Free disposal of bushfire waste

The current Gate Fee Rebate Program and waste levy waiver relate to the bushfire emergency event that commenced on 7 January 2026 and apply to any material:

• deposited on private property by the fire
• damaged by the fire.

Find your closest landfill, transfer station (Resource Recovery Centre) or composting facility (Reprocessor) on Victoria's waste and resource recovery infrastructure map.

Visit your local government website for information on transfer station opening hours, addresses and what type of waste is accepted.

It is recommended that you check in advance that the waste and/or composting facility you want to access is operating and accepts the type of waste you wish to dispose.

Waste facilities will collect information to confirm that the waste is eligible for the gate fee rebate.

You will need to show proof of residency in a fire-impacted Local Government Area (LGA), such as a driver’s licence or rates notice.

Until 12 May 2026, residents from the 19 areas impacted by the bushfires can dispose of disaster waste at transfer stations, composting facilities and landfills free of charge.

The waste levy waiver process is managed by the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA Victoria).

To claim the gate fee rebate, waste facility operators will need to:

• confirm that the waste was from an impacted LGA and resulted from the bushfire event that began on 7 January 2026
• provide an invoice stating that the waste is disaster waste, waste stream type (i.e. organics, landfill), tonnage, and gate fee rate per tonne, along with listing the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) purchase order number.

If you don’t have a DEECA purchase order number, please contact: waste.emergency@deeca.vic.gov.au.

To claim the gate fee rebate, waste facility operators should:

• collect evidence that the waste originated from an approved local government area
  • for individuals, this may be the requirement to show proof of residence in an impacted LGA, such as a driver’s license or rates notice. This information does not need to be recorded
  • for businesses or other waste producers, facilities may request a declaration that the waste is eligible disaster waste and has come from an approved location
• visually inspect the waste to ensure it is disaster waste
• include a declaration on invoices to enable claiming of the gate fee rebate by stating, ‘I declare the waste associated with this gate fee rebate claim is disaster waste from an LGA affected by the emergency that commenced on 7 January 2026.
• it is recommended that facilities document their evidence-collection procedure.

If a waste facility is owned by the council, either the council or the waste facility operator can apply for the gate fee rebate - as long as only one application is made per facility.

Landfill operators may claim the gate fee rebate for waste transported from transfer stations. Transfer station operators may only claim their direct fees under this program, not the landfill gate fee.

Please note that free disaster waste disposal is only available during the period from 12 January 2026 until 12 May 2026.

Requests for refunds for payments made within these dates will be examined on a case-by-case basis. Please send queries about refunds to waste.emergency@deeca.vic.gov.au.

EPA Victoria is managing the waste levy waiver and will be able to provide information. For more information, visit the EPA website.

DEECA is coordinating the gate fee rebate. For more information about claiming the gate fee rebate, please email us at waste.emergency@deeca.vic.gov.au.