Smoke alarms

Smoke detector mounted on a ceiling

You can put household smoke alarms in your general waste bin, but there are restrictions for commercial and industrial alarms.

Household smoke alarms

Household smoke alarms can go in your general waste bin, as they aren't part of the e-waste requirements that came into effect in 2019. Don't crush, shred or dismantle smoke alarms, as some may have small amounts of radioactive material.

Industrial or commercial smoke alarms

Please return your smoke alarm to the supplier for disposal if:

  • you use it for commercial or industrial purposes
  • it has more than 40 kilobecquerel of Americium-241 or any other radioactive substance.

For more information on the smoke detector disposal, visit the Victorian Health Department's radiation page.

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