Tricky waste
Things you need to know about waste that can not be disposed of in the 3 household bins, or in a hard waste collection.
Do you have an item that is not listed below? Visit the Which Bin website, type in your suburb and the item for disposal. You’ll find out which bin to use or alternative disposal methods.
If you have a lot of waste and need a Full Service Rubbish Removal, a couple of suggestions include:
Supreme Skips Skip Bin Hire in Unley. Phone: 1800 954 947
1800-GOT-JUNK Phone: 1800 468 586
The City of Unley provides a service where residents can drop off small quantities of tricky waste, including batteries, engine oil, light globes, fluorescent tubes, mobile phones, small electrical goods and clean polystyrene at the Unley Works Depot, 75 King William Road, Unley. You will find further details below.
Please note that this service is only available on Mondays from 7.30am - 3.30pm (and does not include public holidays).
E-Waste (Electrical) Recycling
Did you know Australia discards almost 20 kilograms per person per year of electrical and electronic goods, and recycles only 5%?
Electrical waste (e-waste) is any item with a battery or an electrical cord. If you have an electronic product that is still usable, consider donating it to a community group, charity, friend or family member in preference to recycling.
Unplug n' Drop locations for e-waste
To help improve our recycling of electrical items, the City of Unley has joined with Electronic Recycling Australia in providing a convenient location for residents to drop off unwanted electrical items.
Unplug n' Drop Locations
Take small unwanted or broken electrical items to Unley Works Depot, 75 King William Road, Unley.
Located inside the Depot site, and only available Monday 7.30am - 3.30pm (does not include public holidays).
Alternative drop-off locations can be found on the Electronic Recycling Australia website.
Using the Unplug n' Drop cage
The FREE Unplug n’ Drop cage accepts small electronic and electrical goods that plug into a power point, use a charger or are powered by a battery.
Please place your unwanted electronic and electrical goods INSIDE the Unplug n’ Drop cage. Only small appliances are accepted, unfortunately we cannot take large items like fridges or washing machines.
Electrical appliances are dismantled and the different components are sorted. Many of the materials, including glass, copper, plastics, metals and precious metals, are recovered for further processing and eventual use in the manufacture of new products.
Acceptable items
We can take small to medium-sized domestic electrical items. These include:
- TVs – all types
- Computers
- Laptops
- Printers
- Toasters
- Phones
- Batteries – please tape over terminals
- Printer and toner cartridges
- MP3 players
- Microwave ovens
- Hairdryers
- Food processors
- Drills
- Watches
- Kids toys
- Kitchen appliances
- Cabling
- Gaming devices
- Monitors
- Computer peripherals (mice, keyboards, modems, network devices)
- Fax machines
- Cameras (digital and video)
- Scanners
- Stereo equipment
- DVD players and DVDs
- CDs
Larger Items
Fridges, freezers and washing machines can be recycled by suppliers of new products. Ask your retailer if they collect and recycle any whitegoods you are replacing.
Alternatively, these items may be dropped to a transfer station, a scrap metal recycler (see below) or picked-up as part of your hard waste collection.
Electronic Recycling Australia
Electronic Recycling Australia can deliver not just better environmental outcomes, but better social outcomes too.
Their successful electronic and electrical recycling operation is an initiative of Minda, who provide services to people living with a disability through sustainable employment, enriching their lives through greater community participation and contribution.
The A - Z of Tricky Waste
Asbestos
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is primarily responsible for the regulation of asbestos transport and disposal.
Check out the Asbestos disposal fact sheet for further information.
Asbestos SA can provide information on finding and identifying asbestos, what to do with it, how to remove it and where to put it for residential settings and workplaces.
Batteries - car and truck
Batteries - alkaline
Small quantities of AA, AAA alkaline batteries will be accepted at the following locations:
- Unley Works Depot: 75 King William Road, Unley. (Mondays only 7.30am – 3.30pm, excluding public holidays)
- Unley Civic Centre: 181 Unley Road Unley. Phone: 8372 5111
- Unley Library: 181 Unley Road Unley. Phone: 8372 5110
- Goodwood Library: 101 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood. Phone: 8372 5166
- Adelaide Waste and Recycling Centre: 181 Morphett Rd, North Plympton. Phone: 8295 5077
Small quantities of power tool batteries, lithium ion, button cell, AA, AAA (alkaline batteries) will also be accepted at Barrow and Bench Mitre 10: 321 Unley Road, Unley. Phone: 8272 8566.
Blister packs (pill packets)
As from June 2024, Council has bins for accepting tablet packs and pill containers from the pharmaceutical industry at our Depot Works location at 75 King William Road on Mondays only. The large blue bins will be available next to other bins which accept Tricky Waste products.
The Council also has smaller corflute-style bins in the reception area of our Civic Centre, 181 Unley Road, Unley. Ask our friendly staff where you can leave medicine packs.
There are also bins for this type of waste at the Fullarton Park Community Centre, 411 Fullarton Road, Fullarton.
For more information, search Pharmacycle.
Clothing & textiles
Good quality, clean clothing will be accepted at most local charity 'Opportunity Shops' such as St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army. Check their websites for details of items that will be accepted, and preferred drop-off times.
e-Waste
Residents of the City of Unley can drop off small domestic electrical (e-waste) items at the following locations:
Engine oil & cooking oil
Residents of the City of Unley can drop off small quantities of engine oil at;
Flares
It is a legal requirement in South Australia that expired marine distress flares must be handed in to a police station equipped to handle marine pyrotechnics. These flares are then collected by SafeWork SA and safely destroyed. Further details are available from the SafeWork SA website.
