Get ready by clearing the clutter, Cook Shire!
We know extreme weather does not always follow the calendar. Clearing loose and unwanted items now is a simple way to reduce potential hazards and help make homes, yards and the wider community safer.
To help residents prepare, Cook Shire Council’s Free Dumping Days and Seniors’ Handy Help Pick-Up will return this November.
A few jobs completed now can make a real difference when extreme weather arrives.
Free Dumping Days: 10–22 November
Residents can dispose of eligible, pre-sorted waste free of charge at the Ayton, Cooktown, Lakeland and Laura waste facilities from 10 to 22 November 2026 during regular opening hours.
Eligible items include green waste, selected construction materials, plastic and cardboard packaging, outdoor furniture and broken wheelie bins.
All waste must be sorted into the eligible categories before arrival. Mixed, unsorted or ineligible loads may be refused or charged at the standard disposal rate.
Before loading up, check the full list of accepted items and your local facility’s opening hours.
Could someone else use it?
Not everything uncovered during a clean-up needs to go to the waste facility.
If an item is still safe and usable, consider selling it at Spring into the Markets on Saturday 17 October. It is an opportunity to make a little extra cash, help useful items find a new home and keep them out of landfill.
Non-food stalls are just $10. Residents can register online, call Council on 4082 0500 or visit Council’s main office for help with their application.
Need a hand?
Not everyone can load up a trailer or transport bulky waste. Council’s Seniors’ Handy Help Pick-Up provides additional support for eligible residents who may otherwise find it difficult to take part.
To be eligible, residents must:
- live within a defined waste collection area and receive a kerbside bin collection service
- receive the Age Pension or Disability Support Pension
- hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card.
Eligible residents can register to have up to four cubic metres of sorted and separated waste collected from their property free of charge during Free Dumping Days.
Waste must be stockpiled in a safe and accessible location before the allocated collection date. Council staff cannot clean up yards or move waste from inside homes, sheds or other structures.
Residents with more than four cubic metres should contact Council for a quote and to discuss the most suitable collection option. Standard disposal fees will apply to mixed, unsorted or ineligible waste.
Handy Help is an opt-in service, with registrations closing at 12 noon, Monday 26 October 2026.
To check your eligibility or register, call Council’s Waste Team on 4082 0500.
If you have a family member, friend or neighbour who may be eligible, please let them know about Handy Help and encourage them to register before the deadline.
