What you can take to Council's resource recovery centres

Brisbane City Council resource recovery centres (previously known as 'transfer stations') are located at Willawong, Chandler, Ferny Grove and Nudgee. Use this page to find out what you can take to our resource recovery centres. For information about what you can put in your bins at home, download Council's free Brisbane Bin and Recycling app.

Residents in vehicles:

  • less than 4.5 tonnes combined gross vehicle mass (CGVM), can use the drive-through, free recycling area to unload acceptable recycling materials and Treasure Trove donations
  • less than 4.5 tonnes CGVM, all general waste and green waste incur domestic waste disposal fees payable by waste vouchers, card, or cash
  • above 4.5 tonnes CGVM can only use the major Resource Recovery Centres at Nudgee or Willawong
  • above 4.5 tonnes CGVM, can use the drive-through, free recycling area to unload acceptable recycling materials and Treasure Trove donations recycle using the labelled bins in the disposal area (fees apply)
  • above 4.5 tonnes CGVM, all general waste and green waste incur commercial waste disposal fees payable by card or cash only.

Separate your items before arriving to make recycling quicker and easier and to save money on tipping fees. Find information on using our resource recovery centres.

Items accepted for recycling

The following items can be dropped off at any of Council's four resource recovery centres. Note - not all of these items can be recycled in your yellow household recycling bin. Advise staff if your load includes the following recycling materials:

  • aluminium cans
  • some batteries including household batteries (sizes AAA-D), lithium and rechargeable batteries (e-bikes, e-scooters, rechargeable tools) and lead acid car batteries
  • cardboard and paper
  • clean polystyrene (up to five cubic metres. Loads over this volume attract fees and charges)1
  • electronic waste (mobile phones, computers, monitors, printers, keyboards/mice, other peripheral electronics, small household appliances (e.g. kettles, microwaves, cameras, vacuum cleaners)2
  • empty gas bottles (a maximum of up to six, nine-kilogram gas bottles)
  • fire extinguishers
  • fluorescent lighting tubes and bulbs
  • glass bottles and jars
  • halogen light bulbs
  • hard plastics (e.g. plastic plant pots, broken plastic toys, Tupperware)
  • metals (steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium, copper, tin)
  • oil - used mineral engine oil (100 litre limit)
  • oil – cooking oil (20 litre limit)
  • paint, water or oil-based paint (100 litre limit)
  • white goods and appliances (e.g. fridges, washing machines, dryers, freezers).

Limits apply for each product. All quantities must comply with relevant waste disposal regulations.

Find out more about disposing of household hazardous waste.

1 Polystyrene black trays commonly used for meat and fruit packaging cannot be recycled.

2 It is important to delete data from your electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops before disposing of them to help prevent theft of your personal information (known as 'identity theft'). Visit the MobileMuster website for tips on deleting data from mobile phones and the TechCollect website for deleting data from computers and other devices.

Items accepted for donation to Council's Treasure Troves

Council’s Treasure Troves prepare all reusable, donated items for sale. Proceeds go to the Endeavour Foundation to support people with a disability. Resource recovery centre staff may refuse to accept items for donation that are not considered saleable.

Advise staff if your load includes the following items for donation:

  • artwork antiques and sculptures
  • books
  • clothing - quality textiles and wearable clothing
  • compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs) and records
  • furniture and other household items in good working order
  • kitchen utensils
  • luggage
  • musical instruments
  • shoes and bags
  • sporting equipment including bikes and exercise equipment (Note - no electrical equipment)
  • toys suitable for ages three and up - good quality only (broken plastic toys must be recycled in the hard plastic bin).

General waste

You can take general waste to the resource recovery centres for disposal. Use your waste vouchers or fees will apply.

Resource recovery centres do not accept the following materials:

Visit the Planet Ark Recycling Near You website for information about other recycling and disposal options.

Quantities of soil, concrete and masonry:

  • are accepted for domestic quantities only (equivalent to a trailer or ute load)
  • are not accepted for commercial quantities (equivalent to a truckload or more).

For large quantities, contact a private landfill, concrete-crushing facility, or other disposal outlet that accepts these products. Businesses reuse, recycle or reprocess these products to a saleable product.

Green waste

Waste vouchers or fees apply for the disposal of green waste. Green waste material comes from the garden and includes:

  • branches
  • grass clippings
  • loose bark
  • palm fronds
  • prunings from shrubs and trees
  • weeds - including noxious weeds as the recycling process destroys seeds within the final composted material.

If you are unsure if the resource recovery centre will accept your green waste products, contact Council.

You can also recycle your garden waste with fortnightly bin collections with Council's green waste recycling service or use it as mulch in your garden to improve your soil.

More information

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Last updated: 19 April 2023
Topics: waste

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