To remove a spa or hot tub yourself, get a licensed electrician to disconnect it if it's hardwired, drain the water anywhere but the stormwater drain, strip out the pump and heater, then cut the shell into pieces two people can carry and take the lot to the tip. Plan for weight. Vortex lists its six-seat Spectrum at 406 kg empty.
Last updated: November 2026
What a spa weighs, and what the tip charges
Spas vary a lot. These figures come from one six-seat model and one Sydney tip, so use them as a guide and check your own spa's spec sheet and your local tip's price list for the exact numbers.
- Vortex's six-seat Spectrum measures 2.30 m by 2.30 m and is 0.92 m tall (Vortex Spas spec sheet, checked November 2026).
- Empty, it weighs 406 kg. Full of water with the cover on, it's 1,776 kg, and it holds 1,352 litres (Vortex Spas).
- Vortex's 10-seat Titanium holds 1,990 litres and weighs 2,594 kg full (Vortex Spas).
- Kimbriki charges $505 a tonne for mixed waste in 2026/27. The minimum charge is $45 for Northern Beaches and Mosman residents and $60 for everyone else, covering loads up to 100 kg (Kimbriki price list, from 1 July 2026).
- That tonne rate includes the NSW waste levy, which is $180.20 a tonne across the Sydney metropolitan area in 2026-27 (NSW EPA).
So if all 406 kg of that six-seater went in as mixed waste, the bill would come to about $205. Pull the metal and the timber out first and it drops, because those are charged differently. More on that below.
How to remove a spa yourself, step by step
This is for a spa pool that sits on a slab in the backyard or on decking. One that's set into the ground or wrapped in concrete is a bigger job, because the concrete has to come out too. The same steps work for hot tubs and jacuzzis, and for swim spas, which are just bigger.
- Measure the way out. A six-seater like the Spectrum is 2.30 m across. Measure the size of your side gate, the path and any steps before you decide whether it can roll out whole or has to be cut into sections where it sits. Tight side access is the usual reason it can't, and if the only way out is through the house, it's coming out in pieces.
- Turn off the power and get it disconnected. A plug-in spa is the easy one. Switch it off at the wall and unplug it. Service NSW lists wiring among the jobs that need a licence, with plug-in appliances as the exception, so a spa that's hardwired to the switchboard gets turned off at the board and then disconnected by a licensed electrician.
- Drain it away from the stormwater. Sydney Water says wastewater from homes can't go into any stormwater pipe or structure, and treated spa water isn't rainwater. Its approval for a new pool only lets backwash and overflow into the sewer through the pool's backwash pump, no faster than 2 litres a second, and never by gravity straight into the sewer. That's a pool condition rather than a spa rule, so ring Sydney Water or your council before you run a hose anywhere.
- Take out the parts that come out whole. Lift off the spa cover, the steps and any other accessories. Unscrew the cabinet panels, cut through the plumbing, then pull out the pump, the heater, the blower and the control box. Sort everything into three piles as you go: metal, timber, and the rest.
- Cut the spa shell into pieces you can carry. A reciprocating saw is the usual tool, and a few spare blades will save you a trip to the hardware shop halfway through. WorkSafe WA warns that once fibreglass has set hard, cutting, grinding or sanding it can throw off irritating dust, and ventilation or protective gear may be needed. Work out in the open. Our guide to disposing of fibreglass lists the gear to wear.
- Put the chemicals aside. Half-used tubs of chlorine or bromine don't go in the trailer. Pool chemicals are on the NSW EPA's list for its free Household Chemical CleanOut events, so keep them sealed until the next one. Our guide to the Household Chemical CleanOut explains how the day works.
- Sweep up, then load. Fibreglass offcuts and dust get everywhere. Clear the area before anyone walks through it barefoot, tie the load down on the trailer and head for the tip.
The tools you'll need
Most of this equipment you can borrow or hire.
- Large plywood sheets to slide pieces across lawn or paving without damage, and up onto the trailer
- Furniture dollies rated for the weight
- Moving straps
- Basic hand tools for the cabinet panels
- A reciprocating saw for the shell
- A garden hose or a submersible pump for the water
- Heavy gloves, safety glasses and sturdy footwear
Can a cut-up spa go out for a council clean-up?
