Lismore Scrap Metal Collection at a Glance
| City and postcode | Lismore, NSW 2480 |
| Local government area | Lismore City Council |
| Region | Northern Rivers — approximately 730 km north of Sydney |
| Lead service | Copper recycling (bare bright, #1, #2, insulated, wire) |
| Also collected | Bulk scrap metal, bulk solar panel recycling |
| Minimum load | 3 tonnes per collection. Under-3t loads collected for a fee |
| Payment | Instant bank transfer once the load is weighed and graded |
| Scheduling | Planned Northern Rivers runs — best suited to project volume |
| Areas covered | Lismore, South Lismore, North Lismore, East Lismore, Goonellabah, Alstonville, Wollongbar, Clunes, Nimbin, Casino, Ballina, Byron Bay |
| Phone | 0411 398 285 |
| info@copperrecyclesydney.com.au |
Who This Service Is Actually For in Lismore
Being straightforward about it: we are based in South Granville in Sydney, about 730 kilometres and more than eight hours south. We are not a Lismore yard and we do not claim to be one. A haul that long only makes sense for substantial loads, which means this page is written for a specific group of people rather than everybody.
Where we are a genuinely good fit:
- Demolition, strip-out and site clearance contractors handling volume across multiple properties, where metal accumulates faster than a local yard run can absorb it.
- Civil and infrastructure contractors on the region’s restoration works — pipework, structural steel, plant and cabling from large projects.
- Builders on rebuild and house-raising programs, where steel framing, roofing, guttering and copper pipe come out in quantity.
- Commercial and industrial sites around Goonellabah and South Lismore clearing plant, racking or production equipment.
- Rural properties consolidating machinery, fencing wire and sheds — often decades of accumulation at once.
Where we are not: a household with a trailer load, or anyone needing same-day collection. Lismore has local options that will serve you better for those, and we will say so if you call. There is no sense in either of us wasting the conversation.
Lismore Is in the Largest Infrastructure Phase in Its History
This matters for anyone holding recoverable metal in the region, because it is the reason volume exists here right now.
Lismore City Council has proposed a $218.4 million capital works program for 2026–27 — described by the council as the largest infrastructure and flood recovery construction phase in its history — supported by around $209.7 million in grant funding. The council’s Flood Restoration Portfolio has already completed more than 135 projects, with the next phase intensifying activity across the region. Major works include the South Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant restoration, which relocates essential infrastructure to higher ground, and the Browns Creek Pump Station upgrade. The Landslip Restoration Package remains a major focus, addressing up to 60 separate sites.
On the housing side, the Resilient Homes Program — at $880 million, Australia’s largest disaster recovery program of its kind — wound up in March 2026. Applications for Resilient Measures closed on 31 March 2026, and homeowners have until 20 December 2026 to submit a building scope of works, which means a concentrated period of house-raising and retrofit construction is still underway. Lismore City Council has also turned to precinct planning for roughly 40 hectares of land parcels vacated through the buy-back scheme, and through the Resilient Lands Program Landcom and the NSW Reconstruction Authority are progressing the Crawford Road project in East Lismore, with the potential for more than 500 homes on land at lower flood risk, alongside 50 build-to-rent apartments.
Civil restoration, house raising, retrofit, demolition and new residential construction all produce recoverable metal — structural and light-gauge steel, roofing and guttering, copper pipe and cabling, pipework, plant and fittings. Resilient rebuilding also tends to favour steel over timber, which lifts the proportion of metal coming off these jobs relative to a conventional build.
Copper Recycling in Lismore
Copper is our lead material. In Lismore it comes mainly from building work: copper pipe and fittings from rebuilds, retrofits and renovations, cabling from rewires and new builds, hot water system replacements, and switchboard work on commercial and rural properties. Civil and infrastructure projects add cabling and motor windings from pump stations and plant. Rural electrical work on pumps, sheds and irrigation contributes steadily across the surrounding hinterland.
