Household hazardous waste

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Many common products in your house may be harmful to the natural environment if disposed of incorrectly. Hazardous waste includes products that contain paint, chemicals, flammable constituents or toxic substances such as bleaches, brake fluid, engine coolant, aerosol cans, pesticides, cleaning products and pool chemicals or chlorine.

When these items reach the end of their useful lives, we need to take special care to dispose of them properly. They are often flammable, toxic, explosive or corrosive and cannot be disposed of in household bins.

Information on where to dispose of certain categories of household hazardous waste can be found on the Household Hazardous Waste Program website.  

Aerosol cans, mobile phones and chargers, printer cartridges and light globes can be dropped off to Recycling Hubs at all City of Gosnells Libraries and the Civic Centre. 

Household batteries

Dry-cell batteries are the most common form of hazardous waste disposed of by Australian households, with 97% ending up in landfill. When batteries are sent to landfill, their casings disintegrate and the metals and chemicals used within the battery can leach into the surrounding environment. Preventing the batteries from going directly into landfill by participating in the battery recycling program will remove this risk.

Recycle your batteries anywhere that displays the B-Cycle logo. This includes most major retailers, which now have battery recycling facilities in-store - including:

  • Battery World
  • Woolworths
  • Coles
  • Aldi
  • K-Mart
  • Officeworks
  • Bunnings

Find your nearest B-cycle drop off point

Purple banner with the message “Never bin a battery (or anything with a battery inside).” A large battery and smaller icons of a mobile phone, laptop, power drill, and vape device are each crossed out with a red prohibition symbol, indicating they should not be placed in household bins.

 

E-waste recycling

E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in Australia.

E-waste is any electronic equipment including personal computers, mobile phones, printers, keyboards, televisions and associated cabling. These items contain materials that can be recovered and recycled for reuse. Local social enterprise, Sam's Spares, accepts repairable or in-working-order technological and gaming equipment which it refurbishes and re-gifts to people in need through a network of peer partners. 

E-waste can be included in your general junk verge collection or disposed at Officeworks or the nearby Canning Waste Transfer Station or Armadale Landfill and Recycling Facilities. City of Gosnellls residents can recycle e-waste at the City of Armadale Landfill and Recyling Centre for free, read the City of Armadale website for more information.

Person unloading electronic items beside a recycling bin, with text reading, “Take your e-waste to the right place.” Banner promotes finding local drop-off locations for e-waste recycling.

 

Paint, aerosols and cylinders

Paint, aerosols and cylinders can be recycled at the Armadale Landfill and Recycling Facility or at the Ranford Road Resource Recovery and Waste Transfer Station. These items can be dropped at both centres for free by City of Gosnells residents. 

More ways to dispose of these items are:

Paint 

Paint, paint stripper, thinner and empty cans can all be recycled at the Armadale and Ranford Road facilities.

Paintback also has 18 WA drop-off points and will accept up to 100 litres of paint stored in up to 20-litre containers per person, per visit.

Aerosols

Aerosols – because of their flammable content – cannot be recycled in your recycling bin. This includes cans of deodorant, whipped cream, paint or insect repellent.

Aerosols can be dropped off at collection bins at the Civic Centre and City of Gosnells libraires. 

Cylinders

Most gas bottles and cylinders can be refilled, so take them back to the supplier or to one of the hundreds SWAP'n'GO or SUPASWAP locations.

Many portable gas suppliers will also dispose of the bottles/cylinders.

Automotive LPG cylinders and large household cylinders should be returned to the supplier, as they are not accepted at most HHW facilities.

 

Light bulbs and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs)

Light bulbs and compact fluorescent lamps and tubes (CFLs) contain small amounts of toxic mercury which must not be disposed of in the general household waste and recycling bins.

Light globes (not tubes) can be dropped off to recycling hubs at all City of Gosnells Libraries and the Civic Centre and during the City's annual Community Waste Drop-Off Day. Other recycling locations can be found on the Recycle Right website, using the Find My Nearest tool.

 

X-ray recycling

X-ray films contain a small amount of silver and it is important they are disposed of correctly. X-Rays can be safely recycled. Recycling locations can be found on the Recycle Right website, using the Find My Nearest tool.

 

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