Bin collections

Your collection day

Your rubbish bin is emptied weekly, your recycling bin is emptied fortnightly, and your glass recycling bin is emptied every four weeks, on the same day as your garbage bin.

If you have a food and garden waste bin, this is emptied fortnightly on the alternate week to your recycling bin. 

To find out when you next bin collection is visit My Neighbourhood.

What happens if my bin is missed?

If your bin hasn’t been emptied, you can report it to us within 48 hours (or 2 business days) by calling 9217 2170 or reporting online using the buttons below.

Please note: The waste contractor will firstly check the recorded footage from the waste vehicle to ensure that your bin was missed or partially emptied on collection day. If the footage concludes that your bin was emptied, then your request will be declined. If your request is approved, your bin will be emptied within 2 business days. Please make sure your bin remains at your usual collection point, at the front of your property on the nature strip.

You can call Council directly on 9217 2170 to report or discuss missed or partial emptied bins. Council will not return to empty bins that were not presented at the time of collection. 

Report a missed bin collection

Report a partially emptied bin

Report overfilled bin online

Public holiday bin collections

Bins get collected as normal on public holidays that fall on business days except for the following public holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Good Friday
• ANZAC Day
• Christmas Day

If these public holidays fall on a business day bins will be collected a day later and collections may run one day behind schedule for the rest of that week.

Bin guidelines and tips

To make sure your bin gets emptied:

• Put your bin out after 4pm the day before collection or before 6am on collection day.
• Place your bin (with the lid closed) on your nature strip near your driveway, with the wheels facing away from the kerb.
• Avoid putting your bin behind a parked car or too close to overhanging trees/branches.
• Put your bins at least half a metre apart.
• If you live in a court, place your bins in a straight section of the street, do not place your bin in the ‘court bowl’.
• Do not put anything in a bin that prevents you closing the lid or overfill your garbage bin as this will cause litter on your street. Find out ways to reduce your waste.
• Bag your rubbish before putting it in the rubbish bin.
• Place empty recyclable items loosely in your recycling bin and do not place recycling in plastic bags.
• Your bin must not weigh more than 50kg when collected.
• Remove your bin from the kerb the same day after it is emptied.

Note: Bins that are incorrectly placed pose a safety risk and will not be emptied. 

You are allowed to:

• mark any supplied rubbish/recycling bin with your property number, as long as the number is less than 15cm high and wide
• remark the number as often as necessary to keep it clearly visible.

Multi-unit developments

If you are building a new multi-unit development that requires a Waste Management Plan, please refer to our Waste Management Plan Guidelines. This checklist will also assist you in developing your plan.

If you are currently living in, or responsible for, a multi-unit development and would like to switch from private waste collection to a Council collection service, please complete the City of Whittlesea Council Collection Form.  

What to put in your rubbish bin

Acceptable items

You can put the following items in your rubbish bin:

• baby, hand and face wipes
• bones and meats (for the best environmental outcome, put these in your food and garden waste bin)
• cigarette butts
• cling wrap/glad wrap
• coffee pods
• disposable masks and gloves
• disposable plates, cups and cutlery
• food and garden waste (for the best environmental outcome, put these in a compost bin or food and garden waste bin)
• glassware and ceramic cookware including crockery (plates, bowls and cups), drinking glasses, Pyrex glass, ovenware and light bulbs
• lids, bottle caps, pump sprays and droppers
• milk and juice cartons
• medicines ( or return to your local pharmacy)
• nappies, sanitary and incontinence products
• polystyrene food and drink containers, trays and packaging
• plant pots (some plant nurseries accept these back for reuse)
• plastic straws and takeaway coffee cups
• plastic toys
• soft plastics including food/cling wrap, plastic bags and bubble wrap (for the best environmental outcome return to any major supermarket, as long as they are clean)
• tea bags
• tissues, shredded paper, tissue paper, serviettes, receipts and paper towel
• vapes - remove batteries before placing in the bin
• waxed cardboard and food soiled cardboard
• window glass and mirrors (wrapped)

Unacceptable items

You should not put the following items in your rubbish bin:

• batteries (household and car)
• building/renovation material
• e-waste (household appliances with a cord, plug or batteries such TVs, computers, laptops, computer accessories, printers, mobile phones, power tools and battery-operated kids toys)
• fluorescent light globes, mobile phones and accessories, cameras and accessories
• gas or helium bottles
• hot ash
• household chemicals including oil, paint, cleaning products, fertilisers and car care products and liquid waste
• recyclable items
• soil, rocks or bricks
• syringes

Find out how to dispose of different household items.

