Transfer Stations & Recycling Drop-offs

Central Otago District Council operates four transfer stations across the district. Details on each transfer station, including locations and opening hours, are provided below.

Our transfer stations accept household and commercial general waste, along with a range of recyclable materials, household hazardous waste, and garden waste. Central Otago does not operate its own landfill, and all general waste is transported to Victoria Flats Landfill in the Gibbston Valley.

Recycling drop-off locations for household quantities of cardboard, paper, cans, plastic containers, and glass are available throughout the district. Recyclable materials collected are sent to specialist processors. More information about recycling can be found HERE

Transfer Stations (Alexandra, Cromwell, Roxburgh and Ranfurly)

Transfer Station Locations and Hours of Operation

All stations are EFTPOS only

Transfer Station	Location	Hours of Operation	Closed
Alexandra	60 Boundary Road, Alexandra	10am-5pm 7 days	Christmas Day Boxing Day New Year’s Day Good Friday Anzac Day (until 1pm)
Cromwell	79 Barry Avenue, Cromwell	10am-5pm 7 days	Christmas Day Boxing Day New Year’s Day Good Friday Anzac Day (until 1pm)
Ranfurly	32 Drumglass Street, Ranfurly	Summer: 1pm–4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday Winter: 1pm–3pm Tuesday and Thursday 1pm–4pm Saturday and Sunday	Christmas Day Boxing Day New Year’s Day Good Friday Anzac Day (until 1pm)
Roxburgh	59 Roxburgh East Road, Roxburgh	Summer: 1pm-4pm Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat and Sun Winter: 1pm-3pm Tuesday and Thursday 1pm-4pm Saturday and Sunday	Christmas Day Boxing Day New Year’s Day Good Friday Anzac Day (until 1pm)

Note: Daylight Savings Time signals change from summer to winter hours for Ranfurly and Roxburgh transfer stations.

Accepted Materials at Transfer Stations

All Transfer stations accept general solid waste and household recycling. Other materials are conditionally acceptable and outlined in the table below.

Waste type	Alexandra	Cromwell	Ranfurly	Roxburgh	More information
General waste	✅	✅	✅	✅	Conditions and charges apply. More information available at the bottom of this page
Household Recycling	✅	✅	✅	✅	Conditions and charges apply. More information available at the bottom of this page
E-waste	✅	✅	✅	✅	Conditions and charges apply. More information available HERE
Green waste	✅	✅	✅	✅	Conditions and charges apply. Accepted: Lawn and hedge clippings, weeds and tree trimmings with branches up to 150mm in diameter. Not Accepted: broom, gorse, cabbage trees, flax, timber offcuts, wood packaging, gib, soil, foodwaste or animal waste (i.e. carcases/pelts/guts/tails)
Cleanfill	✅	❌	❌	❌	Conditions and charges apply. Uncontaminated soil, rock, gravel, clay, silt, and sand only.
Hardfill	✅	❌	❌	❌	Conditions and charges apply. Uncontaminated concrete, asphalt, brick, pavers, clay pipes, tiles, or ceramics only. Reinforced concrete must have steel cutback to concrete
Hazardous waste	✅	✅	❌	❌	Conditions and charges apply. Household quantities only. More information below.
LPG cylinders	✅	✅	❌	✅	Conditions and charges apply. More information below.
Batteries	✅	✅	✅	✅	Accepted free of charge. Conditions apply. Leaking, damaged or swollen batteries not accepted
Waste Oils	✅	✅	❌	❌	Conditions and charges apply. Household quantities only. More information below.
Paint	✅	✅	❌	❌	Conditions and charges apply. Household quantities only. More information below.
Scrap metal	✅	✅	✅	✅	Accepted free of charge. Conditions apply. Must be predominantly metal, clean and free of excessive dirt, grease, oil.
Tyres	✅	✅	✅	✅	Accepted free of charge. Conditions apply. Max 5 tyres per visit. Rims must be removed prior, and tyres must be clean. See this video about the Tyrewise recycling scheme.
Vehicle bodies	✅	✅	❌	❌	Conditions and charges apply. All sumps, diffs etc. drained of oil, fuel tanks pierced and empty. Sump plugs need to be left out so that loads can be inspected. Tyres, upholstery, linings and non-ferrous metals removed.
Whiteware	✅	✅	✅	✅	Conditions and charges apply.
Ash	✅	✅	✅	✅	Conditions and charges apply. Household quantities only. Must be cold and bagged.

Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste includes items that can be harmful to people or the environment. It is the responsibility of the user of any hazardous materials to ensure they have a safe disposal option if they need to dispose of any leftover hazardous material after they have finished the job.

These materials must be disposed of separately and must not be put in your wheelie bin or with general waste at the Transfer Stations.

Hazardous waste is accepted at the Alexandra and Cromwell Transfer Stations. This is a service for household quantities and not for commercial customers. Please speak to the transfer station staff on arrival before unloading.

Accepted materials can be found at the bottom of this page.

If you are unsure whether an item is accepted, please contact the Waste Team before visiting at info@codc.govt.nz

Before You Bring Hazardous Waste

To help keep everyone safe:

Clearly label containers where possible
Ensure lids are tight and secure
Transport containers upright and secured so they cannot tip or leak
Place damaged containers inside a heavy-duty bag or bucket

To help us safely handle your items:

Ensure all containers are in good condition, securely sealed, and clearly labelled
Only bring quantities under 100 kg or 100L
Transport containers upright and secured (e.g., in a box or tray to prevent tipping)
Any unsound or damaged containers must be placed inside a heavy-duty bag or bucket for transport and delivery

Asbestos Disposal

Asbestos is not accepted at any of our transfer stations.

Asbestos materials require special handling and disposal at an approved landfill due to the health risks they pose. Working with asbestos can be hazardous to you and others, so using a licensed or experienced asbestos removal specialist is recommended.

More information:

If you are unsure whether a material contains asbestos, seek professional advice before attempting to remove or dispose of it.

Opening a Transfer Station Account

To open a transfer station account for your business, you must apply to become a Debtor for the CODC.

If you wish to become a debtor for the CODC please complete the online form HERE.

During the process of filling out the form you will need to:

Confirm you have read and understood our Terms of Trade
Agree to the Personal Guarantee terms
Sign the Declaration and Agreement

Recycling Drop-offs

Recycling Drop Off Locations

These drop-off locations are for household volumes of cardboard, paper, cans, plastic containers, and glass only.

More information about recycling can be found HERE

Recycling Drop Off	Location	Hours of operation
Alexandra	Alexandra Transfer Station, 68 Boundary Road	24/7
Cromwell	Cromwell Transfer Station, Barry Avenue	10am–5pm 7 days
Omakau	End of Deaker Street(past school, before cemetery)	24/7
Oturehua	3353 Ida Valley-Omakau Road, behind Gilchrists Store	24/7
Patearoa	Patearoa Recreation Reserve, access via Patearoa Road	24/7
Poolburn	142 Poolburn-Moa Creek Road, access via McIntosh Road, located behind the Poolburn Hall	24/7
Ranfurly	32 Drumglass Street, Ranfurly, located outside of the Transfer Station	24/7
Roxburgh	59 Roxburgh East Road, Roxburgh, located outside of the Transfer Station	24/7
Tarras	2958 Lindis Pass-Tarras Road, Tarras, beside the tennis courts	24/7

Fees and Charges

Fees and Charges Information

Fees & charges are updated annually and can be found HERE

The transfer stations are cashless; only card and account payments are accepted.

Fees are charged for the disposal of general waste, hazardous waste and some recyclables; the fees cover operating costs, landfill disposal fees, transport and recycling costs.

It pays to separate material for reuse and recycling!

Different fees apply depending on the type and separation of material. Diverting material from landfill generally incurs a lower fee.

