HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
GUIDE FOR VENDORS AND PROSPECTIVE VENDORS
The Auction Barn values the health and safety of its employees, clients and the wider community. The business does not have the facilities to handle, store or supply many types of hazardous materials safely or lawfully. For this reason, the business does not accept some types of goods and materials for handling, transport or auction.
These include poisons, pressurised gasses, flammable or corrosive materials, items containing asbestos or other fine particulates, domestic, industrial and agricultural chemicals, used or expired medical or safety equipment, food and food products, unlabelled or mislabeled solids or liquids.
This is a guide to the main categories of these items, and a list of alternative ways of dealing with their disposal. If you are preparing for a house contents auction, house clearance, goods collection or to deliver goods to the Auction Barn, please set aside any items in this guide.
If at any time the team identifies other goods and materials which are unsuitable for auction, they will set the items aside and notify you as soon as possible.
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CATEGORY |
EXAMPLES |
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PRESURISED CONTAINERS |
gas cylinders, spray paint, cleaning supplies, |
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POISONS AND CORROSIVES |
insecticides, rodent baits, herbicides, cleaning supplies, mercury, pool chemicals, car batteries, acids, |
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PHARMACEUTICALS AND TOILETRIES |
medications including over the counter medications, cosmetics, essential oils |
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INDUSTRIAL, CONSTRUCTION AND AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS |
machine oils, fuels, fertilisers, specialist coatings, sealants, cement, paint, solvents, industrial cleaning supplies |
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BATTERIES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT |
Batteries, particularly lithium batteries, in poor condition and/or non-compliant, appliances and electric cords in poor condition and/or non-compliant, electric fence components, car batteries, |
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USED, EXPIRED AND/OR NON-COMPLIANT SAFETY EQUIPMENT |
safety glasses, harnesses, helmets, masks, first aid kits and supplies, any with non-compliant labelling |
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ASBESTOS AND OTHER PARTICULATES |
Components of old heating equipment and kilns, reclaimed bathroom and kitchen tiles, reclaimed building supplies with flaking paint, ceramic glazes, insulation materials |
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FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTS |
Pantry items, spices, chocolates, biscuits, tea, garden produce |
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BIOHAZARDS |
Goods with evidence of mould, mildew, insect infestation, vermin, pet or other soiling, old potting mix, soiled cookware, storage containers, mattresses and other homewares |
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BROKEN GLASS AND SIMILAR |
Frames with cracked glass or mirrors, damaged glassware, reclaimed building supplies with broken glass, exposed nails, |
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FLAMABLE LIQUIDS |
Expired, damaged or non-compliant fuel cans, petrol powered tools with fuel in the tanks, collectable fuel cans, kerosene lamps and paraffin lamps with contents, bbq fuel and fire starters, all fuels and solvents |
LIMITED EXCEPTIONS
- Collectable product packaging that is EMPTY, CLEAN AND DRY such as collectable containers for fuels, oils, biscuits, chocolates, tobacco, pharmaceuticals
- Plastic fuel cans that comply with Australian standards, are EMPTY, CLEAN AND DRY, and with date of manufacture less than five years ago (the circular icon stamped to the base gives the year and month of manufacture)
- Bottles of wine and spirits that are sealed and in good condition, with no evidence of leaks, soiling or spoiling
- Bottles of perfume that are collectable, sealed and in good condition, with no evidence of leaks, soiling or spoiling
- Candles that are clean, unused and in good condition, with no evidence of spoiling such as heat damage or vermin activity
ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS
- Most pharmacies will accept pharmaceuticals over the counter for safe disposal. They will also accept syringe needles and similar ‘sharps’ in approved containers for disposal. The containers are also available for purchase from pharmacies.
- Most of the items on this list are categorised as hazardous wastes. Most councils have facilities to accept hazardous waste for disposal; depending on the facility, there may be a fee. In Canberra, the Mitchell and Mugga Lane Resource Management Centres will accept for disposal most items on this list. Hazardous items, including paints, bbq gas cylinders, oils, and similar chemicals, can be dropped off free of charge. More information is available here: https://www.cityservices.act.gov.au/recycling-and-waste/drop-off
- Gas cylinders such as oxygen, argon and acetylene can be returned to the supplier; some companies will arrange to collect these free of charge, while others may charge a fee. The name of the supplier is printed on the cylinder.