City of Ballarat hard rubbish and bin collection

Your kerbside bins#

• Red lid, general waste

  Four-bin system (FOGO and glass began 3 November 2025): a red-lid general waste bin collected weekly, a yellow-lid comingled recycling bin, a lime green-lid food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin collected fortnightly, and a 140L purple-lid glass bin collected every four weeks.

• Yellow lid, recycling

  Rinsed bottles, jars, cans, paper and cardboard, placed loose. Check the council page for glass and soft plastics rules in your area.

• Green lid, organics

  Lime green-lid FOGO bin collected fortnightly for fruit and vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat and bones, seafood, eggshells and garden clippings; composted at Green Care Mulching. Kitchen caddies provided.

The lid colours follow Australian Standard AS 4123 nationally, but the accepted-item list is set by City of Ballarat. See what bin does it go in for the item-by-item answers, and the purple glass bin rollout for where a fourth lid is arriving.

Getting a collection in City of Ballarat#

City of Ballarat takes the booking, sets the date and decides what it will lift, so have your address and an item list ready before you start. Most councils cap the volume per booking, and the rule above is the one that applies here.

Council waste page

How booked and scheduled collections differ across the country is covered in hard rubbish collection in Australia.

When your bin goes out#

Collection day is set by your street address, not by the council area, so this guide does not carry per-street dates and will not guess one. The service pattern for City of Ballarat is below; City of Ballarat publishes the day itself.

Find your collection day

Garden and food organics in City of Ballarat#

Lime green-lid FOGO bin collected fortnightly for fruit and vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat and bones, seafood, eggshells and garden clippings; composted at Green Care Mulching. Kitchen caddies provided.

Whether a green bin takes food scraps as well as garden material depends on the service your council runs. See the FOGO bin explained, and the item pages for food scraps and garden waste.

Quick answers for tricky items#

The short answer for the items households most often get wrong. Each links to the full rule, which City of Ballarat can still vary locally.

• Mattress - Not a kerbside bin
• Pizza box - Green or red lid
• Batteries - Never any kerbside bin
• Soft plastics - Red lid, unless a program runs
• Garden waste - Green lid
• E-waste - Not a kerbside bin
• Glass - Purple or yellow lid
• Food scraps - Green or red lid

All which-bin answers

Hard rubbish and bin questions#

How does hard rubbish collection work in City of Ballarat?

Council provides booked hard waste collections; the free Ballarat Waste app carries collection schedules and service details.

How do I book a hard rubbish collection with City of Ballarat?

Bookings are made by City of Ballarat, not by this guide. Book at ballarat.vic.gov.au with your address and a list of items ready, because most councils cap the volume per booking.

When does my bin go out in the City of Ballarat area?

Collection day is set by your street address, not by the council area, so City of Ballarat is the only source for your day. This guide carries the rules and the service pattern, not per-street dates: check yours at ballarat.vic.gov.au.

What bins does City of Ballarat collect, and how often?

Four-bin system (FOGO and glass began 3 November 2025): a red-lid general waste bin collected weekly, a yellow-lid comingled recycling bin, a lime green-lid food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin collected fortnightly, and a 140L purple-lid glass bin collected every four weeks.

What goes in the City of Ballarat green bin?

Lime green-lid FOGO bin collected fortnightly for fruit and vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat and bones, seafood, eggshells and garden clippings; composted at Green Care Mulching. Kitchen caddies provided.

Which postcodes does City of Ballarat cover?

City of Ballarat services 3350, 3355, 3356. Border postcodes can be split between two councils, so confirm yours against the council boundary if you sit on an edge.

Postcodes covered#

City of Ballarat services 3 postcodes. Border postcodes can be split between two councils, so confirm yours against the council boundary if you sit on an edge.

3350, 3355, 3356

Nearest tips and transfer stations#

Taking a sorted load in yourself is often cheapest. Tip Finder Australia maps every tip and recycling centre in Victoria with fees and hours.

Find a tip in Victoria

More Victoria councils#

Compare bin systems and hard rubbish across the state.

All Victoria councils