Wheelie bin collections


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About your bin collection service

Each rate-paying household receives a:

Landfill bins are collected weekly and recycling and green waste bins are collected fortnightly. Keep track with the bin collection calendar.

To ensure your bins are collected:

✓  Put your bins out the night before or by 7 am on collection days.
✓  Put your bins on the kerbside with the front of the bin facing the road and the wheels at the back.
✓   Leave a gap of at least 30cm between bins so the truck’s arms can pick up each bin.
✓   Keep bins a minimum of 1 metre away from any obstruction such as trees, parked cars or poles.
✓   Ensure your bin is not too heavy (less than 80kg for recycling and landfill, less than 50kg for green waste) so the truck can lift it.
✓   Ensure bin lids can completely close to avoid littering.
✓   Bring your bins in from the kerb as soon as possible after they have been emptied.

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If you need help taking your bins to the kerbside please see bin assistance.

Find out what items you can dispose of in your wheelie bins or search the Recyclopaedia for the correct disposal of a specific item.

Hoppers are often provided in place of bins in multi-unit developments.

Call within 24 hours and leave your bin on the kerb until collected.

  • For landfill and recycling bins contact Veolia on 6260 1547.
  • For green waste and FOGO bins contact JJ’s Waste & Recycling on 6270 5070.

What goes in your household bins?

Recycling bin

The recycling bin is for empty household containers, packaging, paper and cardboard only. These items are sorted and sold on to be recycled.
✔️ glass bottles and jars – clean and empty
✔️ plastic bottles and containers – clean, empty and lids removed
✔️ steel and aluminium cans – clean and empty
✔️ paper – not shredded
✔️ cardboard – flattened

Recycling bin too full?

Remember you can request a larger recycling bin for an additional fee or visit one of our free 24 hour recycling drop-off centres.

The following items don’t belong in the recycling bin:
❌ hazardous materials such as batteries or electronics, recycling in plastic bags, soft plastics, broken ceramic or glass kitchenware, metal items, clothing, bulky items.

Organics bin

The organics bin is for garden organic waste.
✔️ grass clippings
✔️ weeds
✔️ prunings and leaves
✔️ small branches

The following items don’t belong in the organics bin:
❌ plastic bags, building waste, food waste, animal waste, treated timber.

These items should be taken elsewhere for recycling or safe disposal. Visit the Recyclopaedia to find out more.

Rubbish bin

The landfill bin is for household items that can’t be reused, recycled or composted.

The following items don’t belong in the landfill bin:
❌ hazardous materials such as batteries or chemicals
❌ e-waste
❌ building waste
❌ bulky waste
❌ green waste

These items should be taken elsewhere for recycling or safe disposal. Visit the Recyclopaedia to find out more.

Here are 5 tips to reduce landfill waste.

Tried these tips and still don’t have enough space in the landfill bin?

Remember you can request a larger or additional landfill bin for an annual fee or drop off items that don’t belong in the landfill bin at one of our Resource Management Centres at Mitchell or Mugga Lane.

FOGO bin

A Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection pilot is now servicing around 5,000 households in Belconnen, Bruce, Cook and Macquarie. Food scraps and garden waste are accepted in the FOGO bin.
✔️ leftovers and cooked food
✔️ bread and dairy
✔️ meat/fish scraps and bones (no oyster shells)
✔️ certified compostable green caddy liners
✔️ coffee grounds and tea leaves
✔️ grass clippings
✔️ prunings and leaves
✔️ small branches

The following items don’t belong in the FOGO bin:
❌ oyster shells, animal droppings, cat litter, tissues, paper towel and shredded paper, nappies, plastic bags or products, biodegradable or compostable packaging, textiles, glass, personal hygiene products.

It's up to you (or your body corporate) to keep bins clean. Occasionally rinse out bins (ensuring rubbish does not flow into gutters and stormwater drains), or use a bin cleaning service.

All supplied wheelie bins remain the property of the ACT Government and should not be painted or permanently marked.

If you are moving house, the wheelie bins remain at the address in which they were originally allocated. If your landfill or recycling bin is damaged, complete the request bin repair or maintenance form or contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

Bin replacement program

Older bins across the ACT are progressively being replaced. The new domestic waste bins have the same 140 litre capacity but are more compact, so they are less likely to tip over. They also have a red lid. Old bins and parts are reused or recycled where possible.

Remember, you can also drop off your waste, recycling, green waste or building waste.

Waste sorted: Everyday climate choices. Click on the image to view the main recycling and waste page

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.

To see how we are building stronger relationships with the Traditional Custodians of the ACT view the Reconciliation Action Plan.