City of Melbourne hard rubbish and bin collection

Your kerbside bins#

• Red lid, general waste

  General waste (red or dark-green lid) collected weekly, recycling (yellow lid) collected fortnightly, and a food and garden organics (lime-green lid) bin collected weekly. Households receive a kitchen caddy; glass goes in the yellow recycling bin, securely wrapped.

• 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

  The lime-green-lid food and garden organics bin is collected weekly, and residents can also book one free garden waste collection per month.

The lid colours follow Australian Standard AS 4123 nationally, but the accepted-item list is set by City of Melbourne. 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 Melbourne#

City of Melbourne 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 Melbourne is below; City of Melbourne publishes the day itself.

Find your collection day

Garden and food organics in City of Melbourne#

The lime-green-lid food and garden organics bin is collected weekly, and residents can also book one free garden waste collection per month.

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 Melbourne 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 Melbourne?

Residents are entitled to one free hard waste collection of one cubic metre each financial year, booked with Council.

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

Bookings are made by City of Melbourne, not by this guide. Book at melbourne.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 Melbourne area?

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

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

General waste (red or dark-green lid) collected weekly, recycling (yellow lid) collected fortnightly, and a food and garden organics (lime-green lid) bin collected weekly. Households receive a kitchen caddy; glass goes in the yellow recycling bin, securely wrapped.

What goes in the City of Melbourne green bin?

The lime-green-lid food and garden organics bin is collected weekly, and residents can also book one free garden waste collection per month.

Which postcodes does City of Melbourne cover?

City of Melbourne services 3000, 3002, 3003, 3004, 3005, 3006, 3008, 3010, 3051, 3052, 3053, 3054. 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 Melbourne services 12 postcodes. Border postcodes can be split between two councils, so confirm yours against the council boundary if you sit on an edge.

3000, 3002, 3003, 3004, 3005, 3006, 3008, 3010, 3051, 3052, 3053, 3054

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