Household Hazardous Waste

Some types of household waste require special disposal arrangements because they have properties that are flammable, corrosive, explosive or toxic to humans or the environment.

Some chemicals can cause fires or explosions, rapid chemical reactions or immediate health risks such as poisoning. There are other substances that have health effects that are not always obvious - symptoms may develop only years after repeated exposure and may cause chronic illnesses such as cancer, asthma, dermatitis and other diseases.

A few examples of household hazardous waste include, pool chemicals, cleaning products, batteries, tyres, electronic waste and unwanted medicines.

Why wheelie-bin disposal of hazardous waste is unsafe

Although you may think that it would be safe to place all types of waste in the household wheelie bin, the following problems can occur:

• Some waste materials can react causing a fire in the bin or the garbage truck thus causing a hazard for truck drivers and the community.
• You can never assume that no one will come in contact with the contents of your bin. Bins can get knocked over at the kerbside or waste can be spilled during servicing.
• Some liquids such as paint and oil can make a terrible mess when the garbage truck compacts the containers releasing the liquid. The paint or oil can be sprayed out of the truck onto nearby cars or property. This is the main reason why paint should be dried out before disposal and waste oil is better taken to a recycling and refuse centre.

Restrictions on waste accepted by council

Council is limited on the type of hazardous waste that it is allowed to accept at Public Waste Disposal Centre.

Under the conditions of its environmental licence, the Riverview Recycling and Refuse Centre is only approved to accept a limited range of hazardous waste, such as waste oil, vehicle batteries and tyres. The licence stipulates that these wastes can only be sourced from domestic premises and must not be disposed in the waste pit but directed to a separate storage area for specialised disposal or recycling.

Riverview Recycling and Refuse Centre is also now an approved collection site for the Paintback Scheme. The general public and commercial operators can bring in up to 100 litres of paint in containers of no more than 20 litres capacity at a time. For example 5 x 20 litre paint containers. No waste charge applies to dispose of this material. Refer to paintback.com.au for details relating to the Paintback Scheme and eligible products.

The Rosewood Recycling and Refuse Centre licence conditions are even more stringent being only able to accept materials from domestic premises.

The safe disposal methods for household hazardous waste tables below detail the best way Ipswich residents can dispose of their household hazardous waste.

Free hazardous household waste drop-off days

• Ipswich City Council hosts an annual free household hazardous waste day where hazardous chemicals can be safely disposed.
• Ipswich residents can drop-off the items indicated in the Safe Disposal Methods Tables indicated below, for free on designated collection days. A limit of 20 litres/kilograms of each chemical or product applies. This service is only for Ipswich residents. No material will be accepted from commercial sources. Normal fees and charges apply if residents are disposing of other waste materials on this day.

Safe storage and transportation of chemicals

• Never mix chemicals, as this may produce dangerous reactions.
• Try to keep chemicals in original containers.
• Ensure containers are clearly labelled and sealed; if unsure of what is in the container, label it 'unknown chemical'.
• Liquid can leak during transit - wrap containers in newspaper and place them in sturdy plastic bags, then pack in a plastic tray or bucket.
• Keep chemicals away from passengers - the boot is the best place to transport unwanted chemicals.

Chemical waste disposal companies (fees applicable)

The companies detailed below, provide drop-off and collection services for the disposal of paint and other chemicals from both domestic and commercial sources. Charges may apply for these services. Please note there may be other licenced companies who also provide these services, check refer to recyclingnearyou.com.au

ChemClear Program (free)

Dispose of eligible unwanted agvet chemicals safely and at no cost through the not-for-profit ChemClear hazardous waste disposal program - see the program factsheet and flyer below for further information. Please note: registration to participate in the program is not currently open - check back at a later stage.

ChemClear Program Factsheet (PDF, 511.7 KB)

Safe household hazardous waste disposal methods

Information about how to safely dispose of a wide range of household hazardous waste is listed below - if you wish to dispose of an item that is not listed here, please contact council on 3810 6666 for information.

