Ballina Shire Council
Ballina tip: hours, fees, what you can take
Everything you need before you drive to the Ballina tip — hours, what it charges by the 100 kg, what's free, and what a trailer load really costs.
- Facility
- Ballina Resource Recovery Centre
- Address
- 169 Southern Cross Drive, Ballina NSW 2478 · Map
- Phone
- 02 6686 1287
- Checked
- 2026-08-30 against council fee schedule
Opening hours
| Days | Open | Close |
|---|---|---|
| Mon–Sun | 8:00am | 4:00pm |
Public holidays: Closed public holidays
Gate fees 2026/27
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed waste (household) | $34.60 per 100 kg | = $346/t |
| Mixed waste (commercial) | $45.90 per 100 kg | = $459/t. Which rate applies to an ABN hauler is unconfirmed |
| Builders / bulky waste (household) | $34.60 per 100 kg | |
| Bricks, concrete, tiles (sorted) | $22.60 per 100 kg | |
| Green waste (<300 mm) | $8.90 per 100 kg | Stumps / logs $14.60 per 100 kg |
| Household recyclables | $11.80 per 100 kg | |
| Mattress | By weight as mixed waste | Not listed as a separate item on the web fee table |
| Fridge / air-con (no degas certificate) | $40 each | Free with degas certificate |
| Tyres | from $13 each | Size-dependent |
| Solar panels | $10 each | |
| Soil | $459/t | |
| Minimum charge | Not stated | Check 2026-27 PDF factsheet |
What a 6x4 trailer load costs here
6x4 trailer, ~350 kg mixed household waste — about ~$121 at the gate.
Councils quote per 100 kg, not per trailer, so we did the sum. That's the gate fee only — add fuel, your time and the queue.
Free to drop off
- Scrap metal (100% sorted; whitegoods need a degas certificate)
- E-waste (TVs, printers, computers, accessories)
- Car batteries
- CRC problem waste: batteries, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, paint, fluoro tubes, motor and other oils (household quantities, 20 kg / 20 L)
- Household asbestos test kit (1 per household)
Not accepted
- Chemicals / hazardous waste
- Needles / sharps
- Asbestos
- Fuel
Tip vouchers
None — Ballina Shire does not issue tip vouchers and has no kerbside bulky-waste collection.
Getting there
The Ballina tip is the Ballina Resource Recovery Centre (older signs and Google still say Ballina Waste Management Centre) at 169 Southern Cross Drive, West Ballina — turn off the Pacific Motorway link road into the Southern Cross industrial estate, past the airport side. Weighbridge in, weighbridge out; you're charged on the difference. It's open every day except public holidays. The council's own pages disagree on the exact hours (8am–4pm on one page, 8.15am–4.30pm Mon–Fri on the fees page), so if you're cutting it fine, ring 02 6686 1287 first.
The Salvage Shed tip shop is on site (council-run since February 2026), open Tue–Fri 8.30–3.30 and weekends 10–3. Worth a look before you dump anything with life left in it.
Before you go
Ballina charges by weight per 100 kg, and the stream you put it in decides the rate. Sort on the trailer before you get there and you'll pay a fraction of the mixed price. Figures checked August 2026:
- Mixed household waste is $34.60 per 100 kg. Commercial mixed waste is $45.90 per 100 kg.
- Green waste under 300 mm is $8.90 per 100 kg — a quarter of the mixed rate. Stumps and logs are $14.60.
- Sorted brick, concrete and tiles are $22.60 per 100 kg. Soil is dearer at $459 a tonne.
- Free: 100% sorted scrap metal, whitegoods with a degassing certificate (fridges and air-conditioners without one are $40 each), e-waste (TVs, computers, printers), car batteries, and Community Recycling Centre problem waste — paint, oils, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, fluoro tubes, household batteries, up to 20 kg or 20 L.
- Mattresses aren't listed separately online; they go in as mixed waste by weight.
- Vouchers: none. Ballina Shire doesn't issue tip vouchers and doesn't run a kerbside bulky-waste pickup. It's user-pays at the gate or a private tip run.
Also free: one household asbestos test kit per household, if you're not sure about that old fibro.
What a trailer load costs here
Councils publish per-100 kg rates, but nobody weighs their own junk. A level 6x4 trailer of mixed household rubbish — furniture, boxes, a bit of everything — is roughly 350 kg. At $34.60 per 100 kg that's 3.5 × $34.60 = about $121 at the gate (checked August 2026). Heap it and you're closer to 500 kg, about $173.
Sort it and it drops fast. If 100 kg of that load is scrap metal and e-waste, those go in free and you pay on 250 kg — about $87. The same 350 kg as clean green waste would be 3.5 × $8.90 = about $31.
That's the gate fee only. Add your fuel, your Saturday, and the loading. Or it's from $140 and we do it — both of us, all the lifting, the tip fee, and the sweep-up, priced on site in front of you.
Don't want to do the run? From $140
We load it, drive it, pay the gate and sort it — Ballina runs from $140 for a single item, tip fee included. Call or text to book a free on-site quote.
Towns whose loads come to Ballina
What people book after reading the fees
Frequently asked questions
Is the Ballina tip open on weekends and public holidays?
It's open every day of the week but closed on public holidays. Council pages list the weekday hours as either 8am–4pm or 8.15am–4.30pm, so ring 02 6686 1287 if you're arriving near opening or closing. The Salvage Shed tip shop runs shorter hours: Tue–Fri 8.30–3.30, Sat–Sun 10–3.
Does Ballina Shire do tip vouchers or a council cleanup?
No to both. Unlike Lismore ($82 vouchers) and Byron (2 × $50), Ballina Shire is user-pays at the gate, and there's no kerbside bulky-waste collection. If you can't get it to the tip yourself, a private tip run is the option.
Can I take a fridge to the Ballina tip for free?
Yes, if it's been degassed and you've got the certificate — then it goes in as free scrap metal. Without a certificate, fridges, freezers and air-conditioners are $40 each. Washing machines, dryers and other whitegoods with no gas are free as sorted metal.