Hazardous Materials

Overview

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

  • Before disposing of the material at the Launceston Waste Centre 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 on entry to the Launceston Waste Centre
  • The waste must be delivered between 10am and 2pm on weekdays. Any deliveries outside of these hours will be refused
  • If material is to be transported for fee or reward the transporter should have an appropriate Waste Transport Business -Environment Protection Notice
  • All customers are required to remove materials from their own vehicles. It is NOT the responsibility of the City of Launceston employees to remove these materials
  • To view our list of waste facility fees, please contact us if you need additional information 

Asbestos

Asbestos is a mineral often found in building material that can be extremely harmful to people's health and should be dealt with safely.

All asbestos material must be double wrapped in thick plastic or double bagged in sections that can be easily handled and removed from your vehicle for disposal. Plastic must be a minimum of 200 μm (micrometers) thick. No asbestos is to be exposed to the atmosphere.

To dispose of asbestos, it must be registered and delivered to the Launceston Waste Centre between 10am and 2pm on weekdays . Any deliveries outside of these hours will be refused.

Register with the City of Launceston by contacting (03) 6323 3000. We will provide a registration form which must be completed and presented on entry to the Launceston Waste Centre

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 of the community and personnel involved in waste collection and disposal, sharps must be disposed of safely. Sharps cannot be disposed of in kerbside garbage or recycling bins and must be disposed of at designated locations in approved containers.

City of Launceston provides community sharps bins for 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 Guardian 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. 

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 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.