1300-ODOURS

Garbage odour control and deodorising systems

The Garbage Doctor® neutralises garbage odours at the source: at the bins in the bin room, before the air rises up the chute. Our UV ozone and scenting systems run day and night, and they're designed, built, installed and serviced here in Australia.

Garbage Doctor® Duo Our most popular system: ozone in the bin room, a fragrance in the chute
See the Duo

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Garbage Doctor Duo off

A bin room with a garbage chute rising to the first floorOdour rises from the bins, swirls around the room, travels up the chute and escapes at the chute door on the floor above. Then the Garbage Doctor Duo switches on: ozone travels through conduit to the bins and breaks the odour down, and the Duo's scent tank sends a fragrance up the chute and out at the chute door on the floor above.Level 1Bin roomCHUTE

How garbage odours travel through the building

A garbage chute draws air upwards, like a chimney. Odours from the bins at the base of the chute become airborne, travel up the chute and escape at the chute doors on every floor. The Garbage Doctor targets the bins and the chute, so the air is treated before rising up the chute.

  1. Air enters the machine through a carbon filter.
  2. UV lamps inside the machine turn a little of the oxygen into ozone.
  3. PVC conduit carries the ozone to the bins, where the ozone breaks down the odour and turns back into oxygen.
  4. A small pipe links the machine to the scent tank, which sends a fragrance up the chute (optional).
Inside the Garbage Doctor Duo: how the Duo makes ozone, with the scent tankA concept view of the machine with the door open, and the scent tank beside the machine. Air comes in through the carbon filter along the bottom and rises past the glowing UV lamps. Some of the air turns blue: that's ozone, which leaves through the two outlets on top into the conduit to the bins. A blue air hose joins the machine to the scent tank, whose white pipe carries a pink fragrance up to the chute. A number marks each step's part. Air in Ozone out

Proven in bin rooms since 2006

The Garbage Doctor has tens of millions of operating hours and proven results in apartment buildings, hotels, resorts and loading docks across Australia and New Zealand. Our customers generally notice a difference within about 15 minutes of installation.

A Garbage Doctor on the wall between two chutes, above green and yellow bins
A Garbage Doctor Duo's main unit and scent tank on a concrete bin room wall, above a green bin
A Garbage Doctor 3000 on the bin room wall beside a garbage chute, above a green bin
A Garbage Doctor on a block wall beside a chute hopper and its bins

Garbage Doctor installations in Australian bin rooms

We suffered from garbage odours wafting up the chutes and creating problems in our foyers and apartments. We had previously been using a deodoriser which tended to mask smells and not eliminate them – especially if seafood was involved. … I have been very happy with the success of the Garbage Doctor system, which has resulted in eliminating odours throughout our resort and consequently eliminating customer complaints.

Dave Turner, Osprey Apartments

Garbage odour control and scenting for every size of building

For more specialised sites, the Ozone HD has our highest ozone output, and may be recommended for the tallest chutes and largest bin rooms, and Garbage Doctor Scenting adds a fragrance to a Garbage Doctor already in place, or scents a lobby (such as the return air line of an HVAC system).

See every model

What's the difference between the Duo and the Ozone?

Our explainer video compares our most popular systems: the Garbage Doctor Duo, with ozone in the bin room and a fragrance in the chute, and the Garbage Doctor Ozone, for a neutral bin room and chute.

See the DuoSee the Ozone

Common solutions people try – with minimal success

  • Air fresheners and sprays on their own

    They mask odours, but don't eliminate the underlying odour, leaving an uncomfortable mix. A fragrance is best applied once the odour is neutralised (i.e. with ozone).

    Why air fresheners alone don't fix bin room odour

  • Garbage chute cleaning

    Chute cleaning addresses the inside of the chute, but does nothing to stop the odours from the bins at the base travelling up the chute. This is why even a brand-new chute can smell.

    Why a clean garbage chute can still smell

  • Extraction fans

    Moves the foul-smelling air from one location to another, causing complaints to follow.

    Do extraction fans stop bin room odour?

  • Air conditioning

    AC blows air across the bins and typically creates more garbage odour, making the issue worse. This is because air movement over an odour source causes the odours to become airborne.

    Air conditioning in bin rooms: why it spreads odour

Why a clean garbage chute can still smell

Garbage chute cleaning removes the grime inside the chute, and chute cleaning is an important part of your waste management strategy. But chute cleaning does nothing to stop the odours from the bins at the base travelling up the chute, so it's common that even a freshly cleaned chute, or a brand new one, can smell. The air within the bin room is the air that travels up the chute: if that air smells (from the bins), then so will the chute.

No matter how clean the chute is, if the bins beneath the chute smell, so will the chute.

