Accepted items and fees

What are soft plastics?

Soft plastics are plastics that can be scrunched in your hand and bounce back to their original shape or flexible films such as bubble wrap or cling wrap.

Soft plastics cannot be recycled through the commingled kerbside recycling bin (yellow lid) as they can get stuck in the trucks and sorting machinery. Soft plastics can be recycled through specialist recycling services.

A recent audit of kerbside general waste bins (red or dark green lid bin) showed that up to 70% of the general waste was soft plastics. If a household wishes to reduce their household waste and recycle more, they can do so by collecting their soft plastics in a bag and dropping them at a Transfer Station. 

Accepted Items

All items free for Macedon Ranges Shire residents and businesses.

Please ensure all plastics are completely dry and free of food and other products.

Plastic bags

• Plastic carry bags
• Bulk bags. Such as: rice bags
• Reusable shopping bags ‘green bags’ (polypropylene)
• Netting produce bags (metal clips removed)
• Pet food and stock feed bags. Such as: dry pet food bags, chaff/horse/chicken feed (plastic and woven polypropylene)
• Zip lock and snap lock bags

Plastic Films

• Bubble wrap
• Cling wrap
• Documents sleeves (white reinforcement strip removed)
• Large sheets of plastic furniture wrap
• Pallet wrap
• Plastic film from grocery items. Such as: toilet paper and disposable nappies.
• Shrink wrap

Other items

• Bread bag tags (collected separately in a clear plastic bag)
• Plastic bottle caps (collected separately in a clear plastic bag)

What items are not accepted?

Any soft plastic item that is not listed above.

At this stage some soft plastics for example silver lined chip, silage wrap and snack wrappers are not yet accepted. We hope to expand the service and add more items to the list soon. 

Check out our waste A-Z guide on our website or the MRSC waste app for a comprehensive list of waste items or contact Customer Service on (03) 5422 0333 or mrsc@mrsc.vic.gov.au with your query.

What happens to the soft plastics?

The transfer station soft plastic trial has been running for over the initial six-month period and has been successfully collecting 100-150 cubic metres a month (or 4 tonnes a week).

We have encountered some contamination issues, particularly with loose small plastics that make it difficult to go to market for an ongoing service.

Council is working with the current provider and testing additional waste education messaging to overcome the contamination issue.

Council is planning to be in a position by the end of the financial year to test the market for an ongoing service.

• Per bag (120 litres): $9.50
• Drum (200 litres): $21
• Wheelie bin (240 litres): $21
• Small boot: $23.40
• Small Ute/station wagon: $45.50
• Small tray Ute: $68.90
• Vehicle/trailer (6x4x1): $45.50
• Vehicle/trailer (6x4x2): $91
• Vehicle/trailer (6x4x3): $136.50
• Vehicle/trailer (6x4x4): $182
• Vehicle/trailer (8x5x1): $84.90
• Vehicle/trailer (8x5x2): $170
• Vehicle/trailer (8x5x3): $255
• Vehicle/trailer (8x5x4): $340
• Vehicle/trailer (10x6x1): $112
• Vehicle/trailer (10x6x2): $224
• Vehicle/trailer (10x6x3): $336
• Vehicle/trailer (10x6x4): $448
• Vehicle/trailer (12x7x1): $149
• Vehicle/trailer (12x7x2): $298
• Vehicle/trailer (12x7x3): $446.50
• Vehicle/trailer (12x7x4): $595

Macedon Ranges residents

Free for all sized loads.

Residents must provide proof of residence such as rates notice or drivers licence.

Charges apply for some items such as weeds, ivy and other species. To view a complete list and find out more, see Green waste drop-off

Non-residents/commercial

• Per bag (120 litres): $8.20
• Drum (200 litres): $17.50
• Wheelie bin (240 litres): $17.50
• Small Boot: $19.40
• Small Ute/station wagon: $57.20
• Small tray Ute: $37.80
• Vehicle/trailer (6x4x1): $37.50
• Vehicle/trailer (6x4x2): $75
• Vehicle/trailer (6x4x3): $112.50
• Vehicle/trailer (6x4x4): $150
• Vehicle/trailer (8x5x1): $64.60
• Vehicle/trailer (8x5x2): $129.20
• Vehicle/trailer (8x5x3): $193.80
• Vehicle/trailer (8x5x4): $258.40
• Vehicle/trailer (10x6x1): $91
• Vehicle/trailer (10x6x2): $182
• Vehicle/trailer (10x6x3): $273
• Vehicle/trailer (10x6x4): $364
• Vehicle/trailer (12x7x1): $124
• Vehicle/trailer (12x7x2): $248
• Vehicle/trailer (12x7x3): $372
• Vehicle/trailer (12x7x4): $496

Please separate your paper and cardboard before attending the transfer station.

• Household quantities: no charge
• Commercial loads per m3: $25
• Ute/station wagon: $25
• Trailers (all): $25

• Household quantities: no charge
• Commercial loads per m3: $25.00
• Ute/station wagon per m3: $25.00
• Trailers (all) per m3: $25.00

• All sizes: $34

• Car: $9.20
• Car tyre with rim attached: $13.50
• Light truck: $23.50
• Truck: $41.70
• Tractor: $221

Macedon Ranges Shire residents 

• All E-waste (Electronic waste - any appliance with a plug, cord or battery): no charge 
• Mobile phones: no charge
• Batteries: no charge
• Televisions, radios, video players, DVD players, videos and any general electronic household items including white goods: no charge

Learn more about e-waste

Non-residents

• Small items: $2
• Large items: $3
• Refrigerators: $5

We don't accept commercial chemical or liquid waste, or deliveries from large commercial vehicles.

Our transfer stations can accept small quantities* of building waste, but the following items are not accepted:

• Asbestos. To find a removalist, see Asbestos in Victoria
• Liquid waste and fuels
• Chemicals
• Paints
• Medical waste
• Vegetable/cooking oil
• Dead animals—contact your local Vet.
• Soil/dirt

* Anything not considered as a commercial load. Ute and trailer loads are accepted whereas truck loads are not. For more information about how to dispose of these items visit Sustainability Victoria

• Light globes (all types including fluorescent and CFLs): no charge
• Scrap metal—white goods, steel, metal cans, lawn mowers, wire, aluminium: no charge
• Engine oil up to 20 litres: no charge
• Engine oil over 20 litres—per litre: $0.70
• Car bodies: no charge
• Gas bottles—small: $8.50
• Gas bottles—large: $11
• Empty (dry) paint tins - free
• X-rays - free
• Plastic bread bag tags* (collected separately in a clear plastic bag) - free
• Plastic bottle caps and lids* (collected separately in a clear plastic bag) - free

*currently a trial.

If you are looking for a specific item and it's not listed here, check our A-Z Waste Index.

Cash and EFTPOS are accepted.

Co-mingled recycling 

Co-mingled recycling (which includes paper, recyclable household metals and rigid plastics) collected at Council’s transfer stations is taken to Australian Paper Recovery (APR) where it is processed and sent for recycling.

Cardboard recycling

Cardboard is collected separately at the transfer stations and taken to is taken to Australian Paper Recovery (APR) where it is processed and sent for recycling.

Glass recycling

Glass collected at the transfer stations is taken to Alex Fraser Group, and is reused in road construction materials and for a range of other applications.

E-waste recycling

Electronic waste collected at the transfer stations is taken to Ecocyle, where items are separated and precious resources are recovered.

Garden waste 

Garden waste is mulched on site at transfer stations and is available for purchase.