Fluoros & globes
Residents of the City of Unley can drop off small quantities of fluorescent light tubes ('fluoros') and light globes at:
Gas bottles
Older gas bottles which are out of date and cannot be refilled will be accepted at:
Household hazardous chemical waste
Some solid and liquid waste is hazardous and is not suitable for the usual collection and disposal methods.
Hazardous waste products include:
- Garden chemicals such as pesticides, weedkillers and fertilisers, insect repellents and rat poison.
- Cleaners such as oven cleaner, toilet cleaner, bleach, ammonia and furniture polish.
- Automotive products such as fuels, lubricants and degreasers.
- Home improvement products such as paints, thinners and adhesives, batteries and pool chlorine.
Please do not:
- Place hazardous products out for garbage collection;
- Bury them; or
- Dispose of them in sewer or stormwater systems.
Free household chemicals and paint drop-off locations
For queries about where to take paint and household chemicals, or for details on opening times please visit the Paintback website or phone: 1300 390 380.
What is accepted?
Accepted items include:
- Acids and alkalis
- Brake fluid and coolants
- Motor oil
- Cleaning products
- Fumigants
- Liquid paints – oil and water-based - up to 100 litres
- Gas cylinders
- Batteries
- Pesticides, herbicides, insecticides
- Photographic chemicals
- Poisons
- Pool chemicals
- Solvents, varnishes and stains
- Fluorescent light globes
- Other household chemicals.
Mattresses and ensembles
Mattress and ensemble bases can be booked in for hard waste collection, and must be booked as a separate collection from other hard waste usually collected from households. Please allow 1-2 weeks for pick-up.
Book a mattress collection
Metals
(Including lead, aluminium, brass, copper, iron and ferrous metals)
Mobile phones
Residents of the City of Unley can drop off old or unwanted mobile phones at the Unley Works Depot, 75 King William Road, Unley. Mondays only from 7.30am - 3.30pm (excluding public holidays.)
Mobile phones can also be recycled through MobileMuster. MobileMuster is an official free, not for profit, Australia-wide recycling program, an initiative funded by the Australian telecommunications industry.
Nespresso coffee capsules
Nespresso pods/capsules can be recycled at sites which participate in their Nespresso Coffee Capsule Recycling Program.
Coffee pods or capsules made with plastic cannot be recycled.
Reusable, refillable coffee pods/capsules are available. Also, look out for compostable capsules which can be placed in the organics bin.
Oral care products
TerraCycle offers free programs for recycling a variety of waste streams. To find out where oral care items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste etc. can be recycled, visit TerraCycle for drop-off locations.
Alternatively, please dispose of oral care items in your general waste Blue Bin.
Paint
Unwanted paint can be disposed of at the following locations:
Phone: 8340 2200
Phone: 8295 5077
For more information about where to take paint and household chemicals, or for more details on opening times, please visit the Paintback website or phone: 1300 390 380.
Alternatively, you can allow paint to harden (dry out), then tap out contents into the Blue Lid waste bin and place the container (tin) in the Yellow-Lid recycling bin.
Personal care & beauty packaging
Many businesses have now partnered with global recycling giant TerraCycle, making recycling your beauty items even easier.
- L'Oreal Australia have teamed up with TerraCycle to bring second life to used beauty products through a FREE Beauty Products Recycling Program. For more information on where the nearest drop-off location is in your area, visit TerraCycle.
- Priceline pharmacy chain announced that they have partnered with Maybelline and TerraCycle to make recycling your beauty products even easier. Priceline stores now have recycling bins where you can dump your used beauty products from any brand.
Contact you nearest Priceline Store to obtain more information.
Pharmaceuticals
All chemists will take unused or unwanted pills and medications, and some will accept and replace sharps containers.
See 'Return Unwanted Medicines' on The RUM Project website.
As of June 2024, Council now has special bins for deposits of medical blister packs - all the packaging that pills come in.
People can drop these off on Mondays at the Council's Depot Works location at 75 King William Road, into a large blue bin sitting alongside other Tricky Waste bins.
Alternately, there are smaller, corflute-type bins located at Council's Civic Centre reception area in the foyer, and a special bins for this type of waste at the Fullarton Park Community Centre, 411 Fullarton Road, Fullarton (corner of Fisher Street).
Visit Pharmacycle for more information.
Polystyrene
At the City of Unley, we have joined forces with Electronic Recycling Australia by becoming a polystyrene drop-off point.
We understand the importance of diverting this terrible material from landfill. Collected polystyrene will be recycled into consumer goods, including mobile phone covers, DVD cases and picture frames.
Find the large collection bag for clean polystyrene at the Unley Works Depot. Only solid, clean pieces of polystyrene foam are accepted. We cannot collect food-grade styrene, styrene beads or packaging pellets.
When: MONDAYS ONLY 7.30am to 3.30pm (excluding public holidays)
Where: 75 King William Road, Unley.
Printer cartridges
Printer cartridges can be recycled at the following stores:
Soft plastics
Place soft plastic wrappers and bags in your landfill bin (Blue Lid). Please do not place any soft wrappable plastic packaging or bags in your Yellow Bin as they tangle and clog up sorting machinery and contaminate the paper and cardboard stream.
Tyres
You can take old used tyres to the following locations:
Whitegoods
Whitegoods, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines can be recycled by suppliers of new products. If you are buying new whitegoods, check with the retailer and see if they will collect any whitegoods you are replacing.
Whitegoods can be booked in for hard waste collection.
Alternatively, these items may be dropped to a resource transfer station, or picked-up by a waste collection service, such as;
Some items may be free to drop off at the above locations – check their opening hours and any potential fees with the operator.
X-rays
Unley residents can drop off their unwanted x-ray films in the specially-labelled x-ray recycling bins located in the Unley Community Centre, 18 Arthur Street, Unley. There is no charge for this service.