Clearing out a Canberra or Queanbeyan home before you move? Bulky waste works differently either side of the border. Here’s how each service works, where the drop-off sites are, and how to fit it around your end of lease clean.
Details checked 11 October 2026; bulky waste booking rules and fees re-checked 15 October 2026. Confirm on the official page before you book.
Quick answer: in Canberra, every household can book one free bulky waste collection (up to 2 cubic metres) each financial year through ACT NoWaste, and bookings close 14 days before the collection date. In Queanbeyan, homes with their own three bins can book up to two free Kerbside Clean Ups a year through Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. Book as soon as you know your moving date, so everything is gone before your end of lease clean.
Canberra and Queanbeyan at a glance
| At a glance | Canberra (ACT NoWaste) | Queanbeyan (QPRC) |
|---|---|---|
| Free collections | One a financial year, up to 2 m³ | Up to two a financial year, up to 2 m³ each |
| Who can book | Canberra households; in a shared-bin complex, your strata or building manager books | Homes with a three-bin service; shared-bin unit blocks get two scheduled clean-ups a year |
| Mattresses | $46.35 per mattress or bed base (from 1 July 2026) | One mattress or one ensemble base, placed separately |
| How to book | Online or 02 6205 9521 | LoopedIn Councils app or online |
| Notice needed | Bookings close 14 days before collection; book up to 6 months ahead | No minimum published; changes or cancellations 6 days before |
| Putting items out | As your booking says | No earlier than one day before, and by 6 am on the day |
| No date that suits? | Mitchell or Mugga Lane tips (fees apply) | Bungendore Transfer Station (fees apply to some items) |
Your move-out timeline
- As soon as you know your moving date: book bulky waste. In the ACT, bookings close 14 days before the collection date, so the earliest collection is at least two weeks after you book, and a date before you move isn’t guaranteed.
- Collection day: put items out as your booking says, so they’re gone before the clean.
- Property empty: your end of lease clean, so the cleaners can reach every room.
- Final inspection: hand back the keys.
Clear the rubbish first, then let us handle the end of lease clean, so your Canberra or Queanbeyan rental is ready for inspection. From $249.40 for a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom property.
ACT Government: City Services (ACT NoWaste)
There are no local councils in the ACT. Household bins, bulky waste collections and the tips are run by the ACT Government’s City Services, through its waste service ACT NoWaste.
Bulky waste collection
- Who and how much: Canberra households can book one free bulky waste collection each financial year, of up to 2 cubic metres.
- Limits: no item longer than 2 metres or too heavy for two people to move safely.
- Not collected: batteries and items with built-in batteries, hazardous waste and chemicals, glass and mirrors, asbestos, gas bottles, soil, tyres, garden or food waste, building materials, liquids, recycling and general household rubbish. Full list of accepted and excluded items.
- Cost: the yearly collection is free; mattresses and bed bases cost $46.35 each (from 1 July 2026). ACT NoWaste fees.
- Booking notice: bookings close 14 days before the collection date and can be made up to 6 months ahead. Cancellations are accepted until 2 business days before collection.
- Apartments and townhouses with shared bins: ask your strata or building manager, who books bulky waste collections for residents.
- Book: online bulky waste booking or call ACT NoWaste on 02 6205 9521.
Drop-off sites
- Mitchell Resource Management Centre (tip), Flemington Road, Mitchell. Hours: 7.30 am to 5 pm, seven days; closed Good Friday and Christmas Day. Household rubbish by vehicle load (for example $17.30 for up to a sedan boot under 0.5 tonnes, from 1 July 2026), mattresses for a fee; whitegoods, TVs and computers free. Goodies Junction reuse shop on site. Centre details · Fees
- Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre (tip), Mugga Lane, Symonston. Hours: 7.30 am to 5 pm, seven days; closed Good Friday and Christmas Day. As for Mitchell, plus free green garden waste and free household recycling. Centre details · What goes where (Recyclopaedia)
- Recycling drop-off centres (recycling only, free, open 24 hours, seven days; no rubbish, polystyrene or soft plastics): Belconnen (Jolly Street), Gungahlin (3 O’Brien Place), Mitchell (22–26 Baillieu Circuit), Phillip (38 Botany Street) and Tuggeranong (Scollay Street). Drop-off locations
Moving out: Bulky waste bookings close 14 days before the collection date, so check available dates as soon as you know your moving date, and have items collected before your end of lease clean and key handover. If no collection date suits, you can take items to Mitchell or Mugga Lane yourself (fees apply), or arrange a rubbish removal service.
