There is no scheduled kerbside hard rubbish collection; household recyclables, hazardous waste and reusable items can be taken directly to Council transfer stations, with many items accepted free.
Your kerbside bins#
- Red lid, general waste
Two-bin kerbside service: a general waste bin (red lid, with older green lids being phased out) collected weekly, and a yellow-lid recycling bin collected fortnightly on the same day. Bins must be out by 6am and placed at least 50cm apart.
- 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
Cairns does not provide a regular kerbside green bin; kerbside garden waste is handled via a voucher system and green waste can be dropped at Council transfer stations.
The lid colours follow Australian Standard AS 4123 nationally, but the accepted-item list is set by Cairns Regional Council. 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 Cairns Regional Council#
Cairns Regional Council 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.
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 Cairns Regional Council is below; Cairns Regional Council publishes the day itself.
Garden and food organics in Cairns Regional Council#
Cairns does not provide a regular kerbside green bin; kerbside garden waste is handled via a voucher system and green waste can be dropped at Council transfer stations.
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 Cairns Regional Council 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
Hard rubbish and bin questions#
- How does hard rubbish collection work in Cairns Regional Council?
- There is no scheduled kerbside hard rubbish collection; household recyclables, hazardous waste and reusable items can be taken directly to Council transfer stations, with many items accepted free.
- How do I book a hard rubbish collection with Cairns Regional Council?
- Bookings are made by Cairns Regional Council, not by this guide. Book at cairns.qld.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 Cairns Regional Council area?
- Collection day is set by your street address, not by the council area, so Cairns Regional Council is the only source for your day. This guide carries the rules and the service pattern, not per-street dates: check yours at cairns.qld.gov.au.
- What bins does Cairns Regional Council collect, and how often?
- Two-bin kerbside service: a general waste bin (red lid, with older green lids being phased out) collected weekly, and a yellow-lid recycling bin collected fortnightly on the same day. Bins must be out by 6am and placed at least 50cm apart.
- What goes in the Cairns Regional Council green bin?
- Cairns does not provide a regular kerbside green bin; kerbside garden waste is handled via a voucher system and green waste can be dropped at Council transfer stations.
- Which postcodes does Cairns Regional Council cover?
- Cairns Regional Council services 4870, 4868, 4869, 4878. Border postcodes can be split between two councils, so confirm yours against the council boundary if you sit on an edge.
Postcodes covered#
Cairns Regional Council services 4 postcodes. Border postcodes can be split between two councils, so confirm yours against the council boundary if you sit on an edge.
4870, 4868, 4869, 4878
Nearest tips and transfer stations#
Taking a sorted load in yourself is often cheapest. Tip Finder Australia maps every tip and recycling centre in Queensland with fees and hours.
More Queensland councils#
Compare bin systems and hard rubbish across the state.
Sources#
- Cairns Regional Council - official bins and recycling page
- Cairns Regional Council waste and recycling - cairns.qld.gov.au
Checked against these sources on 2026-07-09.