The pre-cyclone clean up is back for 2024!
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What items will be collected | Separating items | Prohibited items | Tips on safety | Frequently asked questions
City of Darwin’s pre-cyclone clean-up is an opportunity to tidy up around your yard and prepare for cyclone season. The free service helps Darwin residents to dispose of unwanted items that may become hazardous in a cyclone and are too big for the relevant kerbside wheelie bin.
Collection zones and timing
To ensure a smooth clean-up, the Pre-Cyclone Clean-Up is split into two collection zones and each zone takes about two weeks for the team to finish. You can find which zone your suburb is in on the map below.
Each zone has a designated “clean- up weekend” to add eligible items to the verge, which ensures that your items are on the verge in time for our crews to collect.
- Zone 1’s clean- up weekend is Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September – Please put your items on the verge on this weekend.
- Zone 2’s clean- up weekend is Saturday 14 September and Sunday 15 September – Please put your items on the verge on this weekend.
We cannot provide the exact day our crews will complete the collection on your street, so to guarantee your eligible items will be collected, please put them on the verge during your clean- up weekend.
Once your street has been cleared, we won’t return to do additional collections.
Any item remaining on the verge in Zone 1 after Friday 13 September and in Zone 2 after Friday 27 September 2024 will not be collected and needs to be removed by the resident.
Zones
Zone 1 (green):
- Alawa
- Anula
- Brinkin
- Casuarina
- Jingili
- Karama
- Leanyer
- Lyons
- Malak
- Marrara
- Moil
- Muirhead
- Nakara
- Tiwi
- Wagaman
- Wanguri
- Wulagi
Zone 2 (blue):
- Bayview
- Berrimah
- Coconut Grove
- Cullen Bay
- Darwin City
- Eaton
- East Point
- Fannie Bay
- Larrakeyah
- Ludmilla
- Millner
- Nightcliff
- Parap
- Rapid Creek
- Stuart Park
- The Gardens
- The Narrows
- Winnellie
- Woolner
Check the 2025 Pre-Cyclone Clean-Up progress map here: Pre-cyclone Clean-up 2025 – Public Progress Map. Please note: this link may not be supported on some web platforms. If you aren't able to see the live progress, try opening the link on another platform.
Remember, once your street has been cleared, we won’t return to do additional collections and any items that remain on the verge will need to be removed by residents.
Northcrest collection
City of Darwin offers a contracted Pre-Cyclone Clean-Up to residents of Northcrest through an agreement with DCOH (formally Halikos).
The clean up weekend for Northcrest residents is Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September. Collection will be completed Monday 2 September 2024.
Assisted Pick Ups
City of Darwin offers a free assisted pick up service for seniors and residents with mobility limitations to assist with removing items from their property.
Assisted pick-ups can be booked up until Friday 27 September 2024 by calling 8930 0300. You will need to provide a list of items to be removed at the time of booking.
Tips on safety
We all play a part in keeping our community safe and by following this checklist you can help keep your neighbourhood and our crew safe while we prepare for cyclone season.
When you put items on your verge, please remember:
- Place items safely so they don’t fall or move
- Make sure items are clear of footpaths, gutters and roads
- Group your items by material type and leave room between groups
- Only put out what you can pick up
- Remove all glass from items before they go on the verge – this means microwaves with glass turntables, washing machines with a glass lid and fridges with glass shelves
- Do not put prohibited items on your verge – these items can be dangerous for our crews and for people in your neighbourhood
Separate your items
To make collection easier, please separate your items into groups with similar items. This will help streamline the clean-up process and ensure efficient collection.
Be sure to leave a space between groups rather than bundling everything together.
What will be picked up during the clean up?
The Pre-Cyclone Clean-Up service assists Darwin residents to remove unwanted household items that may become hazardous in a cyclone and are too big for the relevant kerbside wheelie bin.
We will collect up to 2 cubic metres from each household.
Eligible items need to be under 2 metres to fit on our collection trucks. If your item is over 2 metres, it will need to be dismantled or cut down to size.
Items that will be collected are:
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Grouping your items
Grouping your items by material type when placing them on the verge helps to prevent recyclable items from going to landfill and streamlines the collection process for our team.
Below is an example of how to group your items on the verge for collection:
Don't forget:
- Fridges, freezers and any item with a compartment of 40L capacity or more need to have doors removed before it can be placed in a public space
- All glass, including doors, shelves and mirrors, needs to be removed from items before they are placed on your verge
Prohibited items
- Commercial waste
- Concrete
- Garden waste
- Liquids
- Paints
- Asbestos
- Car parts (including batteries and tyres)
- Glass and mirrors, (including glass shelves from fridges and microwaves)
- Food waste (including fridges containing food waste)
- Gas bottles
- Cardboard – please recycle cardboard in the yellow-topped wheelie bins
Any item longer than 2 metres including scrap metal, trampolines, swing sets and lengths of timber. Items over 2 metres won’t fit in our trucks and need to be dismantled or cut down.
