Introduction:
It’s old news I know but it seems like an almost daily occurrence that something increases in price and affects our day to day living costs.
Whether it’s commodities such as fruit and veg at the local Woolies.
Or the recent hike in fuel excise hitting our back pocket at the bowser.
It seems we are all now truly feeling the full impacts of the Covid pandemic in 2020 that shook so many economic factors bringing on a cost of living crisis that has affected not only the nation, but the entire world.
Just recently I was speaking to a family member over in the UK who mentioned a near 100% increase in their home insurance in the last three years which is insane to think, especially if you are on a pension and have no way of increasing your income.
These kinds of increases across the board on all our living expenses means that essentially, just keeping our heads above water can now be seen as a luxury.
And so when it comes to the idea of ‘cheap rubbish removal sunshine coast’ or cheap anything for that matter, the word cheap has essentially become redundant.
With overheads constantly going up for local rubbish removal operators here on the Sunshine Coast, this can only mean one thing; the cost of the service going up.
And with the recent hike on July 1st of Sunshine Coast tip fees, it makes it even harder to entertain the idea of cheap rubbish removal anymore.
So What Do The Sunshine Coast Council Tip Fees Look Like in 2024?
Rather than trying to navigate the rubix cube that is The Sunshine Coast council website to find the cost of disposing rubbish at the tip, I’ve took a photo of the printout which simplifies all the associated costs for disposal.
Bare in mind, you must allow for some subjective opinion as what you get charged on the day can sometimes come down to the mood of the guy on the weigh bridge at the local tip.
Don’t get me wrong, most of the workers do make an effort to get a good grasp on what it is that you’re dumping and try to charge a reasonable price but there are times where you feel like your pants have been pulled down and seriously start to entertain the idea of remortgaging your home once you look at the receipt.
Sunshine Coast Tip Fees As Of July 1st 2024
I’ve broken down the following screenshots into three different sections to help make it easy to digest.
When going to the tip, the waste you dispose of usually gets divided into four main categories which are:
General Waste Domestic (mixed waste such as furniture, clothing, appliances)
Commercial Waste (as above but charged at a premium for being a business)
Green Waste (garden cuttings such as grass, branches, palms)
Construction (renovation waste such as bricks, concrete, timber, plasterboard)
If you find yourself with a mixture both of waste then make sure you divide and separate them if possible for example: put green waste in the trailer and general household in the Ute.
This will help make it cheaper as the weigh bridge operator can clearly see the difference in waste and will charge appropriately.
In the below image you’ll see ‘how’ the sunshine coast council charge their tip fees, with the main point of pricing fees geared towards ‘volume’ of rubbish and the second geared towards ‘weight’.
(Warning: This may seem a little confusing at first)
I’ll focus on the commercial column in orange so you can see just how much it costs when hiring out a local service operator.
As you can see, it starts getting pricey very quickly, hence the end of cheap rubbish removal sunshine coast.
Just to dump a large load which is the tray of a Ute and a trailer of rubbish, you’re looking at $138!
Even just loading up the rear end of the Ute costs nearly $70.
So as you can imagine, if you’re hiring out a service with two guys and a small truck that has to cover the wages, vehicle costs and all other associated overheads as well as GST, it soon gets really hard to offer anything even close to the idea of cheap rubbish removal.
You’ll also notice the bold text that states that this is the ‘discounted charges’.
If your load is over 500kg, we get billed by the tonne at $276 pro rata.
It’s not uncommon for some loads to come out at $250-$350 for some of our customers.
Definitely not cheap!
Individual Item Charges And Tip Fees
Following on from the charges based on volume or weight, the local council charges per individual item for disposing of the following:
-
- Tyres $7-$35
-
- Mattresses $22 each
-
- Fire extinguisher $6-$12
-
- Motor Oil per 100l $20
-
- Plasterboard per tonne $50
But not all hope is lost as there is also a zero dollar charge for disposing of many items such as:
-
- Paint
-
- Scrap metal and white goods
-
- E-Waste (printers, computers, phones)
-
- Cardboard
Cheap Rubbish Removal Is A Thing Of The Past
I hope this article serves to help educate you on what it might cost you to dispose of your rubbish.
In a sense, it’s good that disposing of junk into landfill is getting pricier as it may act as deterrent to our throw away culture, although I doubt it.
What can make it cheaper though, is a conscious effort to minimize what we throw, donate what we can and recycle where possible.
It’s true that a lot of the op-shop’s on the Sunshine Coast are getting filled to capacity with donations but it’s always worthwhile giving Salvos or Vinnies a go if you have items that are still in good condition.
But what about hiring a cheap rubbish removal company?
Well, as my dad’s always said, if you buy cheap you buy twice.
Just like the unlucky fella who hired me to clear this rubbish that was dumped on the side of Claymore Road in Sippy Downs.
He ended up with the Sunshine Coast council chasing him as the guys he used didn’t even bother going to the tip.
The result? Paying twice.
The local council worker rummaged through all the junk and found some utility bills with the customers name and address on.
That’s why it’s always worth hiring a more reputable company, even if it does cost an extra few bucks.
What’s sad about this scenario is not just this customer getting ripped off but the damage to the environment too.
The mower that got dumped was turned over and full of oil that had leaked into the ground.
Pretty average behavior hey?
So look, if you’re needing a professional rubbish removal service on the Sunshine Coast that prides itself on doing the right thing then get in touch and lets chat about what you need clearing.
Cheers,
Jeremy