Practical advice for choosing, using and booking skip bins in Australia.
Around 1.8 million mattresses go to landfill in Australia every year, partly because getting rid of one is genuinely awkward. Here are the five real options, from accredited recyclers to council collections, and how to work out which applies where you live.
Batteries, fridges, asbestos, paint, gas bottles, tyres, chemicals and sharps all need somewhere other than a general skip bin, and most of those places are free. Here's the full list of what's restricted, why, and exactly where each item goes instead.
Queensland councils cleaned up 13,107 tonnes of dumped waste in a year, and $13.7 million has just been committed to catching offenders. The thresholds and fines differ sharply between states, and some of what counts as illegal dumping is far more ordinary than people expect.
Asbestos cannot go in a general skip bin. NSW states plainly that it's illegal to put it in an uncovered skip or one not approved to hold it. Here's how much you may legally remove yourself, where the waste has to go, the notification most people miss, and what to do if asbestos ends up in a bin by accident.
Waking up to someone else's mattress in your hired skip is common, and in several states it meets the legal definition of illegal dumping, even when the bin sits on private property. Here's what the law says, why the load still has your name on it, and how to cut the risk.
Soil goes in a bin as heavy waste, and at 1.8 tonnes per cubic metre weight runs out long before space does. Here's what legally counts as clean fill in NSW and Queensland, where soil can go, and why free fill from a stranger can end up costing a landowner thousands.
Skip bins are sold by volume, but heavy waste hits the weight limit long before the bin fills up. Here's how to measure your load in cubic metres, how much a cubic metre of soil, brick, concrete or green waste actually weighs, and what to check before you book.
A fridge that still holds refrigerant gas can't simply go in a skip bin. Recovering that gas is regulated under Commonwealth law and has to be done by a licensed person. Here's who the rules apply to, what the penalties are, and the practical ways to get rid of an old fridge.
Old solar panels should stay out of a standard skip bin. Learn how to arrange safe removal and find an appropriate reuse or recycling service in Australia.
Across much of NSW, burning garden waste is prohibited all year round, not just during fire season. Here's how the Clean Air Regulation and RFS fire permits actually work, what the 10/50 clearing entitlement lets you cut, and where the green waste can go instead.
Vapes should not go in a standard skip bin. Learn why their built-in lithium batteries create a fire risk and how to find an appropriate disposal service in your part of Australia.
Batteries don't belong in a skip bin, and from 1 October 2026 NSW becomes the first state to make battery recycling a legal duty for suppliers. Here's why batteries start fires in trucks and tips, what the new rules actually change, and where to drop yours off for free.
Skip bin hire in Australia averages about $305 for a 2m³ mini skip and $1,111 for a 10m³ bin. Here's what you'll pay by size, city and waste type in 2026 — plus the extra charges to watch for.