← Ararat Rural City Council
Waste & recycling

Waste & recycling

How Ararat Rural City's kerbside bins work. Every home in the municipality, in town and in rural areas, has a compulsory kerbside service. Homes on less than 5 hectares have four bins: a red-lid general waste bin emptied every week, a yellow-lid recycling bin and a green-lid organics bin emptied on alternate fortnights, and a purple-lid glass bin emptied every four weeks. Homes on more than 5 hectares have three bins — general waste, recycling and glass, without the organics bin. Your collection day depends on your zone; the council's 2026 city and rural calendars show the weeks.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English
Bulky / hard waste collection
Pickup or drop-off for large items that don't fit in your bins.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

Bin collection at a glance

General waste (red lid)
Weekly, on your collection dayFour-bin and three-bin homes. Put bins out before 6am on collection day (or the night before). The council asks that bins weigh no more than 50 kg.Kerbside collection →
Recycling (yellow lid)
Fortnightly — alternating with organicsCartons, cardboard, and empty plastic containers with lids off. No food or garden waste, e-waste, clothing or broken glass (2026 calendar).2026 city calendar (PDF) →
Organics (green lid)
Fortnightly, on the week recycling isn't collected (four-bin homes only)Food scraps and garden waste together — the calendar lists coffee grounds, tea leaves, leaf litter, lawn clippings, flowers, small branches and sawdust. No plastic or 'biodegradable' bags, teabags, coffee pods, animal waste, nappies or wipes. Homes on more than 5 hectares don't have this bin.2026 rural calendar (PDF) →
Glass (purple lid)
Every four weeksGlass bottles and jars. Both the four-bin and three-bin services include the glass bin.Which bins you have →
Collection days
Ararat: Mon (North), Tue (South East), Wed (South West), Thu (West); rural areas by localityRural: Monday — Lake Bolac, Wickliffe, Chatsworth, Woorndoo and nearby; Tuesday — Tatyoon, Streatham, Maroona, Mininera and nearby; Wednesday — Moyston, Pomonal, Cathcart and nearby; Thursday — Buangor, Elmhurst, Warrak, Langi Logan and nearby; Friday — Willaura, Glenthompson, Stavely, Mafeking and nearby. The council's page has the full list. An address look-up is marked 'coming soon' (checked Sep 2026).Full list of rural days →
Hard waste
No kerbside hard waste collection found on the council's waste pagesInferred from the council's waste pages (checked Sep 2026) — re-check. Mattresses, timber, e-waste, tyres and scrap metal can be taken to the Ararat transfer station.
Ararat transfer station
Surface Hill Court, Ararat — Tue–Fri 10am–1pm, Sat–Sun 10am–5pmClosed on public holidays. Takes household waste, recycling and glass, green waste, scrap metal (free), e-waste, timber and treated timber, mattresses, tyres and waste oil (non-commercial quantities), drumMUSTER containers, and batteries, fluorescent globes and paint. A Detox your Home chemical collection is held there each May. Loads over 3 m³ go to the Grampians Regional Landfill at Stawell (Cleanaway). Fees are on the council's fees page.Hours and what's accepted →
Lake Bolac transfer station
Graham Road, Lake Bolac — Wed and Sun 1pm–5pmThe council has closed the Pomonal, Willaura, Elmhurst and Moyston transfer stations, citing declining use and operating costs; Ararat and Lake Bolac remain open.Transfer station changes →

We describe the bins the way the council does: lid colours and frequencies come from the council's kerbside page, its rates page and its 2026 city and rural calendars, which agree. The kerbside page's FAQ still quotes older charges ($462 and $410); the 2026–27 charges are on the Rates & fees page. Services and fees change, so check the council's pages below.

Sources — check it yourself

Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.