Some of the rubbish sitting in your garage or shed is toxic waste that can't go in your household bin. There's a free NSW Government program for exactly this: Household Chemical CleanOut. This guide covers what's hazardous, where it actually goes, and what to do with everything else that comes out of the same clean-out.
Last updated: August 2026.
What Counts as Household Hazardous Waste
The Household Chemical CleanOut program accepts things like paint, pool chemicals, pesticides, motor fuels, car and household batteries, and ammonia-based cleaners (the full accepted list is below). None of these belong in your household bin. They can cause real harm to human health and the environment if you don't dispose of them properly, which is exactly why they need a different process to your general bin. Paul's Rubbish Removal handles hazardous waste, so one option is to book a collection and have it taken with the rest of your rubbish. The other is the free CleanOut process below.
How to Dispose of Hazardous Waste in Sydney (It's Free)
Household Chemical CleanOut is a free NSW Government program. It's a free, drive-thru drop-off service held across NSW on specified dates. In the Sydney, Illawarra and Hunter regions, events are open to all NSW residents. You stay in your vehicle while staff collect your items.
You can bring household quantities of:
- Solvents and household cleaners, ammonia-based cleaners, pool chemicals
- Pesticides and herbicides, poisons
- Paint and paint-related products
- Motor fuels, motor oils and cooking oils
- Acids and alkalis
- Car and household batteries, fluorescent globes and tubes, smoke detectors
- Gas bottles and fire extinguishers
- Hobby chemicals, including photographic chemicals
The limit is 20 litres or 20 kilograms per item. Paint is the exception: up to 100 litres (in 20-litre containers) is accepted at certain CleanOut events, so check paint quantity limits with your local council first.
City of Sydney's own accepted list also names a few specific items easy to forget you're holding onto: nail polish and nail polish remover, printer ink and toner cartridges, and nitrous oxide canisters alongside your gas bottles.
Check the current Household Chemical CleanOut schedule before you drive over with a car full of chemicals. The EPA publishes a dated CleanOut events brochure for each NSW region; the one current at time of writing lists Sydney events for July to December 2026. City of Sydney's CleanOut also has a separate drop-off area for people walking or riding a bike, not just those arriving by car.
Business and commercial quantities of chemicals are not accepted at CleanOut events. If you're clearing a workplace, contact a commercial waste operator instead. If you're a building manager, or you're holding more than a typical household quantity, City of Sydney says to contact them directly to discuss quantities before you turn up; check whether your own council offers the same option.
Between CleanOut Events: Paint, Batteries and Other Materials
You don't have to wait for a scheduled CleanOut date for everything on that list. Fluorescent lights, smoke detectors, paint, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, batteries and oils can all be dropped off for free at your local Community Recycling Centre throughout the year. If there's no Community Recycling Centre near you, the CleanOut event is your main option for these items.
Batteries never go in the bin. Drop them at a battery point instead: a supermarket, a hardware store, a Community Recycling Centre, or a CleanOut event. Some Community Recycling Centres also take items with the battery built in and not removable, known as embedded batteries.
Paint has its own dedicated scheme. Paintback is an industry-led, not-for-profit paint disposal program, separate from the council CleanOut events above. It's free to households and trade painters. It's funded by a levy of 15 cents (plus GST) per litre, applied to the wholesale price of the paint when it's sold, not a fee charged at drop-off. It takes the same volume as a CleanOut event: up to 100 litres per visit, carried in containers no larger than 20 litres. Paint has to be in its original packaging and unmixed, and you generally can't just drop it back at the shop where you bought it. It covers interior and exterior architectural paint, primers, sealers, stains, undercoats and varnishes, plus the packaging itself. Paintback doesn't take aerosol paints, or paint thinners, mineral spirits and solvents; those still need to go through a CleanOut event. Find your nearest drop-off point through Paintback's location finder. Once it's dropped off, the paint goes through energy recovery or liquid/solid separation rather than straight to landfill.
