Hazardous Materials

The Launceston Waste Centre accepts some hazardous waste for burial under the following conditions:

  • Before presenting to the Launceston Waste Centre with the hazardous material, all customers MUST register with the City of Launceston by contacting (03) 6323 3000.  We will provide a registration form which must be completed and presented upon entry to the facility.
  • The waste must be delivered between 10am and 2pm on weekdays. Any deliveries outside of these hours will be declined entry.
  • If material is to be transported for fee or reward, the transporter must have an appropriate Waste Transport Business - Environment Protection Notice (EPN).
  • All customers are required to remove materials from their own vehicles, as it is not the responsibility of the City of Launceston employees to remove these materials.

Please note, there are charges applied to the disposal of hazardous materials which can be viewed here.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a mineral often found in building material that can be extremely harmful to human health, therefore should be dealt with safely.

When bringing asbestos to the Launceston Waste Centre, it is not to be exposed to the atmosphere. All material must be double wrapped in thick plastic (200µm thick at minimum), or double bagged, in quantities that can be easily handled and removed from the vehicle for disposal.

Register the disposal of this material at our facility by contacting us on (03) 6323 3000. Disposal of asbestos at the Launceston Waste Centre is subject to the conditions outlined at the top of this page. 

See our Unhealthy Housing page or contact us for more information on asbestos. 

Asbestos Free Tasmania and WorkSafe Tasmania also have information about this material.

Sharps

To protect the health and safety of the community and personnel involved in waste collection and disposal, sharps must be disposed of correctly. Sharps cannot be disposed of in kerbside bins and instead must be disposed of at designated locations in approved containers.

City of Launceston provides community sharps bins for the safe disposal of sharps, for personal use, at the following locations:

  • Kings Meadows Capital Chemist, 86 Hobart Road, Kings Meadows
  • Mowbray Capital Chemist, 4/282 Invermay Road, Mowbray Newstead
  • Capital Chemist, 167 Elphin Road, Newstead
  • Summerhill Pharmacy, 176 Peel Street, Summerhill
  • Youngtown Pharmacy, 369 Hobart Road, Youngtown
  • The Council's Customer Service Centre, Town Hall, St John Street, Launceston

All sharps must be in an approved biohazard container that:

  • has rigid walls;
  • is resistant to punctures; and
  • is sealed in such a way that its contents are not capable of causing injury when handling.

Any business needing to dispose of sharps must contact a licensed controlled waste operator, as community sharps bins are provided for individual use only. 

Reporting a sharps disposal issue

If you find a loose needle or syringe do not touch it. If it is on Council owned property (footpath, park or road), contact the Customer Service Centre, or out of hours on (03) 6323 3333, and we will arrange for its safe collection and disposal.

If it is on privately owned property, advise the property owner. Property owners need to engage a Biohazard/Forensic clean-up contractor to safely remove and dispose of sharps found on their property.

City of Launceston does not collect sharps found on privately owned property.

Please contact us with any other questions. 

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