If you are bringing a mixed load into this facility (e.g., general waste, green waste, hardfill), please separate the different types of waste on your vehicle to be charged correctly. If the waste is not separated, it will all be charged as general waste.

Follow these steps:

Deposit one type of waste.
Return to the weighbridge and pay for that waste.
Deposit the next type of waste.
Return to the weighbridge again and pay for the next waste.

You will need to complete a lap of the facility and pass over the weighbridge twice for each type of waste.

Acceptance Conditions

Hazardous Waste Acceptance Conditions

Quantity Limits

Accepted up to 100 kg or 100 litres per visit
Containers must be in good condition, securely sealed and well labelled

Accepted
Class 2 -Gases	LPG gas bottles (4 kg or larger) Helium and diving cylinders (any size) Fire extinguishers Camping gas canisters Aerosol cans
Class 3 – Flammable Liquids	Fuels (petrol, diesel) Solvents and thinners Paints and varnishes Flammable cleaning liquids
Class 4 – Flammable Solids	Matches Firelighters Solid fuel products
Class 6 – Toxic Substances	Pesticides and herbicides Insecticides and poisons Wood treatment chemicals (excluding cyanide)
Class 8 – Corrosive Substances	Acids and alkalis Pool chemicals Corrosive cleaning products
Class 9 – Miscellaneous Hazardous Substances	Small quantities of lithium batteries Environmentally hazardous products not listed elsewhere
Other Accepted Items	Empty agricultural chemical containers (up to 60 litres, empty and drained)

Not Accepted
Class 1	Explosives, fireworks, flares, ammunition
Class 6	Cyanide
Class 7	Radioactive material (contact Police regarding these materials).
Other Prohibited Items	Medical or healthcare waste

General Solid Waste Acceptance Conditions

General Solid Waste includes domestic and commercial waste that cannot be reused or recycled and is suitable for disposal at a landfill. The waste must be solid and safe to handle, and does not include liquids, hazardous materials, or other items that require special disposal.

Materials Not Accepted as General Waste:

Explosive, flammable, oxidising, reactive, toxic, corrosive, or infectious nature – as defined under the HSNO Act
Asbestos or asbestos containing materials (disposal information can be found HERE)
Material from contaminated sites
Agricultural Waste (e.g. silage, piggery wastes, poultry wastes) or agricultural chemicals and herbicides
Chemical manufacturing waste containing esters, acrylates, solvents, aliphatic hydrocarbons
Tannery Waste
Putrescible waste, such as fish or animal waste and quantities of fruit in excess of 50Kg
Sludge (septage, water or wastewater treatment plant sludge, effluent, mud tank waste, grease trap waste, wastewater treatment plant screenings etc.)
Medical Wastes
Liquids (including paint, oil and grease)
Foam (i.e., Fire Fighting Foams)
Dust (i.e. ash, sawdust spoil and/or asbestos containing dust)
Documents requiring disposal under special conditions
Timber processing waste
Bulky recyclable or reusable materials (tyres, scrap metal, whiteware, car bodies)
Hot ashes
Loads unable to be processed through the compactor
Any other waste which the Contractor may prescribe as unacceptable

Please Note

you may be asked to prove the contents and/or suitability of your material prior to acceptance for dumping.
large loads (for example truckloads or large skip bins) or loads unable to be processed through the compactor, being presented for disposal at our Transfer Stations will be considered on a case by case basis and may be rejected. If this occurs, our transfer station operators will discuss other disposal options with you.

Household Recycling Acceptance Conditions

All recycling must be clean with lids removed. Plastic and cans must be rinsed clean.

Accepted Recycling

Plastic bottles, trays and containers numbered 1, 2 and 5 only
Food and drink tins and cans
Paper and cardboard (including pizza boxes)
Glass bottles and jars

Not Accepted for Recycling

Plastics numbered 3,4,6 and 7
Lids for bottles, jars and containers unless they are attached to containers and made of the same material.
Soft plastics
Polystyrene
Aerosols
Aluminium foil and trays
Liquid paperboard / drink cartons / juice boxes