The short answer
If it’s in good condition, a charity may collect it free. If not, your council’s hard rubbish collection takes furniture in every council in the east, within its limits and on its timetable. A tip charges it as general waste. For a whole room or house of furniture, a general waste skip is usually simpler than several tip runs. Leaving it on the nature strip without a booking is dumping.
Council hard rubbish: free, within limits
Every council in the east collects household furniture as hard rubbish, but each has its own allowance, size rules and timetable. Couches are the item most likely to hit a size limit:
Furniture in council hard rubbish
| Council | Collections | Allowance | Furniture rules worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox | 2 booked a financial year | No volume limit; items under 30 kg and 1.5 m | Only mattresses, bed bases and fridges are excepted from the item limits: ask Knox about a long couch |
| Maroondah | 2 free a financial year, shared with prunings; up to 2 paid extras | 2 m³ each, or one 4 m³ | Items over 1.5 m aren’t taken, except mattresses and large furniture |
| Whitehorse | 2 free a financial year; paid extras | 3 m³ each | Household furniture taken |
| Manningham | 2 a calendar year, shared with bundled branches | 2 m³ each, or one 4 m³ | Lounge suites taken; joinery and cabinetry aren’t |
| Monash | Annual run finished for 2026; booked from 2027; paid extras now | 2 m³ paid extra ($216 in 2026–27) | Soft furniture goes in its own stack, and is excepted from the 1.5 m limit |
| Yarra Ranges | 1 a year, by area (late January to March) | 3 m³ of hard waste | Can’t be booked: check your week by address |
From each council’s own hard rubbish pages, checked 2 October 2026; Monash’s fee is GST included. Booking details are in each council’s guide.
Booking steps and the full lists: Knox, Maroondah, Whitehorse, Manningham, Monash and Yarra Ranges. Built-in furniture is a different matter: Manningham and Monash both exclude cabinetry, and kitchen or laundry cupboards are renovation waste.
Good condition? A charity may collect it
Salvos Stores offers “FREE collections for larger donations and bulky goods”. Furniture is accepted at selected stores only, and must be “not broken, stained or torn”. You book by phone (13 72 58) or online with a list of what you’re giving, and in high-demand areas collections are booked 3 to 4 weeks ahead.
That rules out most couches that have had a hard life. Be honest about condition when you book. Selling or giving furniture away online is another route for things in good order.
Taking it to the tip
Transfer stations don’t have a separate couch fee: furniture is charged as general waste, by the load or by weight.
A small trailer of general waste at the tip
| Facility and load | Published price | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Knox Transfer Station (small trailer, level, up to 6x4) | $154.00 | Knox Transfer Station operator (GST included) |
| Montrose (6x4 single axle, level) | $165 | Montrose Transfer Station (GST and levy included) |
| Whitehorse centre (ute, van, trailer) | $407.00 per tonne, minimum $125.00 (up to 300 kg) | Whitehorse City Council (levy and GST included) |
| Monash centre, resident (flat-tray 6 ft trailer, up to 25 cm high) | $110.00 | City of Monash (GST not stated) |
Each facility’s own 2026–27 price, not a range; they measure loads differently. Knox and Whitehorse re-checked 12 October 2026; Montrose and Monash checked 2 October 2026.
Mattresses are charged per item on top (see mattress disposal), and fridges and TVs are e-waste. Hours and addresses are in the guide to tips and transfer stations.
When a skip makes more sense
Hard rubbish runs on the council’s timetable and allowance, and a tip run needs a trailer, a second pair of hands and often more than one trip. A skip suits a whole room or house: moving out, clearing a rental, or a garage that’s become a furniture store.
Furniture is bulky rather than heavy, so space runs out before the weight limit does. Take the legs off tables and couches, take drawers out of chests, and stand flat pieces like bed heads and table tops along the sides first. As our rule of thumb, a garage of furniture takes a 4 to 6 m³ skip and a whole house 8 m³ or more; the skip bin size calculator works it out room by room.
- Mattresses cost extra in a skip, such as $100 each at Yarra Valley Skip Bins or $50 at ASAP Bin Hire.
- Fridges, TVs and anything with a plug are e-waste, banned from landfill in Victoria: keep them out unless the skip company agrees to separate them.
- A skip on your driveway needs no council permit; on the street it does, and the skip company applies.
Don’t leave it on the nature strip
A couch on the nature strip with a “free” sign on it, outside a booked collection, is dumped rubbish. EPA Victoria says it’s illegal to leave any kind of waste somewhere not licensed to accept it, and councils fine people for it: Knox, for one, says it’s illegal to leave hard rubbish out without a booking, or to add items to a neighbour’s pile.
Common questions
How do I get rid of a couch for free?
Book your council’s hard rubbish collection, which takes furniture in every council in the east within its allowance. If the couch is in good condition, a charity may collect it free: Salvos Stores collects larger donations of furniture that isn’t broken, stained or torn, at selected stores.
Can I put a couch in a skip?
Yes. Couches and other furniture are general waste. Take the legs off and stand it on its end or side to save room. Mattresses, fridges and anything electrical are the exceptions: they cost extra or have to be kept out.
Will hard rubbish take a three-seater couch?
Usually, but check the size rule. Knox’s item limits are 30 kg and 1.5 m, with only mattresses, bed bases and fridges excepted, so ask Knox about a long couch. Maroondah excepts large furniture from its 1.5 m limit, and Monash excepts soft furniture.
How much does the tip charge for a couch?
There’s no separate couch fee at the tips in the east: it’s general waste. Knox Transfer Station charges $154.00 for a level small trailer of general waste, and Whitehorse charges $407.00 per tonne with a $125.00 minimum, both including GST.
Where this information comes from
The rules and prices on this page come from these published pages, checked on 12 October 2026.
- Knox City Council: hard rubbish collection · Council page on booked collections and what they exclude
- Maroondah City Council: hard rubbish and bundled prunings · Council page on booked collections and what they exclude
- Whitehorse City Council: hard waste · Council page, including its advice for unit and apartment blocks
- Manningham Council: book a hard rubbish collection · Council page with the accepted and refused lists
- City of Monash: annual hard waste collection · Council page on the 2026 collection and bookings from 2027
- City of Monash: book an additional paid hard waste collection · Council page on the paid extra collection
- Yarra Ranges Council: hard rubbish · Council page on the annual hard rubbish collection
- Salvos Stores: home collection · Charity retailer’s page on free collection of larger donations
- Knox Transfer Station: gate prices · Transfer station gate prices as of 1 July 2026, GST included
- Whitehorse Recycling and Waste Centre: items accepted at a charge · Council fees 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, including levy and GST
- Montrose Transfer Station: fees and hours · Operator fees as of 1 July 2026, GST and landfill levy included
- City of Monash: Recycling and Waste Centre fee sheet · Council prices by vehicle, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027
- Yarra Valley Skip Bins: skip bin hire prices · Skip hire business, Dixons Creek (Yarra Ranges); price table by size, waste and weight limit, no visible date, GST not stated
- ASAP Bin Hire: Bayswater skip bins · Skip hire business, Kilsyth; main “Our skip bins” table (the page also shows a second, different price guide), GST not stated
- Victorian Government: e-waste ban · State government page, updated 14 March 2024
- EPA Victoria: report illegal waste dumping · State regulator page, updated 8 September 2026