Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional bin day, recycling & waste collection

Waste & recycling

When your bins go out, and how Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council handles waste across Cootamundra, Gundagai and the villages. Council runs a three-bin kerbside service: a red-lidded general-waste bin collected weekly, plus fortnightly collections of recycling and green waste. One local quirk worth knowing — the two towns kept different lid colours after the 2016 merger: in Cootamundra recycling is the yellow-lidded bin and green waste the green-lidded bin, while in Gundagai recycling is the dark-green lid and green waste the light-green lid. Collection days are published as printable timetables (Cootamundra Week 1 and Week 2; Gundagai North and South runs) rather than an address lookup — the link is below.

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): WeeklyCootamundra's kerbside general waste is transferred to the Bald Hill landfill near Jugiong under the South West Regional Waste Management Group (with Yass Valley, Hilltops and Snowy Valleys councils).
Recycling (yellow lid in Cootamundra / dark green lid in Gundagai): FortnightlyRecycling for the region is hand-sorted by Elouera Association, which employs people living with disability. In August 2026 council reported contaminated loads — including textiles, bulky waste and needles/sharps — and reminded residents that misuse of the service can attract fines of up to $2,500.
Food & garden organics (green lid in Cootamundra / light green lid in Gundagai): Green waste (garden organics) only — fortnightlyThe third bin is a green-waste service, not a food-organics (FOGO) service: council's recycling page directs residents to home composting and worm farms for food scraps, and promotes a 'Rake Up & Recycle' campaign for autumn leaves. Check what your bin accepts on the council's recycling page before adding food waste.
Bulky / hard waste: No kerbside bulky-waste collection advertised — take bulky items to a council waste depotCootamundra Waste Depot (Turners Lane, off Gundagai Road) is open Mon–Fri 7.30am–3.30pm and Sat–Sun 10am–3pm; Gundagai Waste Depot (371 Burra Road) opens Mon and Fri 7–11am, Wed 1–5pm, Sat 11am–5pm and Sun 7am–1pm. Smaller depots operate at Stockinbingal and Wallendbeen. Gate fees are set in council's adopted Fees and Charges — confirm current fees and hours with the council.
Problem waste & drop-off: Cootamundra Community Recycling Centre, operated by Elouera AssociationA drop-off point for household problem wastes that can't go in a kerbside bin — paint, oils, gas bottles, batteries, e-waste and similar. Accepted items are free of charge. Unstaffed transfer stations at Coolac, Muttama, Nangus and Tumblong are available 24/7 to swipe-tag holders (tags from the Gundagai office, $60 refundable deposit) and take domestic waste and recycling only.
Find your bin day: Council's Garbage Collection Times page (2026 timetables) / 1300 459 689Cootamundra Week 1 and Week 2 timetables, and Gundagai North and South garbage runs, are published as downloadable PDFs. See the link below.

Bin lid colours, collection timetables, depot hours and gate fees differ between the Cootamundra and Gundagai sides of the LGA and can change — confirm your collection day and current charges on the official sources below. Depot arrangements are one of the areas being worked through as part of the demerger transition.

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.