Booked waste services

What is the new options trial?

From 1 July 2022, Council will be trialling several additional waste and recycling services.

This is to provide initiatives that allow more flexibility and convenience around our existing waste and recycling services and to support everyone to prepare for the bushfire season. Council is supporting everyone to prepare by providing a chipping service in August and weekly green bin collection in September. Council is also providing an option for facility drop off for bulky household waste.

The trial will vary in length for the different services being offered, please see information below.

You are encouraged to complete a survey on this options trial as this will be one tool to help Council in considering our future service level.  Council is intending to put a report to the February 2023 meeting with the outcomes of the trial – 6 months into the trial.  Once your service has been completed, be sure to have your say here.

What are the new options?

Each residential property can receive two booked waste services per financial year, at no extra cost. 

This service is for bulky household items that would otherwise not fit in your bins. This includes such items as furniture, whitegoods, mattresses (maximum of 2), televisions, computers and accepted green waste. 

Residents can now choose two services, in any combination of:

• Kerbside Pick Up 
• Facility Drop Off 
• Kerbside Chipping Service (during August only)

Each booked waste service is of no more than four cubic metres, which is equivalent to a small box trailer or ute load.

Kerbside Pick Up

Residents are to place materials in front of property one day before your booked service date. A maximum four cubic metres is to be put out as follows:

• 2m long x 2m wide x 1m high, or
• 4m long x 1m wide x 1m high

For safety reasons please don’t stack waste materials higher than 1m or place items out that cannot be lifted by two people.

Facility Drop Off

A Facility Drop Off needs to be booked in the same way as a Kerbside Pick Up. When you book, you need to choose either Katoomba or Blaxland Facility, and morning or afternoon to deliver your waste to.

A greater variety of items can be accepted for the Facility Drop Off than Kerbside Pick Up, please refer to what is accepted at Council’s Facilities here. There is a limit of four cubic metres (in one trip) before a minimum charge is applied.  Four cubic metres is considered a small box trailer or a small ute load. Any additional waste beyond the four cubic metres, will be charged as per the Facility Fees and Charges which can be found here. 

The Facility Drop Off cannot be used for business waste, asbestos and hazardous waste at both sites and building and construction materials at Katoomba. 

Kerbside Chipping (August 2022 only)

For the month of August only, residents can book a Kerbside Chipping Service. Your material will need to be presented to the kerb the weekend before your collection week, and it will be chipped in the following week. 

Branches must be less than 4 weeks old, be between 1 and 3 metres in length and have a maximum diameter of 15cm. Material will be chipped and left on the kerb. Once chipped, please be sure to remove materials promptly from kerbside.

Bookings will not be accepted after 27 July 2022.

Book for all additional services by clicking the links below, after you read the T&Cs.

Terms and Conditions for the Booked Waste Service - New Options Trial

1. Scope

These Terms and Conditions include the Service Requirements for the service being booked.

2. Definitions

• "Waste materials" – refers to either garden waste or bulky household items as defined in the Service Requirements of each option.
• "Service" – a service is when, at the household’s request, Council has:
  • Notified the household of the service date and
  • Visited the property and collected bulky household items or chipped branches with a volume up to four cubic metres. If the household does not present waste materials by the service date, the visit still counts as a service or
    Accepted household items with a volume up to four cubic metres, brought to the Facility of choice by the resident. If the waste materials are not brought to the facility on the service date, it still counts as a service.
• "Household", "resident" and "user" refers to any or all the members of a household residing at an address that is in the Blue Mountains local government area and who intend to use, or are using, the Booked Service.
• "Property" refers to any parcel of land which is entitled to receive domestic waste services and pays a domestic waste management charge
• "Financial year" is an annual period from 1 July to 30 June the following year.

3. Number of services

Council will provide two services per property per financial year, at no additional charge. These can be either/or a Kerbside Pick Up, Facility Drop Off or Kerbside Chipping Service.  Services are counted from the financial year in which they are provided. Kerbside Pick Up and Facility Drop Off Services need to be requested more than 6 weeks before the end of each financial year to ensure the service is counted towards that financial years’ service allocation and not the next financial years’ service allocation for the property. If you present or deliver more than 4 cubic metres of material and you have a second service available, Council will accept the additional material, and it will count as your second service. If you present or deliver more than 4 cubic metres of material and have already used your second service, the excess material will not be collected at kerbside or will be charged accordingly at the facility.

4. Additional services

You may request additional services for Kerbside Pick Up only. These service terms & conditions, including size and volume limits, apply to paid additional services. Each additional service will be booked after the relevant charges, listed in the annual Fees and Charges, have been paid.

Additional services can be provided at cost after the first two have been used. Please search for ‘bulky’ in Council’s current fees and charges to find the cost. 

5. Cancellation of Services

A service can be cancelled by contacting Council prior to the service date. Cancellation timeframes are as follows:

• Kerbside Pick Up -7 days prior
• Facility Drop Off - 24 hours prior
• Kerbside Chipping- 24 hours prior

If a service is cancelled within the above timeframes of the service date, the service will be counted towards that household’s annual allocation.

6. Cancellation of Additional Services

An additional Kerbside Pick Up Service can be cancelled, and a full refund provided, less an administration charge, by contacting Council at least 7 days prior to the service date. If an additional service is cancelled within 7 days of the service date, the total fee paid will be forfeited by the resident.

7.  Responsibility to meet Service Requirements

By using the Service, you agree to meet the Service Requirements specific to each service type. If you do not meet the Service Requirements, Council will not accept the material and you will be need to arrange immediate removal of the materials if using a Kerbside Pick Up (including Chipping). If using Facility Drop Off, you may be asked to leave the site. Council may then give a verbal direction, followed by a clean-up notice (for Kerbside Pick Up including Chipping) being issued to take clean-up action as required and within the time frame nominated by Council. You agree to reimburse Council for any prescribed administrative fees as outlined in a clean-up notice. If the required action is not taken, a penalty notice may be issued.

How to book a service

Using the booked waste service is easy. Read and agree to the Service Requirements and Terms and Conditions for the service.
There are three ways to book a service:

• In person at Councils Customer Service Centre, 2-6 Civic Place, Katoomba
• Online
• Phone 4723 5000 (lower mountains) or 4780 5000 (upper mountains)

Getting started - STEPS

• Click on your preferred service option below.
• Read the Service Requirements specific to your chosen service.
• Scroll down and select your residential location.
• Select from available dates.
• Fill in all other details on the form.
• You will receive an email confirmation.
• Mark down your service day and either place materials out for collection/chipping or deliver to facility on nominated day.