Can You Put E-Waste in the Bin in NSW? What the Law Actually Says

NSW has no statewide ban on putting e-waste in your household bin — a 2025 bill to create one was voted down in Parliament. But it still shouldn't go in any of your bins: anything with a battery can start a fire in the garbage truck, and TVs and computers can be recycled for free through a national scheme.

That's different from Victoria, and different from what you'll read on plenty of websites. Below is what the rules actually say, where each kind of item should go, and when it's worth paying someone to take it away.

Can you put e-waste in the bin in NSW? NSW vs Victoria

NSW. There is no statewide law banning e-waste from household bins or landfill. One was proposed: the Protection of the Environment Operations Amendment (e-Waste) Bill 2025, a private member's bill introduced by Gareth Ward MP on 28 March 2025. It was negatived — voted down — on 18 September 2025. You can see its status on the NSW Parliament bill page (checked 27 Sep 2026).

Victoria. Victoria is one state that did. Since 1 July 2019, e-waste — which Victoria defines as anything with a plug, battery or power cord — has been prohibited from household bins and landfill there. The details are on the Victorian Government's e-waste page (checked 27 Sep 2026).

So if you've been told that binning a TV is an offence in NSW, that's most likely the Victorian rule or the NSW bill that didn't pass. There's no statewide NSW law that says so.

No statewide ban doesn't mean the bin is the right place, though. Your council decides what each bin accepts, and the NSW EPA is very clear about one category in particular.

The battery rule: laptops, phones, vapes and power tools

According to the NSW EPA (checked 27 Sep 2026), batteries should never go in your kerbside red, yellow or green lid bins. They contain chemicals that are harmful to people and the environment, and they can catch fire in garbage trucks and waste facilities.

The catch is that a lot of batteries are built in, so you don't think of the item as "a battery". Laptops, phones, tablets, vapes, cordless power tools, Bluetooth speakers, electric toothbrushes, robot vacuums and e-scooters all carry one. Here's where the EPA says each goes:

• Laptops and other computer gear: take them to an e-waste collection point, battery and all. They're covered by the national TV and computer scheme below.
• Phones, chargers and phone accessories: a MobileMuster collection point, the recycling scheme for old and broken phones.
• Vapes and other battery gadgets: a Community Recycling Centre that accepts embedded-battery products. In Sydney these include Artarmon (Northern Sydney), Liverpool, Campbelltown, Matraville (Randwick) and Leichhardt (Inner West). They take items up to 20kg, and it's worth phoning ahead with anything unusual.
• Cordless power tools and anything else with a removable battery: the EPA asks you to take the battery out and bring just the loose battery for recycling.

Lithium batteries are the reason this matters. More on that in our guide to lithium battery disposal and fire risk.

What's free — and where free runs out

The main free option is the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, which the NSW EPA (checked 27 Sep 2026) supports. It's industry-funded and covers TVs, computers, printers and computer products. Householders and small businesses can drop these off at designated access points — permanent collection sites, take-back events, or in some cases a mail-back option.

Councils add their own events on top. The City of Canterbury-Bankstown (checked 27 Sep 2026) runs two free electrical waste drop-off events a year for residents. The City of Sydney (checked 27 Sep 2026) holds Recycle It Saturday every three months at its Alexandra Canal Depot. And if the item still works, the EPA suggests a second-hand shop, a charity, or friends and family.

Free is the right answer when you have one or two small items and a car. It gets harder when:

• The item is outside the scheme. It covers TVs, computers, printers and computer products. Anything else depends on what your council or local recycling centre accepts.
• You have to get it there. A 65-inch panel is a two-person carry and needs a big car, and it cracks if it flexes.
• The dates don't suit. Events run on set days — twice a year in Canterbury-Bankstown, quarterly in the City of Sydney — so you might be storing it for months.
• It's heavy. The EPA's embedded-battery sites take items up to 20kg, apart from e-bikes whose battery can't be removed.

What councils do with TVs at the kerb

Every council runs its own kerbside collection with its own list, and TVs are one of the items where they differ most. Three examples from around Sydney:

• City of Parramatta excludes e-waste — its examples are "computers, TVs and their accessories" — from its kerbside collection and points residents to e-waste drop-off options instead. It also says material put out without a booking, or earlier than the night before, "will be investigated as illegal dumping and could result in a fine" (City of Parramatta, checked 27 Sep 2026).
• City of Canterbury-Bankstown accepts "televisions, computers, heaters, lamps, fans" in its booked household collection — two a calendar year for houses and blocks of five or fewer units, up to three cubic metres each. Batteries of all sizes are excluded (City of Canterbury-Bankstown, checked 27 Sep 2026).
• City of Sydney gives residents free weekly pick-ups for electronics and other large household items, booked online (City of Sydney, checked 27 Sep 2026).

Three councils, three different answers. Check your own council's page before a TV goes on the nature strip, and only put it out once you have a booked date. Our guide to Sydney council bulky collection rules has more on what councils take and refuse.

When a paid pickup makes sense

Free options are good value if your time and transport are free too. A pickup is usually the better call when:

• The TV is large or heavy and ready at the kerbside
• You don't have a car, or the one you have won't fit it
• It's a whole household load — old computers, monitors, a printer, a box of cables — not one item
• You're moving out and can't wait for the next council event or booking

Our pricing is fixed. A normal household amount of e-waste is $80 flat per load, collected in one visit. A very large load — a garage full of old monitors, say — is priced separately, and we confirm the price with you first. TVs can also be booked on their own: from $80, or $150 for a large TV — more in our guide to getting rid of an old TV. We work Monday to Friday, 6am–4pm, and same-day pickup is often possible if you book before noon; otherwise it's usually within 24–48 hours.

Whichever route you take, wipe your devices first — here's how to wipe data before recycling. For a wider rundown of every option, see our guide to e-waste disposal in Sydney.

Frequently asked questions

Can I put a TV in the red bin?

NSW has no statewide ban on it. It's still the wrong bin. TVs are covered by the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, so dropping one off is free, and your council sets what its bins accept. Use a scheme drop-off point or council event, your council's kerbside collection if it takes TVs, or book a pickup.

Can I throw an old phone in the bin?

No. Phones have lithium batteries, and the NSW EPA says batteries should never go in a red, yellow or green lid bin because they can start fires in trucks and waste facilities. Take it to a MobileMuster collection point, along with old chargers and accessories.

What do I do with a laptop battery?

Keep it out of every bin. If it's still in the laptop, take the whole laptop to an e-waste collection point — that's where the NSW EPA directs laptops. If it's a loose battery, take it to a battery recycling drop-off.

Is there a fine for putting e-waste in the bin in NSW?

There's no statewide fine, because there's no statewide ban. Fines are more likely at the kerb: in the City of Parramatta, for example, anything put out without a booking, or earlier than the night before, is investigated as illegal dumping and can lead to a fine. More in our guide to illegal dumping penalties in NSW.

Will my council take e-waste in its kerbside collection?

It depends on the council. Parramatta excludes computers and TVs from its kerbside collection and points residents to drop-off options, Canterbury-Bankstown accepts them in its booked collection (but excludes batteries), and the City of Sydney offers residents weekly pick-ups for electronics. Check your council's website and book before putting anything out.

Book an e-waste pickup

No car, a heavy TV, or a whole household of old tech? We'll collect it from the kerbside across Sydney and send it to licensed e-waste recyclers. Please arrange for items to be safely placed outside at the kerbside before pickup; our team does not carry items from inside homes, on stairs or from apartments. A normal household amount is $80 flat per load, and TVs are from $80.

Book an e-waste pickup — $80 →