Asbestos

• Asbestos is highly toxic, causing a range of lung diseases that are slow to develop but in many cases deadly. Inhaling the fibres can cause a fibrous stiffening and shrinking of the lung, as well as lung cancer, particularly the incurable, rapidly-growing lung cancer known as mesothelioma.
• It is essential that anyone that works with asbestos knows how to protect themselves and the people around them from this dangerous material.
• Persons removing 10 square metres or more of bonded asbestos must hold a ‘B’ class certificate (or bonded asbestos removal certificate).
• Detailed information on how to handle and remove asbestos from buildings safely and legally can be found at the Queensland Government - Asbestos website or by calling 13 74 68.

Bathroom

Kitchen

Garage

Garden

Other

Ammunition and flares

• Small arms ammunition can be surrendered at nominated firearms dealers throughout Queensland. The Surrender of Small Arms Ammunition factsheet has more details about surrendering small arms ammunition.
• Explosives should not be touched or moved. Secure the area and call the Explosives Inspectorate on 1300 739 868 to arrange for the items to be removed or destroyed.
• Marine flares can be disposed of in special bins provided by the Queensland Department of Transport at Volunteer Marine Rescue, Australian Volunteer Coast Guard and Queensland Transport Maritime Safety Queensland. A flare disposal locations list can be found on the Maritime Safety Queensland website.
• Fireworks, including firecrackers, cannot be made, kept or used by member of the public. Collection of fireworks and firecrackers can be arranged with the Explosives Inspectorate on 1300 739 868.

Deceased animals

• Roadside deceased animals: report roadside deceased animals for collection to council on (07) 3810 6666. Deceased animals are scanned for a microchip at point of collection from the road or footpath. Owners will be contracted if a microchip is detected.
• Deceased animal collection service: council provides a deceased animal collection service for Ipswich residents and local businesses. To book a service during business hours please contact Ipswich Waste Services on (07) 3810 8100. Charges apply. For services outside business hours, please contact your local vet or a private collection service such as VetraHealth on 1300 059 572.

Domestic BBQ gas bottles

Although Gas Bottles are now accepted at the Riverview Recycling and Refuse Centre year-round, please see other disposal locations available to residents as well:

• Elgas offers a free community service for the disposal and recycling of gas bottles at its 2 Tanker Street, Lytton depot. Elgas accepts any old gas bottles up to 45 kg for safe recycling. They remove any traces of gas, remove the valves and put a puncture in the bottles so that the metal recycling workers know that they are safely decommissioned.
• Elgas also offers a SWAP'n'GO BBQ gas bottle refill service where you can swap any 9 kg or 4 kg BBQ gas bottle at your local SWAP'n'GO outlet for a charge. Refer to the Elgas website for further information. Please note that the Elgas collection depot may not be in the Ipswich City Council area.

Fluorescent tubes (CFLs)

A list of waste lamp recyclers can be found on the RecyclingNearYou - Planet Ark .

Empty paint cans

Allow empty paint cans dry completely. You can dispose of the cans in a recycling and refuse centre scrap metal bin. If you have an inch or more of dried paint left in the bottom of the can, you'll have to throw the whole can in the refuse bin.

Farm chemicals and containers

• ChemClear is an industry stewardship program which collects and disposes of agvet (agricultural and veterinary) chemical products.
• drumMUSTER is a program of AgStewardship Australia Limited for disposing of empty farming chemical containers across rural Australia.

For further information on the ChemClear and drumMUSTER programs please visit the AgForce website.

e-Waste

• The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme provides free disposal drop-off points for televisions, computers and IT accessories.
• For alternative local drop-off locations refer to the Recycling Near You website.

Household batteries

• The Riverview Recycling and Refuse Centre can accept a restricted quantity of household and lead acid batteries.

• ALDI supermarkets offer a free recycling service for household batteries in every Australian store. To dispose of your used batteries, drop them into the dedicated bins at your nearest Aldi store. Any AA, AAA, C, D and 9V batteries (both rechargeable and non-rechargeable) are accepted.

