Clean up with Free Green Waste Week and Half Price Mattress Week

The City of Ballarat is helping residents clean up around their house and in their gardens this spring with Free Green Waste Week and Half Price Mattress Week.

Between Saturday 11 November and Sunday 19 November, residents can drop off their domestic green waste free of charge at the City of Ballarat’s Transfer Station.

As part of Half Price Mattress Week, from Saturday 25 November to Saturday 2 December, residents can dispose of an old mattress for just $15.50, halved from the normal price of $31, at the Ballarat Transfer Station.

In 2022, 139 mattresses were disposed of at the Ballarat Transfer Station during Half Price Mattress Week.

Mattresses are then transported to a Melbourne facility for recycling, where they are shredded with the springs, foam and wood recovered for recycling.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said spring is the perfect time for residents to clean up around their homes and remove green waste in preparation for the upcoming fire season.

“Clearing your gutters, picking up loose leaves and sticks, pruning your tree branches so that they do not overhang your roof and keeping your lawn short can reduce your risk of fire this season,” he said.

“Now is the time to identify risks on your property and prepare to reduce the spread, speed and intensity of fire by clearing your property of long grass and flammable materials.”

Last year, more than 1,320 cubic meters of green waste was dropped off to the Ballarat Transfer Station during Free Green Waste Week.

Each year, around 10,000 tonnes of green waste from Ballarat households is processed and sold to agricultural and residential markets.

Green waste must be separated from other waste and loads must not exceed three cubic metres. Green waste may include prunings, small branches, grass, leaves and flowers. Fruit and vegetable scraps, food waste, plastic pots and bags, glass, metal or tin and building rubble cannot be disposed in green waste. The Transfer Station is not currently accepting soil.  

Residents who bring non-green waste and mixed loads will be charged at normal rates.

Some items can be disposed of at the Ballarat Transfer Station for no cost. These include household kerbside recycling material, paper, cardboard, glass, plastic containers (numbers one and two in the triangle), empty (triple rinsed) agricultural chemical containers, metal, steel, aluminium and cooking oil. Conditions apply on volumes, size, product types, time of year or eligible persons.

The City of Ballarat Transfer Station is located at 119 Gillies Street South, Alfredton.

During November, the Ballarat Transfer Station is open 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday.