks for reusable items and landfill waste, and they may arrive at different times. But sometimes things don’t always go as planned:
There’s one important exception: anything that doesn’t meet the bulky waste collection rules will be left behind. If this happens, a note should be placed in your mailbox, and you’ll need to arrange another way to dispose of those items.
One free bulky waste collection can make a decent dent in the pre-move clear-out. But if you’ve got more than 2 m³ to deal with, items the service won’t accept, or a moving date that doesn’t line up nicely with collection day, you may need a little more help.
That’s where Upmove comes in. Book a trusted Canberra removalist to take care of the heavy lifting, so you can get your belongings where they need to go without your unwanted pile becoming one more thing to juggle before moving day.
Upmove acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
