Large waste items must be taken to the Paget Waste Management Centre; there is no routine kerbside hard rubbish collection.
Your kerbside bins#
- Red lid, general waste
Two-bin service: one 240L general waste bin (red lid, with older green lids being phased out) serviced weekly, and one 240L yellow-lid recycling bin serviced fortnightly on the same day. All general waste must be bagged; recycling must be clean, dry and loose.
- 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
No kerbside green bin; green waste is accepted at the Paget Transfer Station where charges apply.
The lid colours follow Australian Standard AS 4123 nationally, but the accepted-item list is set by Mackay 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 Mackay Regional Council#
Mackay 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 Mackay Regional Council is below; Mackay Regional Council publishes the day itself.
Garden and food organics in Mackay Regional Council#
No kerbside green bin; green waste is accepted at the Paget Transfer Station where charges apply.
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 Mackay 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 Mackay Regional Council?
- Large waste items must be taken to the Paget Waste Management Centre; there is no routine kerbside hard rubbish collection.
- How do I book a hard rubbish collection with Mackay Regional Council?
- Bookings are made by Mackay Regional Council, not by this guide. Book at mackay.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 Mackay Regional Council area?
- Collection day is set by your street address, not by the council area, so Mackay 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 mackay.qld.gov.au.
- What bins does Mackay Regional Council collect, and how often?
- Two-bin service: one 240L general waste bin (red lid, with older green lids being phased out) serviced weekly, and one 240L yellow-lid recycling bin serviced fortnightly on the same day. All general waste must be bagged; recycling must be clean, dry and loose.
- What goes in the Mackay Regional Council green bin?
- No kerbside green bin; green waste is accepted at the Paget Transfer Station where charges apply.
- Which postcodes does Mackay Regional Council cover?
- Mackay Regional Council services 4740, 4741, 4750, 4751. Border postcodes can be split between two councils, so confirm yours against the council boundary if you sit on an edge.
Postcodes covered#
Mackay 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.
4740, 4741, 4750, 4751
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#
- Mackay Regional Council - official bins and recycling page
- Mackay Regional Council waste and recycling - mackay.qld.gov.au
Checked against these sources on 2026-07-09.