What can't go in a skip bin?

Asbestos, liquids and paint, chemicals, gas bottles, batteries, tyres and often mattresses and e-waste, though the exact list varies by operator and by region. Putting any of them in anyway usually results in a contamination charge and, for asbestos, potentially far more than that — declare it and price it properly.

Who is liable if rubbish is dumped illegally?

Environmental protection legislation in Australian states generally allows enforcement against the person who generated the waste as well as the person who dumped it, and paperwork found in the pile is how that connection gets made. That is why asking where it is going and keeping the disposal receipt is more than a formality.

Who to hire to remove rubbish

Short answer

A rubbish removal business or a skip bin, depending on whether you want it loaded for you. The two things that change the price are volume and what is in it — asbestos, tyres, mattresses, paint, chemicals, batteries and e-waste are all charged differently or refused, and dumping any of them illegally is an offence attributed to the waste's owner.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Cleaner.

a licensed asbestos removalist
there is any chance of asbestos in the pile. General rubbish removal businesses cannot take it and should not be asked to.
your council
you have a hard waste collection available. Several councils offer free collections and it is the cheapest option by a wide margin.

What to do before anyone arrives

Sort it. Metal often has value, green waste is cheaper, and e-waste and chemicals have their own free or low-cost drop-off points in most areas.
Estimate the volume in cubic metres, or photograph the pile next to something for scale.
Check what the operator will not take, before they arrive.
Check your council's hard waste service. Using it first reduces what you are paying to remove.

What to ask when you book

Is this priced by volume or by weight?
What will you not take?
Where is it going, and can I have the disposal receipt?
Is loading included, or do I need it at the kerb?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

Volume, and whether it is loaded for you.
Waste type and disposal fees.
Access, and how far material has to be carried.
Whether a skip needs a permit to stand on the street.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Waste transport is licensed or permitted in several states, particularly for asbestos and other regulated waste. Illegal dumping penalties generally follow the waste back to whoever generated it, which is why the disposal receipt matters.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for rubbish to remove: A rubbish removal business or a skip bin, depending on whether you want it loaded for you. The two things that change the price are volume and what is in it — asbestos, tyres, mattresses, paint, chemicals, batteries and e-waste are all charged differently or refused, and dumping any of them illegally is an offence attributed to the waste's owner.
What can't go in a skip bin?: Asbestos, liquids and paint, chemicals, gas bottles, batteries, tyres and often mattresses and e-waste, though the exact list varies by operator and by region. Putting any of them in anyway usually results in a contamination charge and, for asbestos, potentially far more than that — declare it and price it properly.
Who is liable if rubbish is dumped illegally?: Environmental protection legislation in Australian states generally allows enforcement against the person who generated the waste as well as the person who dumped it, and paperwork found in the pile is how that connection gets made. That is why asking where it is going and keeping the disposal receipt is more than a formality.

Find a Cleaner near you

3,843 cleaners in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.