Probably not, even in pieces. City of Ryde's clean-up is a good example of why. It takes up to 1.5 cubic metres a collection, which Ryde says is about one box trailer load, and a whole six-seater takes up several times that space before it's cut. Its list doesn't mention spas by name, but it does list timber and wood among the things it won't collect. It counts demolition materials and built-in fixtures as building waste.
Leaving the pile out anyway is a gamble. Ryde warns that putting things on the nature strip without a booking can bring a fine of more than $2,000. Every council sets its own rules, so check yours before you put anything out. Our spa removal page compares a few of them.
Which parts of an old hot tub can be recycled?
Not a lot, but enough to change the tip bill. Metal is the easy one. Kimbriki takes metal free, so the motors, the heater and any steel frame are worth keeping out of the mixed-waste pile. Plywood and particle board panels are charged at Kimbriki's engineered timber rate of $270 a tonne, a little over half what mixed waste costs.
The shell is the hard part. It's acrylic or fibreglass, and fibreglass set in resin is hard to recycle, for reasons our fibreglass guide goes into. Unless your tip says otherwise, it goes in with the mixed waste.
Rather not cut it up yourself?
Paul's team can take the whole spa away for you, cutting it down where it sits if it won't fit through the access and doing all of the lifting. Tell Paul where the spa sits and the way out for a free quote. Paul recycles what he can, where it's appropriate. Electrician first, though, if it's hardwired. If you've booked before midday, Paul can usually do the job on the same day. Call 0407 125 125 or see spa and jacuzzi removal.
Frequently asked questions
Can I disconnect a hardwired spa myself if the power is off at the switchboard?
No. Switching it off makes the spa safer to work around, but taking out the wiring is still electrical wiring work. The NSW Government says that applies no matter what the job costs or what kind of wiring it is, and nobody gets the licence without approved qualifications and experience. The disconnection is the electrician's job. You can check their licence online through Service NSW before they start.
What if my spa has a gas heater?
Then the gas has to be disconnected too, and that's a job for a licensed gasfitter. In NSW you need a licence or certificate for any gasfitting work, LP gas included, whatever the job costs and whether it's at a home or a business. Skip it and an individual can be fined $22,000. Gas off first. Then cut.
Can I dismantle a spa on my own?
Most of it, yes, apart from the electrical and gas work. The lifting is another matter. Vortex gives its six-seat Spectrum a lift weight of 517 kg, more than the dry weight in the figures above, which is why spas come out in pieces. Line up a couple of helpers for loading day, and cut the shell into sections small enough for two people to carry.
How do I empty a spa if the pump doesn't work?
If the spa is broken and won't drain itself, use a submersible pump, which you can buy or hire from a hardware store, or siphon the water out with a garden hose. Many spas also have a drain valve near the base of the cabinet, and your owner's manual will show you where. It's slow, but it needs no power. Either way, point the hose away from the stormwater pit.
Why does the tip charge so much a tonne?
The NSW waste levy is a big part of it, as the figures above show. The EPA raises it every July in line with the Consumer Price Index, and it applies well beyond Sydney: the Illawarra, the Hunter, the Central and North Coast up to Queensland, and the Blue Mountains are all inside a levy area. Wherever you tip the spa in those areas, the levy is in the price.
Can I take a cut-up spa to any tip?
Ring ahead first and ask whether it takes fibreglass. Being a local won't save much on a spa, because at Kimbriki residency only lowers the minimum charge, and the tonne rate is the same for everyone. In Ryde, the council sends anything its clean-up won't take to the Cleanaway Ryde Resource Recovery Centre in North Ryde, where fees may apply.
What if my old spa still works?
An unwanted spa that still heats up is worth more to someone else than to the tip. Try selling it or giving it away before you take a saw to it. Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are the obvious places to list it. Say in the listing that the buyer arranges the transport, since a working spa is just as heavy for them, and you'll have skipped the whole job.