Chute cleaning alone
Chute cleaning alone: a garbage chute rising through two floors above a bin roomOdour rises from the bins and from grime inside the chute. Warm air and the exhaust fan at the top draw the odour up the chute, and the odour escapes at the chute doors. A cleaning head washes the grime off the chute’s walls. That takes away about half the odour in the chute, but none in the bin room: odour from the bins keeps rising up the clean chute and out at the doors.Level 2Level 1Bin roomExhaust fanWashing thegrime off thewallsWarm air rises, andthe fan pulls the airup the chuteGrime on the wallssmells tooOdour escapes at thechute doorsOdour risesfrom the binsThe walls are cleanBut odour still escapesat the chute doorsOdour stillrises from thebinsWarm air rises,and the fan pullsthe air up thechuteGrime on thewalls smells tooThe walls arecleanOdour escapes atthe chute doorsBut odour stillescapes at thechute doorsOdour risesfrom the binsOdour stillrises from thebins
Chute cleaning with Garbage Doctor®
Chute cleaning with Garbage Doctor: the same chute, with the machine on the bin room wallThe same chute and bins, with the Garbage Doctor machine running the whole time. Ozone travels through conduit to the bins and into the chute and breaks the odour down, so only a little rises from the grime. Once the same cleaning head has washed the grime off, the odours in the chute are neutralised.Level 2Level 1Bin roomExhaust fanWashing thegrime off thewallsWarm air rises, andthe fan pulls the airup the chuteOzone breaks downmost of the grime’sodourOzone travels throughthe conduit to the binsand the chuteOzone breaksthe bins’odour down asthe odourrisesThe walls are cleanOdours neutralised inthe chuteWarm air rises,and the fan pullsthe air up thechuteOdoursneutralised in thechuteOzone breaksdown most of thegrime’s odourThe walls arecleanOzone travelsthrough theconduit to thebins and the chuteOzone breaksthe bins’ odourdown as theodour rises
Before cleaning

Both chutes have grime on their walls. On the left, odour rises from the bins and the grime and escapes at the chute doors. On the right, Garbage Doctor’s ozone breaks most of the odour down.

Keep cleaning your chute as usual. Alongside the cleans, the Garbage Doctor targets ozone at the bins and into the chute, 24/7, so the odour is neutralised before rising up the chute. Although we don't clean chutes ourselves, we know the reputations of many chute cleaning companies around Australia and we're happy to give recommendations to assist.

Garbage chute cleaning: the guide

Installed and serviced by our licensed technicians

Every Garbage Doctor is installed by trained members of our team, the machine's output set for your bin room and chute, and we service the machine and make adjustments to the output as required. Every service includes an electrical test and tag. Our technicians are licensed electricians and work throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Airlie Beach, Tweed and Auckland. In most cases, if there is an issue, we're on site within hours, not days.

We're a family business operating for over 20 years. Our systems are designed and built here in Australia, with no middlemen, by the same team that services them every day.

A Garbage Doctor Duo and its scent tank beside a garbage chute, above a green recycling bin

Best practice for your building's waste system

We recommend that buildings implement a thorough waste management plan, to best address odours and hygiene in the common areas. Such a plan might include:

  • a permanent odour control system, such as the Garbage Doctor, running 24/7;
  • regular cleaning of the chute's lining by a professional cleaner, since a chute is almost impossible to clean well without specialised equipment (we're happy to recommend a trusted cleaner in your area);
  • regular collection and emptying of the bins, so full bins aren't left waiting.

The Garbage Doctor works with chutes, bins, carousels and compactors from all manufacturers, including Elephants Foot, WasteTech, JJ Richards, Wanless, James Hardie and JD MacDonald, etc. The machines are also used in loading docks, grease traps, shopping centres and water treatment plants: anywhere that needs commercial odour control built for continuous operation. The Garbage Doctor isn't designed as an air purifier for homes or offices, and is not suited for 'shock treatments'.

Common questions

Is ozone safe in a bin room?

Yes, when a system is installed and set up correctly. Our technicians install and set up every Garbage Doctor machine to ensure correct operation. The conduit releases ozone close to the bins and inside the chute, and we adjust the output so the odours are neutralised and a neutral smell, or a very slight smell of ozone, is left. The limit for occupied areas is 0.1 parts per million in Australia, and our technicians measure the ozone level on site with an ozone monitor.

A good analogy is chlorine in your swimming pool: when used as recommended, chlorine forms an important part of your maintenance strategy.

Can we lease the Garbage Doctor, or buy one?

This depends on the model. Our ozone systems can be purchased outright or leased. Our scenting machines are only available for rent/lease (due to the higher servicing requirements).

Either way, most of our customers lease the machine. Our fully inclusive rental covers the equipment itself, all consumables, servicing and maintenance.

When the Ozone or Ozone HD is bought outright, the machine includes a 48-month on-site warranty. The Duo and Scenting are available for rent only.

Will the Garbage Doctor suit our building?

The Garbage Doctor can be configured for almost any building. You are welcome to send us photos or a video of your bin room and chute, or we can meet you on site, whichever suits you best. We'll recommend the right model and send you a quote, and our technicians install and set up the machine for your site.

Talk to us about your building

Tell us about your bin room and chute, and we'll recommend the right system and provide you with a quote. You are welcome to send photos, or call us on 1300-ODOURS (1300 636 877). We aim to reply the same or next business day.

Ask for a quoteSend photos of your bin roomCall 1300-ODOURS

See the difference in your own building first, with a free 2-week trial

In our regular service areas.