Manage farm waste

How to manage, store and dispose of common types of agricultural waste.

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You must manage farm waste so it does not contaminate land or water or risk the health of humans, animals or crops.

Some waste can be reused, recycled or composted. Other waste must only be disposed of at a place authorised to receive it (lawful place).

You must understand your waste obligations and duties so you can classify and manage your waste the right way.

Managing risk from farm waste

To meet the general environmental duty, you must eliminate or reduce risk to human health and the environment from your pollution and waste.

Follow a risk management process to identify all hazards, assess risks, and implement and monitor controls.

Visit agriculture industry to learn about the risks from farm activities and how to manage them.

Chemicals and chemical containers

Correctly disposing of chemicals and chemical containers reduces the risk of exposure for the people and animals who live and work on your farm. You must dispose of chemicals and chemical containers at a place authorised to receive them.

Managing chemicals and chemical containers prevents spills and leaks and avoids the potential for contaminated soil and groundwater. Learn more about storage and handling.

Empty drums

Triple-rinse all empty chemical drums immediately after use to prevent chemical residue from solidifying in the drum.

You should triple-rinse directly into the spray tank for reuse. If this is not possible, rinse the drums in an area where the rinse water:

  • is not released into the environment, including waterways
  • does not impact people, stock or produce.

Used containers

Return used containers to the retailer where possible. Containers can often be reused for packaging.

The next best option is drumMUSTER(opens in a new window). drumMUSTER collects and recycles chemical containers used for crop production and on-farm animal health that are:

  • non-returnable
  • empty and cleaned
  • between 1 L and 205 L capacity.

If the container isn't eligible for drumMUSTER, it should be:

  • triple-rinsed
  • punctured in the base
  • recycled, or disposed of to an appropriately licensed landfill.

Rigid containers larger than 200 L must be reused or recycled. They cannot be sent to landfill. Visit drumMUSTER to learn how to recycle large containers.

Contact your local council(opens in a new window) to find a transfer station or recycling service.

Store used containers in a safe area on the farm prior to reuse, recycling or disposal.

Unwanted chemicals

Excess or unwanted chemicals can be disposed of through ChemClear(opens in a new window). ChemClear collects excess or unwanted agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemicals that are manufactured by participating companies.

Chemicals need to be registered and taken to a scheduled collection point for safe removal.

We have issued a general designation for agvet chemical waste that is part of the ChemClear program. This designation reclassifies agvet chemical waste so that priority waste duties do not apply to a person transporting it or consigning it for transport. However, industrial waste duties still apply.

View the designation on the public register.

Manure and effluent

Manure and effluent includes:

  • faecal matter generated by livestock
  • any mixture of livestock faecal matter and biodegradable animal bedding, such as straw or sawdust
  • livestock faecal matter in liquid form
  • wastewater from collection or treatment systems that support livestock management.

We have issued a determination for livestock manure and effluent. This means you do not need approval to supply, receive or use manure or effluent if you meet the specifications and conditions in the determination.

If manure or effluent is contaminated or doesn't meet the determination specifications, you must dispose of it at a place authorised to receive it. This may include sending it to a site with a permission for storage or composting.

Dairy farm effluent

Dairy farm effluent can contaminate groundwater and surface water if it's not managed the right way.

To manage the impact of dairy farm effluent, you should:

  • collect and reuse all run-off that contains effluent
  • control and reuse manure
  • conduct regular audits to find out your farm's water needs
  • use recycled water
  • clean traps and sumps often
  • make sure liquids and solids are separated
  • maintain stock routes
  • store effluent in ponds during wetter months
  • adjust fertiliser rates in paddocks
  • sample effluent ponds regularly
  • create buffer distances from neighbouring properties.

Refer to the Victorian guideline for irrigation with recycled water for information about winter storage of dairy farm effluent.

Before the rainy season or a known heavy rain event, try to make sure your effluent ponds have enough storage for increased capacity.

Check that pumps and effluent ponds are functioning effectively after a flood.

To learn more about managing dairy effluent, visit:

Spoilt milk

Power outages can cause milk to spoil. This can happen during natural disasters, such as bushfires and floods.

There are different ways to dispose of milk depending on your situation. Agriculture Victoria has information about emergency disposal of milk(opens in a new window).

Dead stock

Dead animals left in paddocks can:

  • be a disease risk
  • contaminate land and water
  • create odours.

You must dispose of dead stock at a place authorised to receive it. The best place is:

Visit Agriculture Victoria for more information about options for disposing of carcasses(opens in a new window).

Composting stock

Composting can be a simple, low-cost and biosecure way to dispose of dead stock. It can also produce beneficial soil by-product.

Composting mortalities on farms explains how to safely compost animals that weigh more than 5 kg. It focuses on 2 composting methods:

  • mortality bin composting for small to medium carcasses (up to the size of a sheep or pig)
  • mortality pile composting for large carcasses (like a cow or horse).

It doesn't apply to large numbers of dead stock or to deaths that result from a disease outbreak.

To compost stock on-farm, you may need a permission. To learn more, visit industrial composting or organic waste.

Silage or feed wrap and twine

You must manage silage or feed wrap and hay band or twine to avoid contamination of produce, land and water.

Recycle silage wrap through a silage wrap recycling program, or take it to a local transfer station or landfill. Contact your local council(opens in a new window) to find out what's available near you.

Hay band or twine may be recycled in some regions. If this is not possible in your area:

  • reuse hay band on your farm
  • dispose of it at your local transfer station or landfill.

To recycle silage wrap and hay band, you need to remove excess soil, plant material and other contaminants.

Do not burn silage wrap or hay band. Burning these materials releases toxic fumes and chemical residues that can wash into waterways when it rains.

Green waste

Try to manage green waste on-farm. This includes plant and tree waste.

Green waste can be composted and reused as a fertiliser and soil conditioner. Composting also helps to destroy weeds. When composting trees, consider chipping the wood to speed up the process. Do not compost diseased wood.

Store wood in piles off the ground to reduce the generation of fungal spores.

Trees can be left in place as natural habitats or used as firewood. Stubble from trees can enhance soil structure and reduce erosion from rainfall.

If you cannot manage green waste on-farm:

Burning off

Burning trees, plants and stubble can be an appropriate management practice. If you plan to burn tree and plant waste:

  • make sure you comply with your council's local laws
  • check fire restrictions(opens in a new window) on the CFA website
  • consider the wind direction and impact of smoke – for example, on road visibility, neighbours, schools and towns
  • make sure the tree and plant material is dry (for efficient burning and less smoke)
  • avoid creating large piles of wood, which can pose a fire risk.

You must not add other wastes – such as tyres, hay band, silage wrap or domestic waste – to the fire.

You should not burn off:

  • where there is a possibility of any offsite impacts, including contamination of groundwater
  • where the watertable is close to the surface
  • within 100 m of any surface waters
  • in areas that regularly drain into a natural water course or drainage line
  • in gullies or depressions
  • in areas subject to flooding
  • in lagoons, wetlands or old watercourses.

Visit the CFA website for more information about burning off(opens in a new window).

Building materials

Building materials and rubble mainly include a mixture of:

It's illegal to dump, leave or bury this waste on your farm. Dispose of building materials and rubble at a place authorised to receive it, such as a licensed landfill. For more information, visit home renovation waste.

For help after a natural disaster or emergency, contact us.

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