The AS 4123 four bin transition and the separate purple glass bin, why glass is being split out, and which real Australian councils already have it.
A fourth bin is appearing at Australian kerbs: a purple lidded bin just for glass. It is part of a national move toward a standard four bin system under Australian Standard AS 4123, and if a new purple bin has turned up at your place, or you have heard one is coming, here is what is actually changing.
Why glass gets its own bin
When glass is mixed into the yellow recycling bin it breaks, and the shards spread through the paper and cardboard, lowering the value of the whole load and sometimes sending recyclable material to landfill. Collecting glass on its own keeps the other recyclables clean and gets far more glass genuinely recycled back into bottles and jars. That is the entire logic of the purple bin: separate the one material that contaminates everything else.
What goes in it
The purple bin is narrow by design. It takes glass bottles and jars only, rinsed, with lids off. It does not take drinking glasses, Pyrex, ceramics, mirrors or window glass, because those melt at different temperatures and ruin a glass recycling batch. Those go in the red general waste bin, wrapped so they do not injure anyone. The full rule is on the glass bottles and jars page.
Who already has it
Victoria is leading the change, rolling a separate glass bin out alongside its FOGO service so that most households move to four bins together. Yarra now runs a purple lidded glass bin as part of its four bin service. Merri-bek, in Melbourne's inner north, collects a purple glass bin every four weeks alongside weekly FOGO. Casey in the south east runs the full four bin set of rubbish, recycling, FOGO and glass. Browse Victorian councils to see how broadly it has spread.
It is not only Victoria. In New South Wales, Northern Beaches runs a four bin separation system for households. The direction of travel is clear, but the timing is local: each council rolls the glass bin out on its own schedule, so the only reliable date is the one on your council page.
Where glass still goes in the yellow bin
Plenty of councils have not moved yet. In the City of Melbourne, glass still goes in the yellow recycling bin, securely wrapped. In Brisbane and much of Queensland, glass stays in the yellow mixed recycling bin. If you do not have a purple bin, the yellow bin is still the right home for bottles and jars for now.
What to do when yours changes
When a purple bin lands, the practical change is small: pull glass bottles and jars out of the yellow bin and put them in the purple one instead, and read the leaflet that comes with the bin for the collection frequency, which is often monthly. If a FOGO bin arrives at the same time, as it does in much of Victoria, the FOGO guide covers that half of the change. For everything else, the which bin master guide has the item by item answers.
Quick answers#
What goes in the purple glass bin?
Glass bottles and jars only, rinsed with lids off. Drinking glasses, Pyrex, ceramics, mirrors and window glass are not accepted because they melt at different temperatures, and go in general waste wrapped safely.
Does every council have a purple glass bin?
No. It is rolling out council by council, led by Victoria, with many councils still collecting glass in the yellow recycling bin. Check your council page to see whether a separate glass bin has reached your area.