How to use your recycling bin

Recycling bin

Recycling bins are collected weekly. They are blue with a yellow lid although we're changing to dark green bins with a yellow lid. Find out more about transitioning to new bin colours.

We provide up to 2 recycling bins free of charge. For information on ordering a 2nd or larger sized bin, visit our Order a bin page.

What can go in the recycling bin

Make sure items are loose (not in bags) and empty.

These items are accepted:

plastic bottles like milk, juice and sauce bottles (leave lids on)
hard plastic containers like margarine tubs, biscuit trays, punnets, yoghurt pots and takeaway containers
glass jars and bottles (leave lids and labels on)
paper, newspapers, magazines and junk mail
cardboard and cereal boxes
steel tins
aluminium cans and foil
empty aerosol cans.

What can't go in the recycling bin

These are the top items that can't go in the recycling bin:

batteries
bagged recycling
food and garden waste
polystyrene packaging, cups and meat trays
textiles and clothing
ceramic plates, cups and crockery
plastic bags and soft plastic wrappings. We are temporarily accepting soft plastics for recycling from Boroondara residents at 2 collection points. To find out more, visit our Temporary soft plastic recycling service page.

Use our comprehensive A to Z recycling and waste guide to find out how to recycle or dispose of items that can't be placed in your recycling bin.

Check before you chuck it

Look for the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) on the back of most supermarket items.

These labels give plain information about what parts of your item can be recycled – for example the lid, the wrapper and the container.

Find out more on the ARL website.

Don't rely on plastic codes

The triangle symbol on the back of packaging tells you the type of plastic used, but not whether it's recyclable. Please don’t use these codes as a recycling guide.

Contaminated recycling bins

Contaminated recycling can lead to an entire truck load of recycling being sent to landfill.

If you put items in your recycling bin that are not accepted, your bin may be tagged with information and advice on how to correctly dispose of the contaminating items.

If you continue to put items in your recycling bin that are not accepted, it may result in your bin not being emptied.

By recycling correctly, you help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. Materials collected in recycling bins are turned into new packaging and building materials.

Excess or over-sized recycling

If you have excess recycling or large items that won't fit in the bin, you can take them to Kew Depot Recycling Drop-off Centre. Attendants at the depot can help you sort mixed recyclables and cardboard into the correct bins.

Please flatten any cardboard and take the sticky tape off before bringing it to Kew Depot.

You can also take items to the Boroondara Recycling and Waste Centre.

Waste charges for ratepayers

Each property that pays rates pays a yearly Waste Environment Levy. This covers our costs for providing waste services, including:

Weekly FOGO and recycling collection
Fortnightly general waste collection
Weekly commercial waste collection
Twice-yearly hard waste collection
Twice-yearly bundled green waste collection
Yearly Christmas tree collection
Emptying rubbish bins in parks, shopping precincts and public spaces
Operating the team that carries out these services
Running the transfer station
Transporting waste to landfill
Disposal costs and levies at the landfill site.

Properties that only have a recycling bin (no general waste bin) are charged the minimum waste bin levy.

Residents in multi-unit developments with shared bins pay a waste charge based on how many bins are at the property.

All ratepayers pay a Waste Environment Levy as a contribution towards waste collection in public places. Residential properties that cancel their bin service, as well as commercial and residential properties with a private waste collection, are not exempt from this levy.

Bin collection

Collection times

Collections start from 5:00 am on main roads and 6:00 am for residential streets, in line with EPA guidelines.

Collections may start earlier on residential streets when we're aware of major works (like gas works or road resealing) that limit street access, but only as a last resort.