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Scrap metal and copper recycling collection Kiama NSW

Kiama scrap metal collection at a glance

Town and postcodeKiama, NSW 2533
Local government areaKiama Municipal Council
RegionIllawarra / South Coast — about 120 km south of Sydney, 30 km south of Wollongong
Lead serviceCopper recycling (bare bright, #1, #2, insulated, wire)
Also collectedBulk scrap metal, bulk solar panel recycling
Minimum load3 tonnes per collection. Under-3t loads collected for a fee
Payment methodElectronic funds transfer on qualifying loads
SchedulingPart of scheduled Illawarra and South Coast runs
Areas coveredKiama, Kiama Downs, Kiama Heights, Bombo, Minnamurra, Jamberoo, Gerringong, Gerroa, Werri Beach, Foxground
Phone0411 398 285
Emailinfo@copperrecyclesydney.com.au
LOCAL CONTEXT

What actually produces bulk metal in Kiama

Kiama is a small coastal municipality without a large industrial estate, so it is worth being specific about where 3-tonne loads actually come from here rather than pretending the town is something it is not.

Four sources account for most of it. Dairy and rural properties through the Jamberoo valley and the hinterland accumulate superseded machinery, fencing wire, milking plant, irrigation and stock water pipe, old sheds and implements — often over decades, and often well past 3 tonnes once consolidated. Quarry and civil operations around Bombo and Dunmore run heavy plant that eventually reaches end of life. Construction, renovation and demolition across a municipality with sustained residential development and an ageing housing stock produces structural steel, roofing, copper pipe and cabling. And trades — plumbers, electricians, roofers and mechanical services contractors working across Kiama, Gerringong and Shellharbour — generate copper and brass continuously, particularly where they can consolidate several jobs into one collection.

If you fall outside those categories and have a smaller quantity, we will tell you honestly whether we are the right option.

Copper recycling in Kiama

Copper is our lead material. In Kiama it comes mainly from plumbing and electrical work — pipe and fittings from bathroom and kitchen renovations across the older housing stock, cabling from rewires and new builds, and switchboard work on commercial and rural properties. Dairy sheds and irrigation systems add motor windings and cable, and coastal properties generate a steady flow of replacement work as salt air takes its toll on fittings and fixtures.

We handle bare bright, #1 and #2 copper, insulated cable, copper wire, pipe and fittings, and busbar. Grading is done at our facility and itemised on your transaction record.

Copper scrap grading →  |  Copper wire scrap grading →

Bulk scrap metal recycling for Kiama properties and sites

Alongside copper we recycle bulk ferrous and non-ferrous scrap from Kiama rural, commercial and construction sites. This is a bulk-only service — we do not purchase small lots or individual items, and loads are assessed as a whole.

  • Farm machinery and implements, fencing wire
  • Dairy and milking plant
  • Irrigation and stock water pipe, old sheds and silos
  • Structural steel and roofing from demolition and renovation
  • Stainless steel from commercial kitchens and food operations
  • Brass fittings from plumbing work
  • Electric motors and pumps
  • Mixed metal from site clean-outs

Solar panel recycling on the South Coast

Bulk solar panel recycling is an additional service for installers, commercial property owners and rural sites across the Kiama and Shoalhaven area. Solar panels are classified as e-waste in NSW rather than standard scrap metal, bringing separate handling, storage and transport obligations — and compliant options are thinner on the South Coast than in Sydney. We collect at 3 tonnes and above. See the solar panel recycling page.

About Kiama and the surrounding municipality

Kiama sits on the South Coast about 120 kilometres south of Sydney and 30 kilometres south of Wollongong, between the Illawarra Escarpment and the sea. The municipality takes in the coastal towns of Kiama, Kiama Downs, Minnamurra, Gerringong and Gerroa, and the rural hinterland around Jamberoo, Foxground and the Jamberoo valley.

Two industries shaped the place, and both still matter for a recycler. The first is dairy: Kiama was central to the early Australian dairy industry, home to the Kiama Pioneer Factory — the first genuinely co-operative butter factory in the country, capitalised entirely by local farmers — and the Jamberoo co-operative operated until the 1990s. Dairy and grazing remain the backbone of the hinterland, which is where most of the district’s bulk ferrous scrap sits today, spread across farms in the form of retired machinery and fencing.

