Albury Recycling Centre

Not sure what to do with that old TV, printer or computer? Bring it to the Albury Recycling Centre and we will take it off your hands for free.

Electronic waste is any item with a plug, battery or power cord. We sort and transfer these goods so valuable materials they contain can be recycled and any hazardous contents, such as heavy metals, can be removed before they harm the environment.

By recycling these items, you can be sure that dangerous chemicals can’t leach into the soil, seep into the air or cause fires in landfill, while valuable minerals such as gold, copper and platinum can be recovered and re-used.

We don’t charge any fees for accepting your e-waste and electronic waste, but you must separate the items and place them in the correct recycling areas.

You can bring any of the follow items to us for recycling and safe disposal.

Every year in Australia, 1.25 million mattresses end up in landfill – but this can be avoided because up to 90% of mattress components can be recycled. You can help by bringing your unwanted mattresses to the Albury Waste Management Centre. Charges apply.

Recyclable materials in mattresses include:

• Steel springs are sent to scrap metal merchants for melting into new products
• Foam from inside the mattress can be recycled for carpet underlay
• Timber and husk: The fibrous husk is used in the manufacture of animal bedding, weed matting and mulch
• Felt pad and fabric is used to make boxing bags

You can bring all your household white goods to us for recycling.

The Albury Recycling Centre recycles all household whitegoods, including fridges, freezers, microwave ovens, stoves, dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers and air conditioners.

The metal from whitegoods and other steel items can be repeatedly recycled to make new products.
Before dropping of your whitegoods,, make sure it’s cleaned of any dirt or food scraps.

Cleaning out the home is not only a great way to get rid of that unwanted clothing and other household odds and ends, it can also make a difference to the less fortunate in our community.

We work with St Vincent de Paul to collect and redistribute unwanted clothing.

Three bright orange bins are available at the Albury Recycling Centre for you to deposit clothing, shoes and handbags.

We don’t charge a fee for disposing of these items but you do need to separate them and place them in the correct area.

Steel can be recycled repeatedly – and for households, it’s free to recycle steel.

Manufacturing steel products is a highly energy intensive process, while reworking recycled steel uses 75% less energy compared to working with raw materials. Apart from energy savings, recycling steel also preserves valuable minerals such as iron ore, coal and limestone. Keep in mind - for every kilogram of steel you recycle, you’re keeping two kg of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

Steel scrap like aerosol cans, food tins, bottle tops and jar lids can be recycled. You can place small steel waste in your yellow bin, but for larger items, simply bring them to the Albury Recycling Centre for free.

Before dropping of your steel waste, make sure it’s cleaned of any dirt or food scraps.

We accept some plastic and paper for free.

We can recycle hard plastics such as outside furniture and toys. We can also accept some soft plastics such as heavy duty film wrap, shrink-wrap, clear and black plastic. This will be at our discretion.

But please keep in mind, we cannot recycle your hard and soft plastics unless they are separated.

Paper brought to the Albury Waste Management Centre is sent off-site to be turned into recycled paper. You can drop paper off free but please to be sure to separate it from other products.

The list below explains what paper products we accept.

You can drop off polystyrene that’s generated in the home at the Albury Recycling Centre for free.

We can then process the polystyrene through a special machine that melts it into small, dense blocks that are used to make useful products such as building insulation and photo frames.

Please don’t put polystyrene into your yellow kerbside bin. It can’t be recycled that way and causes contamination within your bins – but it is completely free to dispose of polystyrene by bringing it to the recycling centre, just make sure it's clean and dry.

Transporting Tyres within NSW

Commercial Purposes

Tyre transporters must report the movement of tyre waste to the Environment Protection Authority. To help industry meet its legal obligations, the EPA has developed a new Integrated Waste Tracking Solution (IWTS) for tracking and reporting on hazardous and regulated waste.

The AWMC does not accept commercial quantities of tyres. If you or your business is involved with the collection of tyres, you must track and report this waste to the EPA using the new IWTS.  The IWTS generates a unique EPA consignment ID that allows each load to be monitored from the place of generation to the site of disposal. Businesses are required to organise an agreement direct with a tyre recycler.

For more information on the new IWTS system, please refer to the NSW EPAs website Integrated waste tracking solution (nsw.gov.au)

Residential Purposes

Council only accept a maximum of six tyres per transaction for residents that reside in the Albury Local Government area. First two tyres are free, charges will apply for other tyres. Tyres from outside of the Albury area to be disposed of at their local transfer station.

Used tyres are one of the most problematic sources of waste because of their size and durability.

Old tyres take up valuable space in landfill, release toxic chemicals if ignited and provide habitat for vermin and mosquitoes.

Every year, 51 million tyres reach the end of their life in Australia but only about five per cent are recycled.

But the good news is that tyres contain rubber, steel and textiles that can be turned into useful products such as soft fall surfaces (playgrounds for children), artificial turf, industrial and commercial flooring, and conveyor belts.

