Northern Rivers Tip Fees Compared 2026: Every Tip
Every council in the Northern Rivers publishes its tip fees in a different format. Ballina charges per 100 kg, Lismore per tonne, Kyogle per trailer, and Nammoona buries its numbers in a 66-page revenue policy. This post lines up the Northern Rivers tip fees for 2026/27 in one table so you can see which gate is cheapest for your load. All figures were checked August 2026 on the council pages linked at the bottom. Each tip has its own page on this site with the full fee list, hours and what's free; this is the comparison, not the fine print.
Which Northern Rivers tip is cheapest for general waste?
For a household trailer of mixed waste, Stotts Creek is cheapest at $284 per tonne, but only for Tweed residents with ID. For everyone else it's Lismore if you self-sort ($300 per tonne), then Ballina ($346 per tonne). The dearest gates are Lismore unsorted ($410 per tonne), Nammoona (about $405 per tonne) and Byron's Myocum tip ($395 per tonne). Kyogle charges flat per-load fees instead, $48 for a 7x5 trailer if you live in the shire.
Mixed household waste, side by side
| Tip | Rate (2026/27) | Per tonne | Min charge | 6x4 trailer (~350 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina RRC | $34.60 / 100 kg | $346 | not stated | ~$121 |
| Lismore RRC unsorted | $410 / t | $410 | $15 | ~$144 |
| Lismore RRC self-sort (50%+ recoverable) | $300 / t | $300 | $10 | ~$105 |
| Byron RRC, Myocum | $39.50 / 100 kg | $395 | $18 | ~$138 |
| Nammoona, Casino | ~$405 / t or ~$124 per trailer load | ~$405 | ~$17 | ~$124 |
| Evans Head | same schedule as Nammoona | ~$405 | ~$17 | ~$124 |
| Kyogle Landfill in-shire | $48 per 7x5 load, $73 per 8x5 | $292 | $27 (car) | $48 |
| Kyogle out-of-shire | $80 per 7x5 load | $418 | — | $80 |
| Stotts Creek Tweed resident | $284 / t | $284 | $10 | ~$99 |
| Stotts Creek non-resident | $368 / t | $368 | $10 | ~$129 |
The 350 kg column is our working estimate for a normal 6x4 trailer of furniture, boxes and general junk. Yours will differ. Every tip except Kyogle and (partly) Nammoona puts you over a weighbridge, so you pay for exactly what you bring. We explain what that means for a real job in what a tip run costs in the Northern Rivers.
Two rules that catch people out:
- Commercial rates. Ballina charges $45.90 per 100 kg for commercial loads versus $34.60 household. If you're an ABN business bringing shop or site waste, expect the higher rate.
- Residency. Stotts Creek asks for ID and charges non-Tweed residents $368 per tonne on every stream, including green waste and recyclables. Kyogle charges roughly 1.7 times its local rate to outsiders. Ballina, Lismore, Byron and Nammoona are open to anyone at the same price.
Green waste fees
Garden waste is a fraction of the mixed-waste price everywhere, which is why it pays to keep it separate:
| Tip | Green waste rate | 6x4 trailer (~350 kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Ballina | $8.90 / 100 kg (under 300 mm); stumps and logs $14.60 / 100 kg | ~$31 |
| Lismore | $120 / t (min $10); large stumps $168 / t | ~$42 |
| Byron (Myocum) | rate not on the sign PDF; mulch sold back at $40 / m³ | — |
| Nammoona / Evans Head | ~$129 / t | ~$45 |
| Kyogle in-shire | $10 for a 7x5 load, $21 for 8x5, $42 for 10x5 | $10 |
| Stotts Creek (resident) | $125.80 / t; stumps over 30 cm $145.60 / t | ~$44 |
If you don't want to do the trailer trip, our green waste removal service is $260 for a full trailer including the gate fee.
Mattress fees
Mattresses are the item people ask about most, and the pricing is all over the place:
- Ballina: no separate mattress fee on the web table, charged as mixed waste by weight (a queen is about 30 to 40 kg, so under $15).
- Lismore: $39 per mattress, any size.
- Byron (Myocum): $40 per mattress, double or larger.
- Nammoona: about $40 each.
- Kyogle in-shire: single $21, double $29, queen/king $34.
- Stotts Creek: by weight as mixed waste.
- Nimbin Transfer Station: $42 each.
Ballina is the standout: cheapest mattress in the region because it just goes over the weighbridge. Full options in how to get rid of a mattress in Ballina.
Fridge and whitegoods fees
- Ballina: free with a degassing certificate, $40 each without one.
- Lismore: on the metals fee sub-page; Nimbin charges $31 degassed and $52 gassed as a guide.
- Byron (Myocum): $50 each.
- Nammoona: about $34 each.
- Kyogle in-shire: free.
- Stotts Creek: $23 each.
Washing machines, dryers and anything with no refrigerant gas are free scrap metal at Ballina, Stotts Creek, Kyogle and Nammoona. Why the gas makes such a difference is in fridge disposal in Ballina.
What's free at every tip
Roughly the same list across the region: e-waste (TVs, computers, printers), car and household batteries, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, fluoro tubes, household paint and oil in small quantities, and clean sorted scrap metal. Ballina, Nammoona and Kyogle also take sorted whitegoods free (degassed). Stotts Creek adds hot water systems and car bodies. Nimbin Transfer Station is the exception: it refuses e-waste, tyres, gas bottles, paint and building waste outright.
Vouchers knock the fee off
Lismore households get two $82 vouchers a year, Byron Shire properties get two $50 vouchers, and Kyogle gets one $50 voucher. Ballina Shire, Richmond Valley and Tweed give none (Tweed runs an on-call kerbside pickup instead). Who qualifies and how to claim is in tip vouchers in the Northern Rivers.
The official sources
Fees reset every 1 July. These are the pages we checked in August 2026:
- Ballina Resource Recovery Centre fees and charges
- Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre fees and charges
- Byron Shire Resource Recovery Centre
If you'd rather not think about any of this, every price on our tip runs page already has the gate fee built in.