Detox Your Home collections

Never put hazardous household chemicals in your rubbish bin or pour them down the drain

Throwing hazardous household chemicals in your rubbish bins is dangerous. They can explode, catch fire, leak, or mix with other substances—posing serious risks in your bin, the collection truck, or at sorting facilities.

Pouring chemicals down the drain may pollute waterways and make rivers and beaches unsafe for swimming, contaminate our water supply, and harm wildlife and vegetation.

Safely dispose of your hazardous household chemicals at our Detox Your Home events

Drop off accepted hazardous household chemicals at our free Detox Your Home events, staffed by trained chemists.

If your item isn’t accepted, check other safe disposal options.

Register for an event

The remaining 2025 events are now sold out, and waiting lists are at capacity.

We will release the 2026 schedule events early in the year.

Events are free for all Victorians. You are welcome to attend any event, even if it's not hosted by your local council.

Before registering, check out the list of acceptable chemicals for disposal.

If you weren’t able to register for an event, make sure you store hazardous chemicals safely until you are able to safely dispose of them.

Waiting lists

If an event is fully booked, a waitlist of up to 50 spots is available through Eventbrite. If the waiting list is full, check back closer to the event – even on the morning of the event – as cancellations are common.

If you are on the waiting list, watch your email for updates. Spots fill quickly once released.

All 2025 events are now sold out.

Before the event

• Only bring accepted items.
• The maximum acceptable weight or size of a single container is 20 kg or 20 L. This is for lift-related occupational health and safety reasons of our chemists.
• Label items clearly:
  • Use the original packaging if possible.
  • If repackaged, write contents with a permanent marker.
  • Label unknown substances as 'Unknown'.
• Bring chemicals in disposable containers that you can leave behind – decanting is not permitted at the event site.
• Place items in your empty car boot or tray.

Read our tips on how to safely manage hazardous household chemicals.

At the event

• Follow event signage and directions provided by event and council staff.
• Stay in your car – our trained event staff and qualified chemists will unload items for you.
• It takes 10 to 15 minutes for our team to service each car.

Accepted items

If you have items not listed below, see our advice on safe ways to dispose of other common hazardous household items.

Cleaning

• Acids and alkalis, including spirit of salt, bleach, rust remover, and hydrochloric acid
• Aerosol cans (empty cans can be put in your recycling bin)
• Oven cleaner

Cosmetics

• Nail polish remover

Garden and pool

• Fertiliser
• Fuel (old lawn mower/power tools fuel)
• Weed killers/herbicides
• Insect sprays and pesticides
• Pool chemicals, including liquid pool chlorine and pool salts

Garage

• Brake fluid
• Coolant
• Fuels, including petrol, diesel and kerosene
• Machine oil and lubricant
• Rat poison
• Transmission fluid
• Turpentine, thinners and paint strippers
• Wood preservatives and finishes

Hobby materials

• Photographic chemicals
• Wood preservatives and finishes

Kitchen and camping

• Butane gas canisters
• Hand sanitiser
• See cleaning products above
• Insect sprays

Items found at home with these symbols