We handle bare bright, #1 and #2 copper, insulated cable, copper wire, pipe and fittings, and busbar from switchboard work. Grading is done at our facility and itemised on your transaction record, so the settlement figure traces back to what each grade contributed. See our copper scrap and copper wire scrap pages for grading detail.
Bulk Scrap Metal Recycling in the Northern Rivers
Alongside copper we recycle bulk ferrous and non-ferrous scrap from Lismore commercial, industrial, construction and rural sites. This is a bulk-only service — we do not purchase small lots or individual items, and loads are assessed as a whole.
Typical Northern Rivers collections include structural and light-gauge steel from demolition and rebuilds, roofing iron and Colorbond sheeting, guttering and downpipes, steel framing offcuts, pipework and fittings from civil works, decommissioned plant and pumps, hot water systems and appliances from strip-outs, air conditioning units, racking and shelving from commercial changes, stainless steel from commercial kitchens and food operations, farm machinery and fencing wire, and mixed metal from site clean-outs.
Solar Panel Recycling in the Northern Rivers
Bulk solar panel recycling is an additional service for installers, commercial property owners and rural sites across the region. 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 North Coast than in Sydney. The Northern Rivers has high solar uptake and a significant number of arrays were damaged or replaced following the floods, which has left installers and property owners holding panel volume. We collect at 3 tonnes and above. See the solar panel recycling page.
About Lismore and the Surrounding Region
Lismore sits on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers of NSW, on the Wilsons River about 730 kilometres north of Sydney and roughly 40 kilometres inland from Ballina. It is the commercial and administrative centre for a wide agricultural hinterland and has historically been the region’s service hub, with Southern Cross University, a base hospital, and the retail and professional services that support the surrounding towns.
The regional economy rests on agriculture — macadamias, sugar cane, beef and dairy across the Richmond and Wilsons River valleys — alongside health, education, construction and government services. The main industrial and commercial land sits at South Lismore and around Goonellabah to the east, with council planning having identified expansion of the Goonellabah industrial precinct as part of the city’s longer-term growth strategy, given the flood constraints on lower-lying areas.
Surrounding centres include Casino about 30 kilometres west, Ballina and Alstonville to the east, Byron Bay to the north-east, Nimbin to the north, and Grafton further south. The NSW Reconstruction Authority maintains a Northern Rivers office in Molesworth Street, Lismore.
What We Collect in Lismore
| Material | Typical Lismore and Northern Rivers sources |
|---|---|
| Copper — bare bright, #1, #2, insulated | Rebuild and retrofit plumbing, rewires, switchboard work, pump station plant |
| Copper wire and cable | Electrical contracting offcuts, civil project cabling, rural shed and irrigation wiring |
| Brass | Plumbing fittings, valves, taps, hydraulic services hardware |
| Stainless steel — 304 and 316 | Commercial kitchens, food and dairy operations, fabrication offcuts |
| Aluminium — extrusion, sheet, cast | Window and door replacement, facade work, trailer and equipment components |
| Roofing iron and sheet steel | Re-roofing, demolition, rebuild and house-raising work |
| Air conditioning units | Split and ducted systems from replacement and rebuild work |
| Electric motors and pumps | Civil and water infrastructure plant, irrigation, decommissioned machinery |
| Ferrous and structural steel | Demolition, steel framing, guttering, farm machinery, fencing wire, sheds |
| Solar panels | Installer stock turnover, damaged and replaced arrays, commercial decommissioning |
Catalytic converters, batteries, car engines and electric motors are accepted within a qualifying bulk load rather than purchased as individual items.
How to Prepare a Load for a Lismore Collection
- Give us an accurate tonnage estimate. On a 730-kilometre run the vehicle is committed well ahead, so this is the most useful thing you can tell us. Roofing iron looks like more than it weighs; steel framing weighs more than it looks.
- Keep non-metal out where you can. On demolition and rebuild sites metal and general waste tend to end up in the same pile, and timber, plasterboard, concrete and silt all reduce assessed weight.