The second is quarrying. Basalt — blue metal — has been quarried around Kiama since the 1870s, and from the 1880s the district was the principal supplier of road and rail ballast to the colony, shipped to Sydney from Kiama Harbour by the “Stone Fleet”. Quarries operated at Pike’s Hill, Brown Street, Bombo Hill, Bombo Headland, Minnamurra, Dunmore and Bass Point; the Bombo Headland quarry is now under a permanent conservation order, and its dramatic basalt columns are one of the district’s landmarks. Boral’s remaining Bombo operation covers around 46 hectares and, together with a NSW Government quarry immediately east, forms a precinct that has produced millions of tonnes of aggregate since 1947.

That precinct is now in transition. In September 2025 the NSW Government declared the Bombo Quarry rehabilitation works a State Significant Development, with Kiama Council identifying the site as a key urban expansion area in its Local Housing Strategy. Rehabilitation and redevelopment of a quarry precinct of that scale means plant decommissioning, structure removal and site clearance — which is exactly the kind of project that produces recoverable metal in genuine volume.

What we collect in Kiama

Catalytic converters, batteries, car engines and electric motors are accepted as part of a qualifying bulk load rather than purchased as individual items.

MaterialTypical Kiama sources
Copper — bare bright, #1, #2, insulatedPlumbing renovations, rewires, rural and commercial switchboard work
Copper wire and cableElectrical contracting offcuts, dairy shed and irrigation cabling
BrassPlumbing fittings, valves, taps, coastal property fixture replacement
Stainless steel — 304 and 316Dairy plant, commercial kitchens, food operations, marine fittings
Aluminium — extrusion, sheet, castWindow and door replacement, boat and trailer components
Air conditioning unitsSplit and ducted systems from residential and commercial replacement work
Electric motorsPumps, milking plant, irrigation and quarry machinery
Ferrous scrap and structural steelFarm machinery, fencing wire, sheds and silos, demolition, quarry and civil plant
Solar panelsInstaller stock turnover, rural and commercial array decommissioning

How to prepare a load for a Kiama collection

  • Consolidate first — this matters most on farms. Material spread across paddocks and multiple sheds turns a short job into a full day. One accessible staging area with truck clearance is ideal.
  • Give us an honest tonnage estimate. It determines the vehicle and whether the run gets scheduled.
  • Check access before you book. Farm gates, soft ground after rain, steep coastal driveways and narrow hinterland roads all constrain what vehicle we can bring. Tell us what you are working with.
  • Separate copper grades where practical. Bare bright kept apart from insulated cable and #2 copper grades more favourably.
  • Flag hazards early. Refrigerant-charged units, batteries and residual fluids need identifying before we attend.

How collection works

  • Tell us what you have. Call 0411 398 285 or submit an enquiry with material types, approximate tonnage and the Kiama site address.
  • We assess and schedule. We confirm the load qualifies at 3 tonnes, check access, and slot it into an Illawarra or South Coast run.
  • We collect. Our team attends with the appropriate vehicle and lifting equipment, loads the material and leaves the site clear.
  • Weighing, grading and settlement. The load is weighed and graded, you receive an itemised transaction record, and payment on qualifying loads is transferred electronically.

Who we work with around Kiama

  • Dairy farmers and graziers through the Jamberoo valley and hinterland
  • Agricultural contractors and rural property managers
  • Plumbing, electrical and roofing trades
  • Builders and renovation contractors
  • Demolition and site clearance operators
  • Quarry, civil and earthmoving operations
  • Solar installers and decommissioning projects
  • Commercial and hospitality property owners
Copper Recycle Sydney Google reviews and ratings

Areas we cover around Kiama

We collect across Kiama, Kiama Downs, Kiama Heights, Bombo, Minnamurra, Jamberoo, Foxground, Gerringong, Gerroa and Werri Beach, along with the surrounding rural areas of the Kiama Municipality. Kiama collections are usually scheduled alongside runs to Wollongong and the Illawarra to the north, or Nowra and South Nowra to the south — so if you can coordinate with a neighbour or a nearby site, timing usually improves for both of you. The full list is on our service areas page.

Responsible recycling and compliance

Copper Recycle Sydney operates as a registered scrap metal business under the NSW Scrap Metal Industry Act 2016. For anyone selling to us in Kiama that means payment is made electronically rather than in cash, we record the details of each transaction and the person selling the material, and identification is required at the point of sale. These obligations apply to every registered dealer in NSW and exist to keep stolen metal out of the recycling chain.

