The City of Coffs Harbour’s bulky waste collection service compares favourably with neighbouring councils, and plans are underway to improve access, increase community awareness and maintain affordability through a fee freeze.
At its meeting on 28 May, the City of Coffs Harbour Council endorsed a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening the service for residents, including tenants.
A key proposal is to provide one free bulky waste collection each year, subject to a report back to Council on operational impacts and costs.
The bulky waste service, which includes an on-demand kerbside collection and self-haul options, has operated in its current form since 2018.
The previous model, introduced in 2005, provided scheduled kerbside collections twice a year. However, it presented a number of challenges, including:
- Waste being placed on kerbsides well ahead of collection dates, creating an unsightly streetscape for residents and visitors.
- Health, safety and environmental concerns, including illegally dumped asbestos, broken glass, blocked footpaths, scattered rubbish and burnt waste piles.
- A culture of disposal rather than reuse, reflected in a significant increase in material collected for landfill, from 950 tonnes in 2009 to 2,300 tonnes in 2017.
- Significant subsidisation of the service by households that did not use it.
In addition to the proposed free annual collection, Council resolved to freeze the current $65 fee for additional collections for the next two years.
“We also want to make it easier and faster for people to access services so the City will work with the collections’ contractor to investigate online delivery of self-haul vouchers and online bookings for kerbside pick-up,” Mayor Nikki Williams said.
“We’ll work with the contractor to look at options like email or using an app instead of having to wait for a voucher to be posted to a property.”
City Water and Waste Services Group Leader Tom Lloyd said there was a need to improve community awareness and understanding of the bulky waste service.
“Coffs Coast Waste Services handles collections for the City as well as Nambucca Valley and Bellingen Shire, but all three councils have different rules on what is provided – so we need to move toward council-specific communications to assist residents,” Lloyd said.
“The City’s current model remains comparatively strong in both accessibility and in the range of acceptable bulky items, particularly where neighbouring councils rely on a once-per-year collection window and/or provide more limited voucher entitlements or tighter item restrictions.”
Lloyd said the City would also work to provide clearer guidance on eligibility for tenants and residents who are not the registered ratepayer, such as those living in properties managed by support agencies.
“Consistent, ongoing advertising will give the community a greater understanding of how to access the service,” he said.
Current services available to eligible households
Two pay-as-you-go kerbside collections each year
- Up to 3 cubic metres per collection, including furniture, lounges, mattresses, refrigerators, whitegoods, e-waste and metal items.
- Flexible booking across 33 weeks of the year, excluding periods allocated to service delivery in Bellingen Shire and Nambucca Valley, and the Christmas-New Year shutdown.
- Cost: $65 per collection, heavily subsidised through domestic waste management charges.
Two self-haul tipping vouchers each year
- Up to 200 kilograms per voucher (400 kilograms annually) for mixed bulky waste, with a value of $76 per voucher in 2025-26.
- Available year-round, seven days a week.
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