Waste and recycling FAQ's

Domestic minimum load is general waste in volume which is equal to or less that a standard 240L wheelie bin.

Waste Disposal Fees

YES - grass, leaves, plant remains, trimmings, trees, stumps
NO - plastic, food waste, manufactured timber, steel and rubble.

Electronic waste can be dropped off at all our Councils Waste Facilities.

For more information: Waste Facilities E-Waste Recycling

X-Rays are accepted at our Bundaberg and Qunaba Waste Facilities. Disposal of these are FREE.

DOMESTIC - Yes, we are able to accept domestic quantities of chemicals - containers of 5L or less.
COMMERCIAL - No, we are not able to accept commercial quantities of chemicals.

Factors such as operating costs, introduction of the QLD Waste Disposal Levy and also legal requirements as set out in the Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulations influence the fees that are charged.

The Queensland Government introduced a waste levy from 1 July 2019. The Qld Waste Levy has been incorporated into Councils fees and charges to cover the costs associated with the waste levy.

Waste Disposal Levy

All residents who self-haul are charged to dispose of waste at their local Waste Facilities.

Residents outside of Councils “Designated Waste Service Area” do not have a waste collection charge included in their rates.

NB A standard kerbside collection equates to around $6.80 per week.

Fees for handling commercial quantities of cardboard and co-mingled recyclables are charged to cover transportation and handling costs.

Customers should look at options such as Bundaberg Paper and Cardboard who have a free drop off service for cardboard.

The fee for mattress disposal is to cover costs involved in handling and managing their disposal. Mattresses are costly to process because:

• They take up a large amount of space in landfill
• They create voids when buried in landfill which increases leachate production – which Council needs to contain and reduce
• These “voids” often result in buried mattresses working their way to the surface and requiring rehandling for disposal
• They are a fire hazard

Council is currently looking at alternatives for recycling mattresses such as working with not-for-profit and local commercial operators.

Every property within the “Declared Waste Service Area” that has a building approval for a residential dwelling or unit automatically receives a minimum waste collection service charge.

These charges apply to each house, strata titled unit, granny flat, secondary dwelling, dual occupancy or other dwelling designed for separate residential occupation, whether it is occupied or not.

Where there is more than one structure on land capable of separate occupation, a waste collection service charge will be allocated for each structure.

This additional structure charging methodology will not apply where the owner of the residential property:

• Satisfies Council that a granny flat or secondary dwelling is occupied by a member of the same family that owns, and resides in, the primary dwelling on the property; and 
• Opts out from the additional Waste Collection Charge through Council's nominated process - via this application form.

Minimum Waste collection charges are applied at a flat rate across the “Declared Waste Service Area”. Trucks, fuel and wages are all direct costs that are incurred weekly when performing the service, irrespective of the amount of waste in the bins or whether residents use the service at all. The 240 litre bin size is designed to contain the maximum amount of waste for a standard home in peak season. The average bin weight placed out for collection can fluctuate by up to 30-40% across the year. On average residents present their bin on the kerb for servicing only 70-90% of the time.

RESIDENTIAL - No, residents located in the “Declared Waste Service Area” cannot opt out of a waste collection service. Opting out of a service would inflate waste service charges to those still needing to use the service as well as potentially increase public health risks.

NB Waste collection charges are not refunded if bins are simply stolen, lost or no longer used (e.g. property is vacant/ not tenanted).

Residential property are only able to opt out of additional waste services - this is extra services on top of the minimum waste service allocated to the property. 

COMMERCIAL - Yes, providing the:

• business has an alternate waste collection bin service; and
• the owner has formally request Council to cancel the service

Council only cancels a service in the “Declared Waste Service Area” under the following circumstances:

• when the building is declared as an uninhabitable dwelling by an authorised Council Officer; or
• where the building has been demolished; or
• when Council deems that it cannot safely or effectively service the bins from adjacent to the property boundary.

Council ran a FOGO bin trial from October 2023 to November 2024 which extended over the four season to collate as much possible data. 

Council was able to gather sufficient base line data from the trial, however at this time it has been be deemed not feasible. When the opportunity arises to look at introducing a FOGO service the data will be available for consideration. 

Council is very mindful of increasing rate costs for residents and is continually looking for alternative, less expensive means of achieving outcomes.

At the present time, Council has no plans to increase the fortnightly service schedule for recycling bin collection as this would mean an increase in waste collection fees for all ratepayers. However, residents who require more recycling space can request an additional recycling bin, which attracts an additional reduced fee through the rates of less than $2 per week. Recycling bins can also be taken to any of our waste management facilities to dispose of the contents free of charge, provided the load does not contain any other chargeable waste.