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Waste & recycling

Waste & recycling

How Boroondara's household bins work today. The council collects the food and garden (FOGO) bin and the recycling bin every week, and the general waste bin every two weeks. Glass bottles and jars go in the recycling bin. Bins are changing colour gradually, so your general waste bin may have a dark green or a red lid. Use the council's address lookup to find your bin day and download your area's calendar.

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 (dark green or red lid)
Every 2 weeksFor waste that can't go in the FOGO or recycling bins. Medical waste, e-waste and batteries, chemicals, paint and oils, needles, hot ashes and building materials can't go in any bin. Bins are collected on public holidays except Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Good Friday.What goes in this bin →
Recycling (yellow lid)
Every weekPlastic bottles and hard plastic containers, glass jars and bottles (lids and labels on), paper, cardboard, steel tins, aluminium cans and foil, and empty aerosol cans. Items must be loose, not bagged. The council may tag, and eventually not empty, a bin that keeps holding the wrong items.What goes in recycling →
Food and garden waste — FOGO (lime green lid)
Every weekFood scraps (including dairy), garden waste (branches up to 75 mm across, not bagged) and dirty or wet paper and cardboard. No tea bags, plastic, nappies, pet poo or fruit stickers. Free caddy liners are available from the Camberwell customer service counter and some council centres. The contents are composted.What goes in FOGO →
Glass (separate bin)
No separate glass bin — glass goes in the recycling binOn 15 December 2025 the councillors unanimously decided not to commit to a standalone kerbside glass bin, despite the state's requirement for all councils to move to four bin streams by 2030. The council says the rollout would cost about $6.5 million, plus about $2.2 million a year, and that it will instead advocate for the Container Deposit Scheme to be expanded. The state's standard lid colours are purple for glass, lime green for food and garden, yellow for recycling and red for general rubbish.Council's decision →
Hard waste
2 free booked collections each financial yearFor homes whose general waste bin the council collects. There is no annual street-by-street collection: you book, and there may be a few weeks' wait. Items left out without a booking count as dumped rubbish. Apartment blocks of 15 or more units book through the body corporate.Book hard waste →
Bundled green waste
2 free booked collections a year (April and October)Tied bundles of branches and prunings, up to 2 m³. The October 2026 round runs from 28 September to 30 October; bookings close at 3 pm on Friday 23 October.Book green waste →
Drop-off
Boroondara Recycling and Waste Centre (Riversdale Depot), 648 Riversdale Road, CamberwellMonday to Friday 1–4 pm; Saturday 8 am–4 pm; Sunday 8 am–4 pm for green waste and recyclables only. Closed Good Friday, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. You don't need to be a resident for most drop-offs; some items are free and others have fees. The Kew Depot also takes recyclables such as cardboard and soft plastic.Opening hours and items →
Find your bin day
Council address lookup (with your area's calendar)Check your bin day →

We describe the bins the way the council does. The council is replacing old bins with the state's standard colours as they wear out, with a bulk changeover closer to 2030, so neighbours may have different lids for the same service. Your waste charge depends on the size of your general waste bin (see Rates & fees).

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.