Sources: City Services: Bins; Bulky waste collection; Shared-bin complexes; Resource management centres; Drop-off; Fees and charges; Contact.
Clear the rubbish first, then let us handle the end of lease clean, so your Canberra or Queanbeyan rental is ready for inspection. From $249.40 for a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom property.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council
Queanbeyan is in New South Wales, so bins and bulky waste are run by Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, not the ACT Government.
Kerbside Clean Up (bulky waste)
- Who: urban homes with a three-bin service (garbage, recycling and FOGO).
- How much: up to two free collections each financial year, if available, of up to 2 cubic metres each, plus one mattress or one ensemble base placed separately.
- Not collected: TVs, computers and monitors, paint, gas bottles, batteries and items with built-in batteries, construction waste, hazardous materials and garden waste. Full list.
- Notice: the council does not publish a minimum booking period; changes or cancellations must be made six days before collection. Put items out no earlier than one day before, and by 6 am on the day.
- Unit blocks with shared bins: eligible multi-unit properties get two scheduled clean-ups a year, with dates sent by mail.
- Book: in the LoopedIn Councils app or online. No confirmation? Call the council on 1300 735 025.
Drop-off sites
- Queanbeyan Waste Minimisation Centre (recycling and green waste only; no household rubbish), 5 Lorn Road, Crestwood. Hours: Monday to Friday 9.15 am to 4.15 pm; Saturday and Sunday 7.15 am to 4.15 pm. Green waste (free for residents), cardboard and paper, recycling, and household items such as batteries, oils, paint and gas bottles. It does not take general household waste, builders’ materials or e-waste. Transfer stations
- Bungendore Transfer Station (transfer station), 210 Tarago Road, Bungendore. The council’s nearest site to Queanbeyan that takes general household waste, mattresses and whitegoods (fees apply to some items). Its opening hours are changing, so check the council page before you go. Hours, items and fees
Moving out: Book your Kerbside Clean Up as early as you can and have items collected before your end of lease clean and key handover. If no collection suits your moving date, take items to the Bungendore Transfer Station (fees apply to some items) or arrange a rubbish removal service.
Sources: QPRC: Check my bin collection day; Kerbside Clean Up; Transfer stations; Collection schedules; FOGO guide (PDF); Contact.
Bulky waste questions
How far ahead do I need to book bulky waste before moving out?
In the ACT, bookings close 14 days before the collection date (not your moving date), and you can book up to 6 months ahead. Booking two weeks before you move doesn’t guarantee a collection before you leave, so book as early as you can. Queanbeyan-Palerang doesn’t publish a minimum booking period, so book your Kerbside Clean Up as soon as you know your moving date.
Is bulky waste collection free in the ACT?
Yes. Each Canberra household gets one free collection of up to 2 cubic metres each financial year. Mattresses and bed bases cost $46.35 each (from 1 July 2026).
Can I leave furniture on the kerb in Queanbeyan?
Only for a booked Kerbside Clean Up: put items out no earlier than one day before your collection and by 6 am on the day.
I rent an apartment. Can I book bulky waste?
In a Canberra complex with shared bins, ask your strata or building manager, who books for residents. In Queanbeyan, eligible unit blocks with shared bins get two scheduled clean-ups a year, with dates sent by mail.
Should I book bulky waste before or after my end of lease clean?
Before. Have everything collected first, then book your end of lease clean in Canberra or Queanbeyan for when the property is empty.
What if no collection date suits my move?
Take items to the Mitchell or Mugga Lane resource management centres in the ACT, or the Bungendore Transfer Station for Queanbeyan (fees apply), or use a rubbish removal service.
Moving out? Book your end of lease clean
Once the rubbish is gone, we’ll get the property inspection-ready while you focus on the move. See end of lease cleaning in Canberra or in Queanbeyan, and read our moving out and rental bond guide for the bond side.
Bond Back Guarantee: missed a spot? Free re-clean. Just let us know within 72 hours. Terms apply.
From $249.40 for a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom property.