If you’re undertaking a project at home that involves moving soils, old lawns or concrete and bricks, bring them to the Albury Waste Management Centre so we can recycle or reuse them.

Our customer service staff will help you to place these items in the correct location.

All soil type products are stockpiled and used for other purposes and do not incur charges if they are deemed clean by our staff. So when you arrive at the gatehouse with your load of soils, ask the team to take a look at your load. If it’s clean it’s free!

However, charges do apply to the disposal of concrete and bricks. These fees cover the costs of using contracted machinery to process the items.

All recyclable materials be separated and placed in the correct areas. We recommend sorting your load to separate general waste and recyclables.

Asbestos fibres are hazardous when inhaled. They can be released into the air when asbestos products are incorrectly handled, stored or transported for disposal.

Before renovating or doing maintenance work on your home, you need to confirm if it possibly contains asbestos. If your home was built or renovated before 1987, it is likely that it will. If so, you need to know how to remove and dispose of the asbestos safely.

If more than 10 square metres of bonded asbestos needs to be removed, you must engage a bonded asbestos removalist who is licensed by SafeWork NSW. If you are removing asbestos, advise your neighbours of the time and date of removal, and the name of the licensed removalist.

If loads are identified as containing, or are reasonably suspected of containing asbestos waste, are not declared on entry or prior to arrival, our staff will treat the entire load as asbestos waste. Where non-declared asbestos waste occurs, details will be forwarded to NSW EPA and SafeWork for investigation.

Asbestos Disposal

Asbestos is classified as a hazardous material. There are strict guidelines about how it should be packaged, labelled, transported and where it can be disposed. The Albury Waste Management Centre (AWMC) can lawfully receive asbestos waste in the designated area.

• Ensure asbestos waste has been wetted, double wrapped in 200 micron thick plastic, and sealed with tape before it is transported to a landfill site that may lawfully receive the waste.

For more information read:

Disposing of household Asbestos & Legal Requirements

Safely disposing of Asbestos Waste

To minimise the risk of asbestos exposure, WorkCover recommends that householders engage a licensed asbestos removalist contractor if asbestos must be disturbed or removed. Do-it-yourself asbestos removal is not recommended.

The following guide provides useful information to enable householders to safely manage the risks arising from asbestos materials in and around their homes.

A guide for householders and the general public.

Used syringes pose a health risk to the community and so safe disposal bins must be provided and used. Needle and syringe disposal bins can be found in hospital grounds, council amenity buildings, parks and reserves. Medical sharps can also be taken to participating pharmacies and public hospitals in a puncture-resistant container such as a coffee or paint tin.

People working with sharps should ensure they’re stored correctly to there’s no risk of harm to anyone who comes into contact with them.

Here are some basic guidelines:

• Store sharps in a puncture-proof container (a yellow sharps container)
• Store containers in a safe place that can’t be accessed by children
• Do not recap needles before placing them in the container
• Seal the container lid when full

How do I dispose of Clinical and related waste?

Medical waste containers can be brought into the pharmacies listed below for disposal free of charge. Alternatively you can visit safesharps.org.au, which gives a comprehensive list of all stores or locations in NSW where sharps can be disposed of safely.

Terry White Chemist
Centro Lavington
Griffith Road
Lavington 2641
Phone: 02 6025 4733

Fifield's Pharmacy
Cnr Dean & Townsend Streets
Albury 2640
Phone: 02 6021 3255

Terry White Chemist
543 Dean Street
Albury 2640
Phone: 02 6021 2714

Mayo's Northend Pharmacy
3/330 Urana Road
Lavington 2641
Phone: 02 6040 2204

Soul Pattinson Chemist
Thurgoona Plaza
Shuter Avenue
Thurgoona  2640
Phone: 02 6043 1444

Chemist Warehouse
483 Olive Street
Albury 2640
Phone: 02 6022 4088

Chemist Warehouse
Shops 3-5, 338 Kaitlers Road
Springdale Heights 2641
Phone: 02 6025 3007

Leftover paint is one of the most common sources of liquid waste in landfills but we can dispose of old paint in a safe and practical way – and disposal is free.

Australians buy more than 100 million litres of paint a year. About five million litres ends up in landfill, along with the packaging and materials that go with it.

Leftover paint can contaminate groundwater and should not be put into garbage bins.

However, if you deliver unwanted paint to the Albury Recycling Centre, it will be mixed with other waste solvents and used as an alternative fuel in cement kilns. The metal containers are also recycled.

Remember, you should never mix your paint with other chemicals, and if possible you should keep your paint in its original containers.

We have partnered with Paintback, which collects the paint and packaging from the Albury Recycling Centre and transports it for treatment. The packaging and waste liquid are separated. Waste paint is treated in a number of ways including energy recovery for solvent and liquid/solid separation for water-based paint, significantly minimising pressures on our landfill.

