Get ready to 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 9 November and Sunday 17 November, residents can drop off their domestic green waste free of charge at the City of Ballarat’s Transfer Station. 

Last year, more than 1,550 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.  

As part of Half Price Mattress Week, which runs from Saturday 23 to Saturday 30 November, residents can dispose of an old mattress for just $16, halved from the normal price of $32, at the Ballarat Transfer Station. 

In 2023, 341 mattresses were disposed of at the Ballarat Transfer Station during Half Price Mattress Week. 

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

City of Ballarat Director Infrastructure and Environment Bridget Wetherall said the initiatives are designed to assist residents with a spring clean around their homes and remove green waste. 

“Free Green Waste Week is a great opportunity to prepare for the upcoming fire season, clear gutters, prune tree branches and keep lawns short,” she said. 

“Half Price Mattress Week provides residents with an affordable way to dispose of old mattresses, which contain recyclable materials. Reducing the cost aims to discourage illegal dumping and promote responsible disposal.” 

Green waste must be separated from other waste and loads must not exceed three cubic metres.  

Additionally, many other 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. 

Green waste includes 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. 

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.