Once our teams have completed collection on your street, we do not return to do additional collections. Items that remain on the verge at the end of the Pre-Cyclone Clean-Up need to be removed by residents.
Alternative waste streams
Before you put your items on the verge have you thought about whether they could be reused, recycled or donated?
- Could an item be repurposed around your property?
- Could you take on a repair project and fix items rather than putting them on your verge?
- Are your items something that could be donated to the HPA Trash and Treasure Shop at the Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility?
It’s easy to do your part and help to divert waste from landfill. You can find more ideas for how you can reduce, reuse and recycle around your home here Recycling | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory.
FAQs
- Who can put out items for the Pre-Cyclone Clean Up collection?
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If you are a resident living in the Darwin municipality and you (or your landlord) pay a waste levy to City of Darwin, you are entitled to place your items out in time for the Pre-Cyclone Clean Up in your area. If you rent and are not sure if your property is included, we recommend contacting your landlord or property manager.
The Pre-Cyclone Clean Up is for residential properties only. All commercial/industrial properties should make their own waste disposal arrangements.
For more information, visit Collection zones and timing.
- What happens to the items I put out?
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The items on your verge are collected and taken to the Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility.
We assign our trucks to collect items based on the type of material, such as metals, whitegoods or furniture to help us maximise opportunities for reusing and recycling items.
If items are not separated clearly, this limits our ability to reuse and/or recycle effectively.
- Why were my items not collected?
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The reason your items may not have been collected could be:
1. Your items are hazardous and cannot be collected by our crew - Please check your letterbox items for a Prohibited Items notice sticker. You will need to make other arrangements for disposal of these items.
2. We haven’t reached your street yet – We cannot provide the exact day our teams will complete the collection on your street. We aim to complete each zone’s collection within a two week period.
3. We are still collecting items – We collect items in groups by materials which allows us to maximise recycling opportunities. Sometimes this means that we’ll collect some of your items at the start of the collection period and others at the end.
4. Your items were placed on the verge after your zone’s clean up weekend – We cannot guarantee that items placed on the verge after your zone’s clean up weekend will be collected by our crew. Our crew may have completed your street before you put your items out and we don’t return to do additional collections.Any item remaining on the verge in Zone 1 after Friday 13 September 2024 and in Zone 2 after Friday 27 September will not be collected and needs to be removed by the resident.
- I missed my zone's weekend clean up, can I still have items collected?
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No, we are unable to arrange additional collections if you missed your zone’s clean up weekend.
If you have items that need to be disposed of prior to the cyclone season, you can still take them to the transfer station at Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility.
Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility is located off Vanderlin Drive and is open every day from 7am to 6pm except Christmas Day. You will need your access tag to enter the facility.
- Why do refrigerators, freezers and furniture with compartments need to have their doors and glass shelves removed before they can be put on the verge?
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Under '65AA Dumping of certain containers' of the Summary Offences Act it is an offence to leave the following items (if their capacity is equal to 40L or more) in a public place without first removing the doors/lids, locks and hinges.
- refrigerator/freezer
- icebox
- trunks
- other articles of furniture with a compartment
These items can pose a safety risk to small children.
Glass can become a serious hazard if left on the verge and is dangerous for our crews to remove.
Glass shelves from refrigerators should be removed and disposed of safely.
- Can seniors or people with a disability get assistance with their items?
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Yes, we offer a free assisted pick- up service to all seniors and people with mobility limitations.
If you need assistance, please call us on 08 8930 0300 before Friday 27 September 2024 to book.
- Why is it called the Pre-Cyclone Clean Up and not a hard rubbish collection?
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Rumour has it that the Pre-Cyclone Clean-Up started many years ago and was a service provided by Neighbourhood Watch for Nightcliff residents only to help them prepare for the upcoming cyclone season.
Now it is a service provided by the City of Darwin for the whole municipality (paying a waste levy). We still call it the Pre-Cyclone Clean-Up as the main aim of the collection is to make sure your home is free from hazardous materials in the event of a cyclone.
We will not pick up liquids, paints, concrete, asbestos, car parts (including batteries and tyres), glass or mirrors, food waste (including fridges containing food waste), gas bottles and items that exceed 2 metres in length, such as cardboard, scrap metal, trampolines, swing sets and lengths of timber.
More Information
Contact us for more Pre-Cyclone Clean-up information