Discarded fridges, abandoned couches and scrapped television sets can frequently be found dumped illegally across Canberra's nature reserves and empty urban strips.
But the ACT Government's introduction of long-awaited kerbside pickup for bulky waste could help to reduce the eyesores, and the environmental problems they bring.
The service is set to begin in July 2020, and will cost about $15 million.
The free, once-a-year pickup scheme will initially only be available in Tuggeranong and Gungahlin, before being phased in across other suburbs over five years.
"This is a very large scheme to rollout and in order to develop the scheme in the ACT for the first time for all households, we're starting small," City Services Minister Chris Steel said.
"Hard waste includes things like typical whitegoods and furniture."
Currently, ACT residents must pay to drop their unwanted items at the tip.
Residents will need to book the collection service, instead of putting out goods on a fixed date, to dissuade illegal dumpers and those looking to scavenge on belongings left out for collection.
Participants will get two cubic metres of space, but dumping mattresses will still cost.
Kambah resident Steve Tattam said he was looking forward to taking advantage of the scheme and reclaiming some space in his garage.
"Sometimes the freezer that's on the blink or broken, large cushions, bench seats," said Mr Tattam, who previously lived in New South Wales where a hard waste scheme was long in place.
"You accumulate large pieces of wood — things that you just can't fit into your normal rubbish bins."
Mr Steel would not say why it had taken so long for the ACT to catch up with other states, where similar schemes are well established.
"We've learnt from other jurisdictions about their council drop-off schemes and that's why we've chosen to undertake our scheme using a booking system," he said.
Bulky waste collection had been available in Canberra for the past eight years but only to eligible concession card holders.
A provider for the scheme will be picked through a tender process in coming months.