- Consolidate to one accessible staging point. Particularly across multi-property demolition work, where material otherwise ends up spread over several addresses.
- Tell us about access and ground conditions. Northern Rivers sites can be soft after rain, and river-flat access varies considerably.
- Flag hazards early. Refrigerant-charged units, batteries, residual fluids and anything requiring specific handling 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, the site address and your project timeline.
We assess and schedule
We confirm the load qualifies at 3 tonnes, check access and vehicle requirements, and slot it into a Northern Rivers run. You get a realistic window, not an optimistic one.
We collect
Our team attends with the appropriate vehicle and lifting equipment, loads the material and leaves the site clear.
Weighing, grading and instant payment
The load is weighed and graded, you receive an itemised transaction record, and funds are transferred to your account on settlement.
Who We Work With in the Northern Rivers
- Demolition, strip-out and site clearance contractors
- Civil and infrastructure contractors on restoration works
- Builders working on rebuilds, house raising and retrofits
- Electrical, plumbing and roofing trades
- Commercial and industrial operators at South Lismore and Goonellabah
- Farmers and rural property managers across the hinterland
- Solar installers and decommissioning projects
- Facilities and property managers handling commercial fitouts
Areas We Cover Around Lismore
Our Northern Rivers runs cover Lismore, South Lismore, North Lismore, East Lismore and Goonellabah, along with Alstonville, Wollongbar, Clunes, Bexhill, Nimbin and the surrounding rural areas of the Lismore City Council LGA, plus Casino, Ballina and Byron Bay. Where volume justifies it, Lismore collections are combined with other North Coast sites including Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie on the run south. The full list is on our service areas page.
If you are a contractor with volume across several Northern Rivers sites, that is exactly the situation where a scheduled run works well — call and we will work out a cadence rather than treating each address as a separate booking.
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 Lismore that means payment is made by bank transfer rather than cash, we record each transaction along with the seller’s details, and photo 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.
For contractors on publicly funded restoration work, the documentation side is usually the more relevant point: a recorded transaction with an itemised grade breakdown and an electronic payment trail is generally what project reporting and audit requirements ask for. Instant bank transfer gives you the speed of an immediate settlement with the paperwork intact.
Material collected from the Northern Rivers is sorted, graded and processed back into manufacturing supply chains. Copper can be recycled indefinitely without loss of performance, and structural steel recovered from a demolition returns to the steel supply chain rather than to landfill — which matters in a region that has had to remove a great deal of material from a great many properties.
Frequently Asked Questions — Scrap Metal Recycling in Lismore
Do you collect scrap metal in Lismore NSW?
You’re based in Sydney — is Lismore really worth the trip for you?
What is the minimum load size for a Lismore collection?
What happens if my load is under 3 tonnes?
How do you pay, and how quickly?
Do you pay cash for scrap metal?
Do you work with demolition and rebuild contractors?
Can you handle material from civil and infrastructure restoration projects?
Do you buy individual items, like a single hot water system or battery?
What types of metal do you collect in Lismore?
Do you collect from farms and rural properties around Lismore?
Can you access sites with soft ground or difficult approaches?
How long does it take to arrange a Lismore collection?
Do you provide bins for ongoing collection?
What identification or paperwork do I need?
How is the value of my load calculated, and does distance affect it?
Do you collect from Lismore households?
Are you a licensed scrap metal dealer?
Book a Scrap Metal Collection in Lismore
If you have 3 tonnes or more of copper, scrap metal or solar panels at a Lismore or Northern Rivers site, call 0411 398 285 or email info@copperrecyclesydney.com.au. Tell us the material types, rough tonnage, the site address, your project timeline and anything we should know about access.
Copper Recycle Sydney
South Granville, NSW 2142 (servicing Lismore & the Northern Rivers)
Phone: 0411 398 285
Email: info@copperrecyclesydney.com.au
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 6am – 6pm
ABN: 82 419 348 954