• Battery World also offers a free battery recycling service for their domestic battery disposal. Charges may apply for businesses or community groups. The following types of batteries are accepted:
  • Lead acid batteries, e.g. batteries for cars, boats and motorbikes
  • Mobile phone batteries
  • General purpose batteries, e.g. batteries for toys, calculators, rechargables and games

• Bunnings Warehouse have a battery recycling program which is free and easy to use. All of their stores have battery recycling bins, making it convenient to drop off used batteries with confidence, knowing they’ll be recycled. The following types of batteries are accepted:
  • All power tool batteries, e.g. drills, etc.
  • General purpose batteries, e.g. standard household batteries
• B-cycle B-cycle is about creating a responsible battery lifecycle – from buying better batteries for the planet, to safe use, and convenient recycling. As a national, Government-backed Scheme, B-cycle brings together everyone from importers, to retailers, to everyday Australians, to give dead batteries new life. The Scheme is run by the Battery Stewardship Council, and authorised by the ACCC. There are thousands of drop off locations across Australia. Visit Bcycle.com.au to find a drop off location near you.

Liquid paint

• Water-based liquid paint requires special preparation to make it suitable for disposal. Riverview Refuse and Recycle Centre is now an approved collection site for the Paintback Scheme.
• The general public and commercial operators can bring in up to 100 litres of paint in containers of no more than 20 litres capacity at a time.
• No waste charge applies if residents or commercial painters have only acceptable paints to dispose of. Refer to Paintback for details relating to the Paintback Scheme and eligible products.

Medicines

The Commonwealth Department of Health provides funds to collect and dispose of unwanted and out-of-date medicines from the Australian community through the Return Unwanted Medicines (the RUM) project. Unwanted medicines can be taken to your local pharmacy, which will accept them at no charge.

Mobile phone recycling

Mobile phones and computers can be deposited at the Riverview Recycling & Refuse Centre e-Waste section.

Also, MobileMuster is the Australian mobile phone industry's official product stewardship program. It's a free mobile phone recycling program that accepts all brands and types of mobile phones, plus their batteries, chargers and accessories. For further information on the program or to find your nearest drop-off location, visit the MobileMuster website.

Print cartridges

You can drop off your used or empty laser and inkjet cartridges at all Officeworks and participating Australia Post, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys and JB Hi-Fi outlets. Cartridges used in printers, photocopiers and fax machines are accepted, including:

• Inkjet cartridges
• Toner cartridges
• Toner bottles.

Note: some cartridge collection boxes may not be visible or on display due to limited store floor space in outlets - in this case please ask counter staff and hand cartridge directly to them. If your workplace or business has large quantities of printer cartridges to recycle, visit Businessrecycling.com.au to find suitable collection or pick up service options or register for a free Cartridges 4 Planet Ark workplace collection box.

Sharps

Note: this is not a matter governed by Ipswich City Council - the following information has been provided by Queensland Health.

Queensland Health has no resources available to pick up a needle or syringe from a private residence, so it is up to the resident to dispose of the needle themselves.

Safe way to conduct sharps disposal

• Pick the needle up from the middle end of the barrel, being careful not to come in contact with the needle itself.
• Still holding the middle end, drop the needle (pointy-end first) into a puncture-proof, shatter-proof container such as an empty shampoo bottle (not glass, aluminium cans or thin plastic).
• Secure the container and drop it into a sharps disposal bin.
• The contained needle will be incinerated as medical waste.

Free sharps containers are available from Ipswich Sexual Health, Ipswich Health Plaza, 21 Bell Street, Ipswich. If an individual is seen unlawfully disposing of a needle or syringe, they can be reported via the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection website.

Please refer to Queensland Health for sharps disposal locations in Ipswich.

Smoke alarms

• There are two main types of household smoke alarms - ionisation, which contain a very small amount of radioactive material and photoelectric, which do not contain any such material.
• Ionisation smoke alarms are safe under all normal conditions - including fire - and pose no threat to people or the environment.
• The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS), and Queensland Health, advise that in relation to ionisation smoke alarms:
  • The radiation dose to occupants of a house from a domestic ionisation smoke alarm is very small compared to naturally occurring radiation
  • The dose rate to the hands when handling an ionisation smoke alarm is higher but still less than one tenth that from naturally occurring radiation
  • The temperature in a fire may be high enough to melt the radioactive material, but not to vaporise it, so there is no inhalation danger during or after a fire
  • Individual or small numbers of ionisation smoke alarms can be safely disposed of in the general waste bin.
  • The amount of the same type of radioactivity in normal soils is equivalent to a dozen or more ionisation smoke alarms in every cubic metre. Therefore, the dispersal of ionisation smoke alarms, even in large numbers, through refuse landfill sites, is not of concern.