Household users and trade painters can drop off the following items for free:

• Interior and exterior architectural paint
• Deck coatings and floor paints
• Primers, undercoats and sealers
• Stains and shellacs
• Varnishes and urethanes (single component)
• Wood coatings
• Packaging

Used motor and cooking oil can be recycled, so rather than risk contamination or a spill at your place, bring it to us and we'll have it cleaned and put to good use.

Each year, Australians buy more than 500 million litres of motor oil. Just one litre of motor oil is enough to contaminate one million litres of water, and a single oil change in your car produces four to five litres of oil waste.

Used motor oil picks up toxic chemicals when used in engines and transmissions and is hazardous to the environment.

Sump oil - which includes engine oil, two-stroke, diesel oil and lubricating oils along with cooking oil - can be dropped off for free at the Albury Recycling Centre.

Fortunately, used motor oil can be recycled because instead of wearing out, it just gets dirty. The contaminants can be removed and the oil recycled time after time.

Some uses of recycled oil are industrial burner fuel, re-refined lube oil, or it can be used in other products as an additive.

If you have small quantities (20 litres maximum) of old motor oils or unused/used cooking oil make sure it is in a secure oil container and bring it to the Albury Recycling Centre.

Households are not charged for oil disposal but a fee applies for commercial operators.

Here are some useful tips for recycling oils:

• Dispose of old oils straight away otherwise you risk it entering the soil and contaminating ground water if it spills or leaks
• Do not mix oils with other chemicals as contamination may cause the oil to be unrecyclable. Keep liquids in original containers

Ensure all containers are sealed and have clearly identifiable labels.

The Issue

Sending batteries to landfill is a huge waste of beneficial resources.

When disposed of correctly, around 95% of alkaline and lithium battery components can be recycled in Australia and can be made into new products such as streetlights and car parts!

In Australia, about 350 million batteries are purchased every year. More than two thirds of them end up in landfill, where they can cause health and environmental problems.

Councils and waste contractors have seen a significant rise in the number of truck and rubbish fires caused by batteries, which if damaged are explosive and cause fires that are difficult to put out.

Heavy metals in batteries include cadmium, nickel, lead, and mercury, are all toxic and dangerous to human, animal and environmental health if not managed properly.

The environment is damaged by batteries in landfill because once their casings disintegrate, metals and chemicals inside the battery leach out.

How Can You Help?

You can prevent this type of environmental damage by dropping batteries at a designated drop off point. Once we’ve received them, they can be made into new products such as streetlights and car parts.

Some of the new uses for your old batteries include:

• Recycling nickel to produce stainless steel.
• Recycling acid to form sodium sulphate, which is used to make detergents, glass, and textiles.
• The production of new batteries, fertilisers, waste bins and plant pots

Where can you drop off your batteries?

In Albury, you can dispose of your unwanted vehicle and household batteries at either the Albury Recycling Centre located at the Albury Waste Management Centre or at the many local drop off locations listed here around town:

More Information

B-cycle resources

Because they contain mercury, fluorescent lamps are damaging if they end up in landfill - so let us take care of them for you.

While the risk of mercury poisoning from broken lights is low, 95% of mercury contained in waste lights in Australia end up in landfills which poses a significant environmental concern.

Over time, mercury converts to methylmercury, a toxic chemical that spreads into the environment through the air, water and soil.

The mercury from one fluorescent tube is enough to pollute 30,000 litres of water. But to eliminate the risk, fluorescent lights can be safely collected and recycled, creating positive uses for potentially dangerous products.

You can dispose of your waste lights for free by separating them and placing them in the correct receptacles at the Albury Recycling Centre.

The following can be recycled:

• Compact fluorescent lamps
• Fluorescent U-tubes
• Linear fluorescent lamps
• Mercury vapour lamps
• Metal halide lamps
• Sodium vapour lamps
• UV lamps
• LED tubes

Gas bottles that can no longer be refilled can be recycled for scrap metal

Gas bottles that are unfit for reuse can be recycled. High pressure gas bottles pose a significant safety hazard if compacted in landfill.

You can recycle your unwanted gas bottle for free at the Albury Recycling Centre.

Gas bottles have residual gas captured for reuse. Undamaged bottles are retested, restamped and entered into the hire industry. Damaged bottles are punctured and recycled as scrap metal.

Please do NOT put gas bottles into your kerbside bins as they pose a significant safety hazard if compacted in landfill.

Fire extinguishers are made from steel that can be fully recycled, while smoke detectors contain batteries and harmful materials. As long as they’re not generated by business or commercial use, you can dispose of them at the Albury Recycling Centre for no charge.

Like gas bottles, fire extinguishers are made from steel which is 100% recyclable, and can be recycled for scrap metal.

Smoke Detectors can contain batteries and in some cases harmful content that could react if it comes into contact with other materials.

To dispose of these items correctly, simple place them in marked container at the recycling centre.