Book your service

Our bookable service gives you flexibility to dispose of your bulky household items when it’s most convenient for you.

Each household in Lake Macquarie that pays a ‘Domestic Waste Management Charge’ as part of their rates is entitled to receive two bulky waste services in a rolling 12-month period.

There are two service options to choose from:

  • kerbside collection
  • drop-off voucher to dispose of waste at the Awaba Waste Management Facility. This options allows you to dispose of a wider range of items quickly. 

Book a kerbside collection

You can now choose to book a kerbside collection when you need one.

To book a kerbside collection, you must have an email address. If you do not have an email address, please call us on 02 4921 0333 to arrange your collection.

You must select the waste types you will place out for collection. Different trucks are sent to collect recyclable items (mattresses, e-waste and green waste) while the other bulky waste items are taken to landfill. If you do not select the waste type, the required truck will not be sent and those items will not be collected. 

You can change your collection booking up to 3 days before your booked collection day, including changing the selected waste types or number of entitlements you wish to use.

Please read the full terms and conditions prior to making your booking.

Book your bulky waste kerbside collection

Placing waste on the kerb

You can put out up to 2m3 of bulky items per booking.  If you have more, you can use both your services at once and put 4m3 of material out for collection. 

When presenting your waste for collection, you must: 

  • Place your waste out on the kerb the day before, or prior to 5.30am, on your booked collection day.
  • Place your waste in four separate piles (mattresses, e-waste, bundled green waste and other household items), ensuring that the different waste types are not stacked on top of each other.
  • Keep your waste on the kerb and off the road or footpath.
  • Keep your waste under the volume limit of 2m3 per booking.

View the list of acceptable and non-acceptable items below. 

Acceptable items

  • Dryers, washing machines and dishwashers
  • Furniture e.g. Lounges, chairs, tables
  • Appliances and electronics e.g. toaster, blender, heater and batteries, light bulbs, power cords
  • Toys and sporting goods
  • Scrap metal including barbecues
  • Mattresses
  • Flooring such as carpet and rugs
  • Green waste - must be bundled with natural string (not plastic). Keep branches under a maximum length of 1.5m and width of 30cm.

Unacceptable items

  • Asbestos and fibro sheets or planks
  • Fibreglass items including sheeting and bats
  • Vinyl and linoleum
  • Tyres
  • Liquids
  • Glass or mirrors
  • Bean bags or any items containing polystyrene - including polystyrene loose fill packaging
  • Batteries of any kind
  • Domestic or perishable garbage
  • Items over 80kg
  • Pesticides, flammable materials, paints, gas cylinders or car batteries
  • Car bodies, large engine blocks, rubble, concrete, building and construction waste
Bulky waste piles containing asbestos, fibro sheets/planks, vinyl or linoleum will not be collected. 

What can I do with unacceptable items?

You can recycle a wide range of items free of charge at the Community Recycling Facility, located at the Awaba Waste Management Facility, including gas cylinders, paint, e-waste, fire extinguishers, motor oil and batteries. Organise your trailer or ute so you can easily access these items when you arrive before crossing the weighbridge.

Find out more about the Community Recycling Centre.  

View Council's A-Z recycling guide to find out other ways to dispose of unacceptable items.

If your bulky waste was not collected on your booked collection day or the following day, please contact us on 02 4921 0333.

Make a booking

Request a drop-off voucher

You can use a service entitlement to request a drop-off voucher to take your waste to the Awaba Waste Management Facility. Our drop-off voucher helps you to dispose of a wider range of items and is emailed to you immediately upon booking. 

To request a drop-off voucher online, you must have an email address. If you do not have an email address, please call us on 02 4921 0333 to request your drop-off voucher.

Request a drop-off voucher

There are two types of drop-off vouchers:

Standard voucher
  • Entitles you to dispose of 250kg of waste per voucher or book both your services at once allowing up to 500kg to be dropped off.
  • Loads over the 250kg weight limit can be paid for using cash or card at the facility at the time of disposal. Mixed waste rate will be applicable.  
Asbestos only voucher
  • This voucher is for asbestos waste only. No other waste can be dropped off with an asbestos load. 
  • You must provide 24 hours’ notice of your drop-off by calling 02 4921 0778.
  • Only one asbestos voucher can be booked and presented at a time.  

All vouchers are valid 12 months from the date of your booking. 

You may also redeem a voucher on behalf of a resident, provided proof of occupancy is presented at the waste facility. For more information, please read the full terms and conditions.

Acceptable items

  • Dryers, washing machines and dishwashers, fridges, freezers and air conditioners
  • Furniture - lounges, chairs, tables
  • Appliances and electronics - toaster, blender and heater
  • Electronic waste - TVs, laptops, phones, batteries, light bulbs and power cords
  • Building and construction waste - concrete, bricks, tiles, stone, plasterboard and soil
  • Glass including windows and mirrors
  • Toys and sporting goods including bicycles
  • Scrap metal including barbecues
  • Mattresses
  • Flooring - carpet, rugs and linoleum
  • Green waste

Unacceptable items

  • Asbestos (unless using an asbestos drop-off voucher)
  • Liquid waste
  • Chemicals and pesticides
  • Medical waste
  • Car bodies and engine blocks
  • Car, tractor and truck tyres
  • Special waste including deceased animals


Attending our waste facility

When attending our waste facility, you must:

  • Wear enclosed shoes.
  • Download or print your voucher at home so you can present it at the weighbridge. 
  • Provide proof of occupancy, such as a drivers’ licence or utility bill, to redeem the voucher.
  • If presenting an asbestos only voucher, you must provide 24 hours’ notice of your drop off by calling 02 4921 0778.
  • If you are disposing of green waste with your drop-off voucher, you must use Council's weighbridge and dispose of the green waste at the transfer site. Green waste will then be transferred to the Lake Macquarie Organics Resource Recovery Facility for processing. If you drive directly to the Lake Macquarie Organics Resource Recovery Facility, you will not be able to use your voucher to dispose of the green waste.

For more information, please ensure you have read and understood the terms and conditions.

Request a drop-off voucher

Check my bulky waste entitlements

Each household in Lake Macquarie that pays a ‘Domestic Waste Management Charge’ as part of their rates is entitled to receive two bulky waste services in a rolling 12-month period.

You can request two services (i.e. two kerbside collections OR two drop-off vouchers OR one kerbside collection and one drop-off voucher) within any rolling 12-month period. For a kerbside collection the service entitlement resets 12 months after the kerbside collection date.  For a drop-off voucher the service entitlement resets 12 months after the date it was booked and issued by email.

Strata dwellings

If you live in a strata complex and pay the Domestic Waste Management Charge through your rates, you are entitled to book two bulky waste services in a rolling 12-month period for your dwelling. 

Multiple occupancy dwellings

If you are the owner of the complex, you pay one Domestic Waste Management Charge through your rates for the entire complex. You are entitled to book two bulky waste services or drop-off vouchers in a rolling 12-month period or can opt to use those entitlements to book services on behalf of any the dwellings in the complex. 

If you are a resident in a multiple occupancy complex you have not pre-paid for bulky waste services through your rates. You can book a kerbside collection for your dwelling and pay the additional service fee by credit card at the time of booking. Fees apply

Paid collections once all entitlements have been used

If both entitlements have been used in the 12-month period, residents are able to book and pay for an additional kerbside collection, subject to availability. Fees apply for additional kerbside collections and must be paid by credit card at the time of booking. 

You can check to see when your next entitlement by searching for your property and clicking on the ‘view property details’.

Check my entitlements