Transfer Stations

Location and opening hours

Transfer Stations are closed on ANZAC Day, Good Friday, and Christmas Day.

Smoking is not permitted on-site at any time. Scavenging is not allowed. Due to Occupational Health & Safety policies, Transfer Station Attendants have been instructed not to assist with the unloading of items from vehicles or trailers. Please ensure all materials can be unloaded without the assistance from Transfer Station Attendants. Cover your load to prevent material falling from vehicles and littering roadsides. Penalties apply for unsecured loads and littering.

Sort and save

All materials must be sorted, separated, and placed in the appropriate designated area or where directed by Transfer Station attendants. Loads that are not sorted and separated will either be refused or the entire load charged at the hard waste rate.

Recyclable materials must not be placed in the skips that are sent to landfill. 

Most Transfer Stations have different charges for different materials, so if an item can be recycled, repurposed or reprocessed it is cheaper to dispose of, and some materials are accepted for free.

If a load is not sorted, it can be difficult to see what types of materials are in the load. Unsorted loads will either be rejected or charged at the hard-waste rate.

Sorting can be as simple as putting all of the household recyclables together, flattening any large cardboard boxes, putting bricks together, and separating timber, metals, electronic waste, and green waste. By doing all of this, you can help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, which ultimately helps our environment.

Prohibited items

You cannot dispose of the following items at any of our Transfer Stations:

• Asbestos (except at the Porepunkah Site)
• Chemicals
• Commercial quantities (conditions apply)
• Hazardous waste (except for batteries, fluorescent tubes, and CFL lamps and paint)
• Industrial and commercial waste (conditions apply)
• Liquid waste (except for engine oil at all sites, or paint at the Porepunkah and Mount Beauty sites)

Penalties apply for disposal of prohibited items.

Maximum allowable volume

The maximum allowable volume of any single material is 2m3 per day. 

Any volumes exceeding 2m3 will need prior approval. Prior approval must also be obtained for the disposal of commercial quantities of any material. 

To obtain prior approval, please contact us.

Asbestos disposal

Asbestos can only be disposed of at the Porepunkah Transfer Station.

You must book a time and complete the Asbestos Waste Disposal Form prior to disposal using the links below. Forms are also available at the Council office in Bright and libraries in Bright, Mount Beauty, and Myrtleford. 

Please be prepared to answer questions relating to packaging, source, type, size, weight, and quantity of the asbestos waste.

Although householders are legally entitled to carry out asbestos removal, it is not recommended. According to the Occupational Health & Safety Regulations 2007 Part 4.3 Division 7 Subdivision 2, an unlicensed person may remove non-friable asbestos material if the area does not exceed 10m2 and the total time over which the removal is performed does not exceed one hour in any 7-day period.

Types

The most common types are sheet roof cladding and wall linings. Asbestos from commercial or industrial sources can be disposed of at Bowser Landfill in North Wangaratta.

Removal

Removal, handling and packaging must be carried out in accordance with the methods detailed in Asbestos: A guide for householders and the general public (February 2013).

In particular:

• Asbestos waste must be packaged in two layers of 0.2mm thick polythene and labelled CAUTION ASBESTOS
• Asbestos waste that is incorrectly or inadequately packaged will not be accepted
• The house owner must transport the asbestos waste. When it is not possible for the house owner to transport the asbestos waste, the person transporting it must present a letter to the site attendant that is signed and dated by the house owner giving the name and car registration details of the person transporting the asbestos on their behalf
• Asbestos waste must be packed so that it can be safely unloaded by the person(s) transporting it.

Transport

The house owner must transport the asbestos waste. When it is not possible for the house owner to transport the asbestos waste, the person transporting it must present a letter to the Transfer Station Attendant that is signed and dated by the house owner, giving the name and car registration details of the person transporting the asbestos on their behalf.

Unloading

Asbestos waste must be packed so that it can be safely unloaded by the person(s) transporting it.

Cement sheets

Due to the inherent difficulty of distinguishing between asbestos and fibre cement sheet and the risks involved in dealing with asbestos, only material that is clearly from new building work will be accepted as being fibre cement sheet. All other material will be considered as being asbestos and will be treated as such. Transfer Station Attendants have been instructed to treat material as being asbestos if there is any doubt.

General identification

As a general rule, if your house was built:

• Before the mid-80s: it is highly likely to have asbestos containing products
• Between 1985-1990: it is likely to have asbestos containing products
• Between 1990-2000: it is unlikely to have asbestos containing products
• After 2000: it is very unlikely to have asbestos containing products

Some houses built in the 1990s and early 2000s may have still used asbestos cement sheeting until the total ban on any activity containing asbestos products became effective from December 2003.

drumMUSTER

drumMUSTER is the National program that has been set up for the collection and recycling of cleaned and eligible non-returnable crop production and on-farm animal health chemical containers.

As a chemical user, drumMUSTER provides you with a method to safely dispose of your used chemical containers. All you are required to do is clean your containers so they are free of any chemical residue, then deliver them to one of over 700 receival sites across Australia.

Any rinsing should be carried out immediately after emptying the chemical container, as residues are a lot harder to remove when dry.

Bookings are compulsory at all locations to ensure that an Inspector will be in attendance when you deliver your drums.

For full details on eligible containers and instructions on cleanliness standards, visit drumMUSTER's website using the link below.

Silage wrap and baling twine disposal

It is illegal to burn plastic. Burying or putting in landfill is wasting a scarce resource and detrimental to the environment. It is preferred for silage wrap to be recycled and diverted from landfill. Plastic Forests is one business in this region that accepts silage wrap for free. For full details, visit their website using the link below.

Burning silage wrap is not permitted because of the toxic materials produced, particularly dioxins and furans which are hormone-disrupting, cancer-causing substances that build up in water, soil, crops, humans and livestock. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) may issue fines to farmers for incinerating plastic waste.

Please ensure silage wrap is clean by shaking well, then rolled up and presented in an appropriate outer bag and taken to one of our three Transfer Stations.

Free mulch

You can collect free mulch from any of our Transfer Stations, when available. 

You must complete a Mulch Indemnity Form prior to collection.

Due to safety requirements, Transfer Station Attendants will only load onto tray back utes and trailers. Other vehicles will be declined. Assistance will not be provided during wet or poor weather conditions. When mulch is wet, the weight substantially increases so only safe amounts (which may be less than 2m3) will be loaded to avoid exceeding customer trailer/vehicle weight capabilities.

You can receive assistance with loading at the following times:

If loading assistance is not required, mulch can be taken anytime during trading hours at any of the three sites.