State Government Clean-up Program
Murrindindi residents can still dispose of all bushfire-related waste at Council Transfer Stations.
Council is continuing to advocate to State Government that the full cost of disposing bushfire waste continues until June 2027, however, at this stage only the waiver for the EPA levies for disposal at regional landfill sites has been extended until 28 October.
A Domestic Bushfire Waste Gate Fee of $47.32 / m3 will now apply from 1 July for general bushfire waste taken to the Resource and Recovery Centres by affected residents. Loads of bushfire waste exceeding 3m3 and loads of building rubble (containing bricks, concrete, soil) will continue to be directed to the Alexandra Landfill where the appropriate fees will apply and the EPA levy will be removed.
State Government Clean-up Program
Property owners could be eligible for free demolition and debris removal, with support still available through the State Government’s Clean-up Program.
Victorians affected by the January 2026 bushfires can still register for the State Government’s Clean-up Program.
Free demolition and debris removal is available for eligible properties damaged by the bushfires. This includes properties that are insured, but where there is not enough to cover clean-up and a level of rebuild.
Forge Solutions, the program’s head contractor, complete the clean-up works at no cost to the owner.
Registration
Emergency Recovery Victoria (ERV) encourages all property owners affected by the bushfires to register for the clean-up program. ERV works with property owners to understand their situation, assess damage, review insurance and confirm eligibility.
Property owners can register online or by phone:
- vic.gov.au/register-for-cleanup
- Emergency Recovery Hotline: 1800 560 760 (select option 3).
If a property owner previously withdrew from the program, they can still opt in while registrations remain open.
How it works
Before any work begins, Forge undertakes a site assessment in consultation with the property owner. After this, the property owner is given a Work Pack outlining what has been agreed to be removed, and noting anything the property owner has requested to be left. The property owner opts in by agreeing to the scope of works.
Forge Solutions delivers the clean-up works using qualified trades, where possible from the local area. Once the works are complete, the property owner undertakes a final walk-through with Forge to confirm everything has been completed as agreed.
Safety
ERV will not send contractors to a property without notifying the property owner.
Authorised workers carry identification, wear Victorian Government or Forge Solutions branding, and will never ask for payment. If a property owner is unsure about someone attending their property, they should contact the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 (option 3) to check.
Available supports
Free legal help with insurance is available through Disaster Legal Help Victoria.
Financial counselling is also available through Anglicare, and the Rural Financial Counselling Service (details below).
Register today to find out if a property is eligible.
Support services
Disaster Legal Help Victoria
Phone: 1800 113 432
Anglicare
Phone: 5440 1100
Email: DisasterFC@anglicarevic.org.au
Rural Financial Counselling Service
Phone: 1300 735 578
Email: admin@wswrcs.com.au
The ERV Clean-up Process
What you need to do about insurance
If your home is insured, contact your insurance company even if you don't know the full extent of the damage. Take photos and make a list of everything that is damaged.
If you don’t have your policy, you can request it from your insurance provider.
If you don’t know your insurer, call the Insurance Council of Australia at 1800 734 621 to see if they can help you.
If you haven’t accepted an insurance payout, you are encouraged to seek clean-up through your insurer.
It's wise to get advice before accepting a settlement offer.
You can talk to a financial counsellor via the National Debt Helpline at 1800 007 007 or contact the Financial Rights Legal Centre or Disaster Legal Help or contact Arc Justice for advice before accepting a settlement offer.
ERV does not oversee resident discussions with insurers.
Registration and eligibility check
When you register, the team will ask you some questions to see if you’re eligible. Sometimes, eligibility confirmation can take time. This is due to collecting and assessing documents like a copy of your insurance policy, to check if someone is underinsured or meets business criteria.
For a home to be eligible, it must be a property you own and where you usually live - your primary place of residence. Structures like sheds might also be eligible.
Site inspections are scheduled once eligibility is confirmed.
There are other clean-up services available. This includes information on grants for primary producers and free waste disposal. You can find information on help for your clean-up at https://www.vic.gov.au/clean-and-waste
Site inspection and planning
Once eligibility is confirmed, ERV/Forge Solutions will book the site assessment with you. After the assessment, you will receive a work pack.
The work pack includes details about:
- the work that can be done
- what you need to do to proceed.
Program opt-in and works booking
Once the Site Assessment has been completed and you have received the Work Plan you can then choose if you want to go ahead with the clean-up or not. There are several reasons that may lead residents to delay or not proceed with works or take time to decide to go ahead. This timeline is up to you as it can be a big decision.
The clean-up process does not offer partial demolition nor guarantee that foundations can be retained. Services will need to be disconnected and a work zone established.
During this time, you should also think about any permits you might need for rebuilding - you can call Council's Planning and Building Units on 5772 0333 to discuss this further.
If you opt in for the clean-up, the site supervisor will contact you to arrange a site walk-through to explain the works.
Works underway
- You’ll need to leave while the work is being done.
- Your site supervisor will tell you about what is happening and any changes.
- If new work is needed that wasn’t in the original scope of works, the contractor will talk to you about it.
Works completion and follow up
- After it's done, the contractor will meet you on site to talk through what they did.
- We’ll then send you a record of this work in a Completion pack.
- Then, you can focus on your next steps, whatever is right for you.
ERV Step-by-step Factsheet(PDF, 177KB)
There are also local options for managing bushfire waste even if you are ineligible for the state government clean-up program. Learn more on our Bushfire waste disposal in Murrindindi page.