General waste that can’t be reused, recycled or composted is sometimes referred to as ‘rubbish’, ‘garbage’ or ‘landfill’. General waste should be placed in your red-lidded or dark green-lidded household bin. Never place hazardous items such as batteries in your household bins.
Single residential households have a 140-litre general waste bin. General waste bins in apartments and townhouses with shared waste disposal may vary in size.
You can also drop off general waste to a resource management centre (sometimes called ‘the tip’) for a fee.
General waste bin collection
Visit the bins page to find your collection day and information about your household bins.
If your general waste bin is full, you can:
- drop off your waste at Mitchell or Mugga Lane resource management centres
- consider booking a bulky waste collection for larger items or
- request an additional or larger bin (fees apply).
Items
Suitable items
The general waste bin is for household waste that can’t be reused or put into your recycling or green garden waste bin. This includes:
- animal waste such as kitty litter and animal bedding (must be bagged)
- baby wipes, wet wipes, nappies and sanitary items
- disposable coffee cups and lids
- food waste (if you are not part of the FOGO pilot)
- plastic bags and other soft plastics
- small, broken household items
- tissues and paper towels.
Unsuitable items
Please do not put the following items in your general waste bin:
- batteries
- building waste
- bulky waste
- chemicals or paint
- clinical waste
- garden waste
- hazardous materials
- televisions, computers and accessories
These items should be taken elsewhere for recycling or safe disposal. Visit the A-Z guide to recycling and waste to find out more.
Reduce your general waste to landfill
General waste is taken to the landfill where materials cannot be recovered or reused. Some items take a long time to break down in landfill and cause harmful greenhouse gases.
You can reduce the amount of waste you send to landfill by choosing to:
- avoid single use products and packaging
- reduce food waste, and
- repair, reuse or recycle materials.
Check the A-Z guide to recycling and waste to find out how to dispose of specific items.