Bulky Waste FAQs

Bulky waste collections are now available to all Canberra residents. All households are entitled to one free collection per financial year.

Each household receives one free collection per financial year.

The service is a booked service. When you book online you will be provided with available collection dates for your address.

Mattresses and ensemble bed bases are acceptable items. From 1 January 2024 each item will incur a $42.00 fee (i.e. $42.00per mattress and $42.00 per ensemble base).

Payment must be made at the time of booking. However, if you live in a multi-unit dwelling with a shared waste enclosure, your body corporate or strata manager will invoice you for the collection.

Mattresses and ensembles count towards the 2 cubic metre allowable collection limit and are calculated at approximately 0.8m³. Please keep this mind when you are making your booking.

If you are renting in a single unit dwelling with your own waste bins, you are able to book the bulky waste collection (provided a previous resident at that same address has not already used the service within that financial year).

If you are renting an apartment or townhouse with shared waste facilities, please contact your landlord, body corporate or managing agent to make a booking.

You should place your items within your property boundary by 7.00am on the morning of your collection date. If you need to arrange the items earlier, you may place the items out for collection up to 48 hours before the scheduled collection time.

Keep all bulky waste behind your property boundary and in an easily accessible location. Locations excluded are as follows garages, trailers and behind gates or fences. You must keep your items within a two cubic metre space. Items outside of this area may not be collected.

The online booking form has a section that asks you to advise the collection drivers where you are planning to leave the items.
You can place your items on a section of your driveway, provided it is inside your property boundary. ACTMAPi can help you find your property boundary.

1. Go to: ACTMAPi
2. Select the Basic Map icon
3. Select the Search Blocks tool (binoculars icon)
4. Ensuring that you have selected ‘Search Blocks by Street Address’, continue with the Search button
5. Enter your street address (street number and street name) and continue with the Search button
6. Select your address (identified with a small star icon on the left-hand side of the page)
7. The next page will show your property and boundary – the pale blue line around your property identifies the boundary.

If you have difficulty finding your property boundary or are unable to locate an area to place your items, please contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

Two cubic metres is two metres long, one metre wide and one metre high. When you book your collection and list the items to be picked up, the booking system includes a calculator to help add up the two cubic metre space.

Two cubic metres per household per year is the maximum that can be collected through this service. Items that exceed the limit and are not included in the online booking form, will not be collected and are the responsibility of the customer to remove.

If you have more than two cubic metres to be collected, you can take items to the Resource Management Centres in Mitchell and Hume.

You can also search Recyclopaedia for advice on the best way to recycle or dispose of specific items.

Alternatively, you can contact a local skip bin or trash pack operator.

No, you do not need to be home for the collection.

If your bulky waste has not been collected please call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

You may notice only part of your bulky waste was collected. This could be because:

• Two different trucks collect re-useable/recyclable items, and items for landfill. Both trucks will arrive on the same date but they may arrive at different times.
• Some of your items may not have been eligible for collection. Please make sure the items are in an easily accessible location within your property boundary, are within a two cubic metre space, and are on the acceptable items list.

Items which do not meet the eligibility criteria remain the responsibility of the resident. Please note that an illegal dumping fine may be issued if the items are outside of the property boundary.

Residents can also visit the Recyclopaedia to find out how to correctly recycle or dispose of specific items.

If you live in an apartment or townhouse with shared waste facilities, please contact your landlord, body corporate or managing agent to make a booking.

The contractor will only collect items you selected on your booking form.

Please place your items at the collection point no more than 48 hours prior to the collection date and within your property boundary.

Any person who enters your property will be trespassing. In the event someone else places items with your pile and you require assistance having it removed, please contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

You will be able to access and change items on your form up until five business days before your scheduled collection date.

Once you have completed your booking online, you will receive a confirmation notification via your nominated contact method. This notification provides a ‘service request verification’ link and from there you can check the status of your booking and update your listed items.

If you did not receive a confirmation notification, are unable to find this link in your confirmation notification, or if you need to make changes within the five business days prior to collection, please contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

It is likely that someone living in the premises before you has used the annual collection for that financial year. You will be entitled to your annual free collection from 1 July every year.

No. The service does not allow for the contractor to enter your home because of the associated risks. For example, if the contractor or resident is hurt in any way, or if furniture or the property is damaged during the move.

Additionally, with the current COVID-19 restrictions in place, it would not be appropriate to provide a service where the contractor would be in close contact with the resident within their home.

The bulky waste collection scheme is for residential use only and is not available to businesses or commercial entities.

There are a number of alternative disposal services for commercial businesses in the ACT. Businesses can also look into selling items.

Small businesses can drop off reusable items at either of the ACT Government’s reusable facilities, located at Mugga and Mitchell Resource Management Centres. E-waste (computers, TVs, etc) can also be disposed of at the transfer stations at these locations.

Small businesses can dispose of items at one of the Territory’s Resource Management Centres in Mitchell and Hume. Fees apply.