Material collected from Kiama is sorted, graded and processed back into manufacturing supply chains. For rural properties in particular, consolidating decades of accumulated steel into a single recycled load is a better outcome than a scrap pile in the back paddock — for the property, for the material, and for what is a genuinely beautiful part of the coast.

Frequently asked questions — scrap metal recycling in Kiama

Do you collect scrap metal in Kiama?
Yes. Copper Recycle Sydney collects bulk scrap metal and copper across Kiama, Jamberoo, Minnamurra, Kiama Downs, Gerringong and the surrounding municipality. Collections are scheduled as part of Illawarra and South Coast runs. Call 0411 398 285 with your material types and tonnage.
What is the minimum load size for a Kiama collection?
3 tonnes and above per load, across copper, general scrap metal and solar panels. In a small municipality like Kiama that threshold is reached most often by farms consolidating accumulated machinery and fencing, by demolition and renovation projects, and by trades combining several jobs into one collection.
What happens if my load is under 3 tonnes?
We can collect it for a fee rather than paying you for the material, quoted before we attend. Around Kiama the more practical option is often to coordinate with a neighbouring property or another trade working nearby so a single collection clears both — the hinterland is well suited to that, because farms accumulate similar material.
Do you collect scrap metal from farms around Kiama and Jamberoo?
Yes, and rural properties are our best-suited Kiama collections. Superseded machinery, fencing wire, milking and dairy plant, irrigation and stock water pipe, old implements, sheds and silos add up past 3 tonnes faster than most people expect once it is gathered in one place. Consolidating before we arrive makes the biggest difference to how the day goes.
How do you pay for scrap metal in NSW?
Payment on qualifying loads is made by electronic funds transfer. Under section 12 of the Scrap Metal Industry Act 2016, registered dealers in NSW are prohibited from paying for scrap metal with cash, with a cheque payable to cash, or in kind with goods or services, and section 12A prohibits advertising that they will. Any operator offering cash for scrap on the South Coast is offering something they are not permitted to advertise.
Do you buy individual items, like a single battery or catalytic converter?
No. We do not purchase small lots or individual items. Catalytic converters, batteries, car engines and electric motors are accepted within a qualifying bulk load of 3 tonnes or more.
What types of metal do you collect in Kiama?
Copper in all grades — bare bright, #1, #2, insulated cable, wire, pipe and busbar — is our lead material. We also collect brass, stainless steel in 304 and 316 grades, aluminium, air conditioning units, electric motors and pumps, ferrous and structural steel including farm machinery and fencing wire, and solar panels. Mixed loads are assessed and graded on arrival.
Can you access rural and coastal properties with a truck?
Usually, but it depends on the property. Farm gates, soft ground after rain, narrow hinterland roads and steep coastal driveways all affect what vehicle we can bring. Tell us about access when you call — including gate widths and ground conditions — and we will send something appropriate rather than arriving with the wrong truck.
How long does it take to arrange a Kiama collection?
Kiama collections are batched with other Illawarra and South Coast work, so timing depends partly on what else is scheduled nearby. Call with your details and we will give you a realistic window. If your load can be combined with a neighbouring site, it usually moves faster.
Do you handle demolition, renovation and site clearance?
Yes. Structural steel, roofing, copper pipe and cabling from demolition and major renovation work are straightforward collections, and larger projects can be scheduled as staged removals against the build program rather than as one-off bookings.
Do you provide bins for ongoing collection?
Yes, for sites generating continuous volume. This suits trades and commercial operations with regular turnover — material accumulates in the bin between scheduled runs rather than needing a separate call-out. See our free bins page.
What identification or paperwork do I need?
Photo identification is required when selling scrap metal in NSW, and we record the transaction with the seller’s details. For farms and businesses this is usually handled through the entity details and an authorised contact.
How is the value of my load calculated?
By weight and grade, at current market rates, with each material weighed and graded separately and itemised on your record. Scrap prices move daily with global commodity markets, so rates are quoted at collection rather than fixed in advance. Transport factors into what a South Coast collection returns.
Do you collect from Kiama households?
Only where the 3-tonne minimum is met, which household quantities rarely reach. Smaller quantities can be collected for a fee, but a local drop-off or the council waste facility will usually serve you better, and we will say so if you call.
Are you a licensed scrap metal dealer?
Yes. Copper Recycle Sydney operates as a registered scrap metal business under the NSW Scrap Metal Industry Act 2016, administered by the NSW Police Force. Registration involves criminal record and background checks and must be renewed periodically. Our ABN is 82 419 348 954.