Waste facilities, charges and accepted items

Mount Alexander Shire Council is offering a second free green waste disposal to local residents and ratepayers for two weeks in January 2023.

Residents and ratepayers can dispose of garden and green waste at the Castlemaine and Maldon transfer stations at no charge over the period.

Green waste includes garden waste such as grass, sticks and branches (less than 10cm in diameter).

The green waste must be free of contaminants such as rubbish and declared noxious weeds, and removed from plastic bags prior to disposal.

Residents are also encouraged to compost as much material as possible at home.

Proof of residence in the shire will be required.

Where: Castlemaine Transfer Station and Maldon Transfer Station
When: Monday 16 to Sunday 29 January 2023

Castlemaine Transfer Station
Sluicers Road, Castlemaine
03 5470 5348
Monday to Sunday 8:00am to 4.00pm

Maldon Transfer Station
Morris Street, Maldon
03 5471 1700
Wednesday and Friday 9.30am to 1.00pm; Saturday and Sunday 9.00am to 1.00pm

Council operates two transfer stations.

Castlemaine Transfer Station
Sluicers Road, Castlemaine
03 5470 5348
Monday to Sunday 8:00 am to 4.00 pm
(Except Total Fire Ban days, Christmas Day, New Years Day and Good Friday)

Payment methods: Cash and card payments accepted. Cheques are not accepted.

Maldon Transfer Station
Morris Street, Maldon
03 5471 1700
Wednesday and Friday 9.30am to 1.00pm; Saturday and Sunday 9.00am to 1.00pm
(Except Total Fire Ban Days, Christmas Day, New Years Day and Good Friday)

Payment method: Cash only. Cheques are not accepted.

Please note the Castlemaine and Maldon transfer stations are in the North Central Fire District. The transfer stations will be closed on Total Fire Ban days or at short notice to protect public safety as required if conditions deteriorate. More information can be found on the Fire Prevention - Fire Ready page.

To find about what goes in each bin, what you can recycle, and how to dispose of different types of waste read our Recycling and Waste Guide page. To help you save time and money at the Waste Facility please also refer to the 'Sort your load before you go' section below.

Waste disposal costs are affected by a number of factors, distance from recycling hubs, general populations, size of the landfill and infrastructure. Council relies on a range of methods to come up with the item costs for depositing waste materials. We work closely with the operator, bench mark against other Councils (with landfills), use quotes from the industry and calculate actual costs for each service (including landfill levies imposed by the Environmental Protection Authority). The service charges are reviewed and checked each year.

Did you know you can recycle a wide range of materials at the Castlemaine Transfer Station and by taking a little extra time to sort your load before you leave home, you can save yourself plenty of time by easily disposing of the different materials at each of the designated collection points.

The Castlemaine Transfer Station has a large commingled recycling collection point which collects paper products, rigid plastics (excluding polystyrene), glass bottles and jars, steel cans and household aluminium.

You can also recycle e-waste, scrap metal, green waste, waste oil, car batteries, mattresses and the list goes on.

Tips and tricks

• Check - check ahead to find out what can be recycled.
• Sort and separate - sort your load so it is easy for the operator to see what will be recycled and cheaper for you as a lot of recyclable items are free to dispose.
• Secure – secure your load with appropriate straps and covers to reduce roadside litter and ensure safety of all road users.

Please note that the Maldon Transfer Station and the Castlemaine Waste Management Facility do not accept commercial quantities of waste.

If you are unsure and require more information, please contact Council on 5471 1700.

The most effective way to recycle clean brick and clean concrete waste material is to take it directly to ASQ Castlemaine, which is next door to our Transfer Station on Cnr Langslow and Martin Street, Castlemaine.

As this waste material will be crushed for reuse, it must be supplied to ASQ separated and with no other rubble, rock or building material mixed in with the load. If it is deemed contaminated by ASQ they will not accept it. Drop off fees may apply, please contact ASQ for more details (03) 5479 5500 or castlemaine@asq.net.au

As a result of this arrangement our Castlemaine Waste Transfer station will no longer accept this material. If you have a domestic quantity of mixed rubble, the Castlemaine Transfer Station will accept this at the charge detailed in the table above.

Concrete, brick and or mixed rubble is not accepted at the Maldon Transfer Station.

You can take domestic quantities of asbestos to the Castlemaine Transfer Station for disposal. Domestic quantities are defined as 'no more than half a cubic metre'.

When disposing of asbestos you must follow the following procedures:

1. Call the Transfer Station on 5470 5348 to arrange a suitable time to deliver the material.
2. Double wrap all asbestos in industrial plastic (for example the thick black plastic available by the metre from hardware stores).
3. Make sure each parcel is small enough to be carried by one person.
4. Make sure each parcel is completely sealed with tape.

For further information, please visit the Victorian Asbestos website.

Landfill owners must submit quarterly and annual statements to the Environment Protection Authority (Landfill Levy Statement), declaring the amount of waste received at the waste facilities. These statements determine the levy amount payable. The landfill levy is collected by the EPA to provide additional and ongoing funding to support efforts by government, industry and the community to reduce waste. Landfill levies create an incentive for waste generators to investigate ways to reduce the amount of waste they generate and dispose of to landfill. The current and future levy rates are set by the EPA and can be found on the EPA website.

For further information or to speak with a member of our Waste Team contact us.