Acceptable items

You can put the following empty items in your recycling bin:

• cans and tins
• foil (scrunched into a ball)
• paper and cardboard (excluding paper/hand towels, shopping receipts, serviettes and tissues)
• plastic bottles and containers labelled with code 1,2,3,4 or 5 (no plastic bottle lids)

Rinse clean items and remove all food and liquid from packaging.

Please note that recyclable items are initially hand-sorted by staff at the recycling facility, therefore sharp objects pose a safety hazard.

Unacceptable items

You should not put the following items in your recycling bin as they cannot be recycled through this service:

• bagged rubbish
• batteries (household and car)
• disposable masks and gloves
• cling wrap/glad wrap
• disposable plates, cups and cutlery
• e-waste (household appliances with a cord, plug or batteries such TVs, computers, laptops, computer accessories, printers, mobile phones, power tools and battery-operated kids toys)
• food and garden waste (for the best environmental outcome, put these in a compost bin or food and garden waste bin)
• fluorescent light globes
• glassware and ceramics including crockery (plates, bowls and cups), drinking glasses, Pyrex glass, ovenware, window glass, mirrors and light bulbs
• gas or helium bottles
• household chemicals including oil, paint, cleaning products, fertilisers and car care products
• household goods and furniture
• lids, bottle caps, pump sprays and droppers
• milk and juice cartons 
• nappies, sanitary and incontinence products
• paper towel, tissue paper, shredded paper, tissues, serviettes and shopping receipts
• polystyrene food and drink containers, trays and packaging
• scrap metal and car parts
• soft plastics including food/cling wrap, plastic bags and bubble wrap (for the best environmental outcome return to any major supermarket, as long as they are clean)
• syringes
• takeaway coffee cups and lids
• waxed cardboard and food soiled cardboard or paper
• x-rays

Unacceptable items can damage the material sorting facility's machinery, increasing the processing cost.

What to put in your glass recycling bin

Acceptable items

You can put the following items into your glass recycling bin:

Glass bottles and jars from food and drinks, including:

• Soft drink, juice, water and milk bottles
• Beer, wine and spirit bottles
• Sauce, condiments and oil bottles and jars.

Glass bottles and jars from medicine and toiletries, including:

• Medicine bottles
• Vitamin and supplement bottles and jars
• Bottles and jars from toiletry and cosmetic items such lotions, gels and creams. 

Please ensure that all glass bottles and jars are empty before popping them in the glass recycling bin. 

Unacceptable items

You should not put the following items in your glass recycling bin as they cannot be recycled through this service: 

• Loose lids and caps from bottles and jars
• Corks, pumps, sprays and droppers
• Bottles and jars with non-glass items inside such as cigarette butts, food or liquids
• Glass kitchenware, such as drinking glasses, crockery and ceramics, glass storage containers and glass cookware
• Glass household items, such as vases, mirrors, light bulbs and fluorescent tubes
• Plastic bags or plastic packaging.

Disposing of items that cannot go in a bin

To dispose of items that cannot go in your bins:

• Visit our A-Z guide to waste and recycling or phone 9217 2170 for local waste disposal options
• Take steps to dispose of the waste in the right way.

Everyone has a general environmental duty to:

• Reduce waste
• Take care when recycling or disposing of waste
• Keep waste, paint and solvents away from waterways
• Take care when engaging waste disposal or skip bin companies.

Find out how to dispose of different household items