What Happens to Your Items After Drop-off
Many of the chemicals you hand over at a CleanOut event are recycled; others are treated for safe disposal instead. Paint collected through CleanOut is mixed with other solvents and used in cement manufacturing, and the metal tins are recycled separately, a different process to Paintback's own paint stream above. Gas cylinders have the remaining gas removed and the steel bottle recycled; many bottles go back into the hire market to be reused rather than recycled. The lead, acid and plastic inside batteries are recovered and recycled. Fluoro tubes, which contain mercury, are crushed to separate the phosphor powder from the glass; the powder is processed to recover the mercury for industrial use, and the leftover glass and metal go back into the recycling system.
What About Everything Else in the Clean-Out?
City of Sydney's CleanOut page, for example, explicitly excludes electronics, textiles, furniture, whitegoods and metal, even if they turn up in the same garage clean-out as your old paint tins. Check your own council's CleanOut page for its exact exclusion list.
That's where Paul's Rubbish Removal comes in. We handle hazardous waste, and we'll take the rest of the clear-out in the same job: old furniture, white goods, e-waste, scrap metal, and general household rubbish.
Asbestos Is Different. Here's Who to Call
There are regulations and laws in NSW governing asbestos removal and disposal. Asbestos isn't something Paul's Rubbish Removal handles, and it needs its own process. You can remove asbestos in your own home yourself, but the NSW Government strongly recommends using a licensed asbestos removalist to do the job safely. Asbestos removal is a health risk.
If you do decide to remove it yourself, follow strict safety precautions and use protective gear (PPE) through removal, disposal and decontamination. Any asbestos waste has to go to a landfill that's licensed to accept it. Call ahead to check their procedure before you arrive.
Doing it yourself means understanding four things: planning, strict safety standards, decontamination and disposal. A licensed removalist's real advantage is exactly this: they know how to remove and dispose of asbestos safely, then decontaminate your property afterwards to minimise the health risk.
If you've got a tradesperson working on your property rather than doing it yourself, NSW rules still apply to them. There are limits on how much asbestos a tradesperson can remove without bringing in a licensed professional.
Find a licensed asbestos removalist through the NSW asbestos removalist directory before you touch anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is hazardous waste disposal free in Sydney?
Yes, for households. The NSW Household Chemical CleanOut program is a free drop-off service for eligible household chemicals. Business and commercial quantities of chemicals aren't covered and need a commercial waste operator.
Does Paul's Rubbish Removal remove hazardous waste?
Yes. Paul's Rubbish Removal handles hazardous waste. Asbestos is the exception: that needs a licensed asbestos removalist (see above). If you'd rather drop household chemicals off yourself, the free NSW Household Chemical CleanOut program is the alternative. Paul's also takes everything else from the same clean-out: furniture, whitegoods, e-waste, scrap metal and general rubbish.
What can't I take to a Household Chemical CleanOut event?
Business or commercial quantities of chemicals aren't accepted at any CleanOut event. City of Sydney's CleanOut page also excludes ordinary household items like electronics, textiles, furniture, whitegoods and metals. Check your own council's page for its exact list. Those items go to a general rubbish removal service instead.
Can I drop off paint outside of a CleanOut event?
Yes. Paintback is a separate, free, year-round program for paint, open to households and trade painters. It takes up to 100 litres per visit in containers no larger than 20 litres, the same limit as a CleanOut event. It doesn't take aerosol paints or paint thinners and solvents; those still go through CleanOut.
Can I remove asbestos myself in NSW?
You can remove asbestos in your own home yourself, but the NSW Government strongly recommends using a licensed asbestos removalist to do it safely. Any asbestos waste must go to a landfill licensed to accept it.
How much does asbestos removal cost in NSW?
The cost of removing and disposing of asbestos depends on the age and condition of the asbestos, and the volume of material involved. Get quotes from a licensed asbestos removalist directly for an accurate figure; Paul's Rubbish Removal doesn't handle asbestos and can't quote on it.
For CleanOut dates, locations and the full accepted-items list, see our guide to the Household Chemical CleanOut in Sydney.
Sorting a garage or shed clear-out and want the lot gone in one visit? Call Paul's Rubbish Removal on 0407 125 125 for a free quote.
