Plasterboard — in the bin
- Paper on both faces, usually grey or ivory
- White or grey chalky core showing at cut edges
- Light for its size; a maker’s name is often printed on the back
- Standard, fire-rated and moisture-resistant types are all finesource
Home / What goes in
Plasterboard in. Everything else out.
Clean, separate plasterboard can be recycled. Mixed with other rubbish, it can’t. That’s the whole reason the bin exists.
Goes in the bin
- Plasterboard offcuts and part sheets
- Whole sheets that are damaged or surplus
- Standard, fire-rated and moisture-resistant boardsource
- Plaster cornice
- Board removed from walls and ceilings, if it’s clean and you’re sure it isn’t fibro
Pull out screws, nails and timber where you can. Clean, separated board is what makes it recyclable.
Stays out
- Fibro, or any sheet that might contain asbestos
- Foil-backed board and board with insulation bonded to itsource
- Board with lead paint
- Tiles, timber, metal, insulation batts, plastic wrap
- Concrete, bricks, soil and general rubbish
- Liquids, paint tins and hazardous waste
Plasterboard or fibro?
They can look alike in a trailer load, and the difference matters. One sheet of fibro contaminates the whole bin.
Fibro — never in the bin
- Thin, hard, grey, cement-like sheet with no paper face
- Heavier than it looks; dimpled or textured back
- Common in eaves, wet areas, sheds and outside walls of older buildings
- Made before 1987, it contained around 15% asbestossource
Not sure? It stays out. Don’t cut, snap or sand a sheet to check — if it is fibro, that releases fibres. Only a lab test confirms asbestos; handle anything doubtful the way your site or council requires.
Getting more into each load
- Break big sheets. Broken board packs tighter than whole sheets leaning against each other.
- Fill from the back. Use the panel nearest the rear door first.
- Shut the panels. Close up at the end of the day so rain stays out.
Put a bin where the plasterboard turns up.
Tell us about your transfer station, depot or site and roughly how much board comes through. We’ll come back to you with a plan and a quote.