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Waste & recycling

Waste & recycling

Waste in Bourke Shire works differently from most of NSW. Council runs a kerbside garbage collection in Bourke and North Bourke, and its fee schedule lists a single service — one 240-litre garbage bin per property. There is no kerbside recycling bin and no food-and-garden-organics bin. Recyclables are instead separated out at the Bourke Waste and Recycling Depot on Cobar Road, which also takes green waste, scrap metal and domestic e-waste free of charge and runs a 'Recovery Shop' reselling usable goods. The villages — Louth, Wanaaring, Enngonia and Byrock — are served by their own waste depots rather than a kerbside run, and pay a separate village tip maintenance charge. Everything below comes from the council's own waste page, its 2026/2027 Fees and Charges and its 2024/2025 Annual Report.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English
FOGO
The green bin that takes food scraps as well as garden waste.
Bulky / hard waste collection
Pickup or drop-off for large items that don't fit in your bins.
Community Recycling Centre (CRC)
A free drop-off for 'problem' waste like paint, batteries and oils.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

Bin collection at a glance

General waste (red lid)
Kerbside collection in Bourke and North Bourke — one 240L garbage bin per serviceThe council charges $347.00 a year per 240L garbage bin in 2026/2027 (up from $331.00 in 2025/2026), levied on every rateable property for which the service is available. Council publishes a garbage collection map rather than a stated collection frequency; confirm your run and day on (02) 6830 8000.
Recycling (yellow lid)
Not offered as a kerbside serviceThe 2026/2027 Fees and Charges lists only a 240L garbage bin service — there is no yellow-bin charge. Recyclable material is separated from the general waste stream at the Bourke Waste Facility, and scrap metal is sold for recycling through the NetWaste regional contract. In its 2024/2025 Annual Report the council recorded two recycling actions as 30% complete and still 'progressing': finding a viable way to keep cardboard out of landfill, and establishing a recycling function in Bourke with private-sector or government partners.
Food & garden organics (green lid)
Not offeredNo FOGO or garden-organics kerbside bin operates in the shire. Green waste is accepted free of charge at the Bourke Waste and Recycling Depot.
Bulky / hard waste
No free kerbside cleanup — self-haul to the depot at user-pays gate fees2026/2027 gate fees include $11.00 for a car load or 240L bin, $18.00 for a car trailer, van or ute, $55.00 for 1-2 cubic metres and $25.00 per mattress. The council budgets a small 'Waste Collection Special Clean-up' line ($4,000 in 2026/2027). Note the fee table published on the council's waste web page is the schedule effective 1 July 2024 — the current figures are in the 2026/2027 Fees and Charges PDF.
Problem waste & drop-off
Bourke Waste and Recycling Depot, Cobar Road, Bourke — plus village depots at Louth, Wanaaring, Enngonia and ByrockDepot hours: Monday, Thursday and Friday 10.00am-6.00pm; Saturday and Sunday 9.30am-5.00pm; closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Free: green waste, scrap metal and domestic e-waste (e-waste is collected under the NetWaste regional contract). Asbestos is accepted at set fees with a minimum 48 hours' notice and prior booking; other hazardous waste is not accepted. A user-pays system operates at the gate and all loads must be covered.
Find your bin day
Council's Bourke and North Bourke garbage collection map (PDF), or (02) 6830 8000There is no address-lookup tool; the map shows the collection runs. See the links below.

Kerbside collection covers Bourke and North Bourke; the villages are served by local waste depots and a separate village tip maintenance charge ($113.00 in 2026/2027). Fees, depot hours and services change — confirm current charges against the council's latest Fees and Charges document, and note that the fee table on the council's waste page is dated 1 July 2024.

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.