Waste and Recycling Tricky Items

Council provides a fortnightly recycling service to all serviceable areas via a 240 litre yellow-lidded wheelie bin.

The cost of this service is charged via the property's rate notice.

For further information, please contact Council's Waste Department on 1300 005 872 or visit the Waste Collection FAQ page.

The Ability Enterprises Tip Shop is situated beside the Gatton Landfill on Fords Road, Gatton.

Each Transfer Station in the Lockyer Valley also has a small Tip Shop on site.

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Friday: 8.00am to 4pm

Saturday: 9am to 4pm

Closed Sunday, Monday and Public Holidays.

Selling and receiving items now.

Want to get rid of your old mobile phone and accessories? Drop it into a MobileMuster collection point near you.

Collection Points:

• Gatton Transfer Station
• Laidley Transfer Station
• Grantham Transfer Station
• Withcott Transfer Station
• Gatton Administration Office

See the Waste Disposal Facilities page for locations and operational hours.

Before dropping off your phone, make sure you:

• Delete all personal information, and
• Remove sim cards.

For more information or to find a drop off point near you, visit the MobileMuster website.

Council provides two locations to drop off your used printer cartridges. Cartridges 4 Planet Ark collection boxes are located at both Council Administration Offices in Laidley and Gatton.

Printer cartridges are made up of a complex combination of plastics, metals, foam, ink and toner.

Throwing them into landfill represents a waste of resources and contributes to the growing problem of electronic waste. By recycling your cartridges, you are helping to reduce this waste.

For more information on this program, visit the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark website.

This program is for the collection of empty, clean farm containers that carry the drumMUSTER sticker.

Only containers with the drumMuster sticker are able to be recycled through this program. No fees are charged as the cost is included in the original purchase of these containers.

Click here to see how the drumMUSTER program works.

Collection Points:

• Grantham Transfer Station
• Lockyer Waters Transfer Station
• Laidley Transfer Station
• Gatton Transfer Station - Treatment Plant Road

See the Waste Disposal Facilities page for locations and operational hours.

For further information about the program, visit the DrumMuster website.

ChemClear provides a reliable and responsible collection and disposal service for obsolete agricultural and veterinary chemicals to:

• Primary producers
• Agricultural and veterinary businesses
• The ag retail industry
• Pest control managers
• Forestry
• Local and State Government agencies
• Golf courses
• Any other users of agricultural and veterinary chemicals

Click here to see how the ChemClear program works.

To find out when the next scheduled collection is taking place and to make a booking to have your unused chemicals collected, contact 1800 008 182 or visit the ChemClear website for more information.

Including medical, refrigerant and industrial hired cylinders.

SWAP’n’Go - Find your nearest SWAP’n’GO gas bottle exchange at SWAP'n'GO Near me Locator App - FREE

Domestic LPG gas cylinders up to 9kg, not part of the SWAP'n'Go Scheme, can be taken to Council transfer stations for recycling.

All medical, refrigerant and industrial hired cylinder must be returned for refund at local suppliers near you.

BOC – Valley Steel

Air Liquide – Valley Irrigation

Pure Gas – Valley Steel

Tyres from cars and bikes should never be put in your household recycling bin. They can be recycled, but only when dropped off at designated collection points, or through an accredited Tyre Stewardship Australia mechanic, retailer, or dealership when you’re having your old tyres replaced with new ones.

Car, motorcycle and 4x4 tyres can be disposed of at Council's Gatton Transfer Station for a fee.

Lockyer Valley Regional Council has partnered with Ability Enterprises, a not-for-profit, social enterprise providing meaningful employment opportunities to marginalised individuals living in regional Queensland.

Every mattress that is brought to the Laidley Transfer Station will be manually deconstructed to remove recoverable items such as metal and foam.

Since 2012, Ability Enterprises has worked alongside more than 320 people facing barriers to employment.

Residents are urged to bring their mattresses to the Laidley Transfer Station so we can reduce the amount of mattresses being sent to landfill. Normal fees and charges apply for mattress disposal as a third-party organisation is paid to provide the deconstruction service.

Why should I recycle my mattress?

Even though most components of a mattress can be recycled, they are one of the most common items sent to landfill. Each year in Australia around 1.6 to 1.8 million mattresses are disposed of, each taking up around 0.75 cubic meters of landfill space. The Gatton landfill is reaching capacity, so by recycling old mattresses, these large waste items can be diverted from landfill and their components, such as foam and springs, can be recycled into a number of new products.

How should I stack my mattress at the Laidley Transfer Station?

The shed at Laidley will store mattress each week for Ability Enterprises staff. Council asks that residents stack mattresses in an upright manner to assist with the manual handling of mattresses for deconstruction.

Can I take my mattress anywhere else to dispose of?

Council is also able to accept mattresses at the Gatton Transfer station where they are placed in a bin and transported to Laidley for processing.

Did you know that batteries such as AAA, AA, button cells and similar, are not able to be disposed of in your general waste bin? Household batteries contain many toxic chemicals which are an environmental hazard. They are one of the contributors to fires in waste collection vehicles, and at the landfill, causing risk to both operators and infrastructure.

Batteries require the terminals to be taped with sticky tape (to prevent sparking) and can be disposed of at B-cycle battery disposal points. These are located at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, Mitre10, Bunnings and Gatton Return-It stores within the region. For further information on what batteries can be recycled please visit bcycle.com.au.

Vapes / E-cigarettes, similarly to household batteries cannot be disposed of through household waste collection services. This is due to containing toxic chemicals which are an environmental hazard. These toxic chemicals are one of the contributors to fires in waste collection vehicles and at the landfill, causing risk to both operators and infrastructure.

Council now has disposal units available at Gatton, Laidley, Lockyer Waters and Withcott Transfer Stations. Please proceed to the weighbridge / site hut to deposit used vapes.

There are two types of smoke alarms - photoelectric and ionisation (which contain a small amount of radioactive material). There are no restrictions on the disposal of photoelectric type detectors, and domestic quantities of ionisation are able to be disposed of in your Red general waste bin.

Ensure batteries have been removedprior to disposal as they cannot be placed in your waste bin, and disposed of at your local BCycle disposal point.

Refer to the Household batteries section above for further information.

Water-based paints are not considered hazardous waste, however they can make a terrible mess when disposed of incorrectly. When paint containers are placed into collection bins both on the kerbside or at transfer stations, paint often leaks out of the collection vehicles and may cause property damage.

Water-based paint must be dried out prior to disposal or deposited to a specialty disposal scheme such as Paintback. Empty paint tins (with 25mm or less of dried paint left inside) may be deposited into the scrap metal pile at Council transfer stations.

Some tips and tricks for setting your paint include:

• Place it in a container filled with kitty litter or paper scraps, let it dry and place it in the waste bin.
• Use a commercially available waste paint hardener, which assists in making larger quantities of paint to harden in a matter of hours.

Solvent-based paint products such as oil-based paint, thinners, turpentine, mineral spirits and other solvents are all considered hazardous waste in liquid form. Oil-based paints are able to be deposited through specialty schemes such as Paintback, however solvents such as thinners, turpentine and mineral spirits are not accepted. These items are required to be disposed of through a licensed hazardous waste facility.

Some tips and tricks for reducing the amount of solvent-based products you have for disposal include:

• Pour used solvents into a clear glass jar and allow the paint sediments to settle to the bottom. The clean solvent can then be poured off and used on a future product, and the residual paint sludge mixed with paper or kitty litter to dry out and can then be deposited as general waste.

Tips for reducing paint waste:

Buy only what you need: Be sure to estimate the exact amount of paint required for your job. Paint cans often include coverage instructions to help work out how much you need.

Use it all up: Apply a second coat or touch ups as needed.

Consider saving it for a future project: Water-based paint can be stored, mixed and reused for a later project. If it's not the exact colour you need, you can use it as a base paint or to paint interior surfaces that won't be seen. This way you can use it up without needing to throw it away.

Store it so it lasts for years: Tightly seal the used paint can and store it in a cool, dry storage area away from pets and children.

Donate your leftovers: If you don't have use for your leftover paint, someone else might. Check community groups and other organisations in your area that might be able to use it. Ensure all donated paints are in their original containers with labels intact.

Visit the Paintback website to locate your closest disposal facility.