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Waste & recycling

Waste & recycling

How Glen Eira's household bins work today. The food and garden waste bin (lime-green lid) is collected every week. The general waste bin (red lid) and the recycling bin (yellow lid) are each collected once a fortnight. The lid colours are Glen Eira's own description. Bins are collected Monday to Friday, including on public holidays, so put them out on your usual day. Collection starts early, so the council recommends putting bins out the night before.

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

Food and garden waste (lime-green lid)
WeeklyFood scraps (including meat, bones, dairy and seafood) go in with garden waste. No plastic, compostable or biodegradable bags or liners: wrap food scraps in paper towel, newspaper or a paper bag instead.What goes in my bins? →
General waste (red lid)
FortnightlyHousehold rubbish that can't be recycled or composted. The council says soft plastics go in the red bin, and so do loose lids.
Recycling (yellow lid)
FortnightlyRecyclable packaging, including glass bottles and jars, metal, paper and some plastics. Empty containers, and reattach lids to jars and bottles. Never put batteries or electronics in any bin: the council says lithium-ion batteries in recycling bins likely caused two truck fires in June 2026.
Glass (purple lid)
No separate glass bin yetVictorian law requires every council to offer a separate glass service by 2027. The council says it is not introducing one yet, and has asked the Victorian Government to add wine and spirit bottles to the Container Deposit Scheme instead of a separate household glass bin. It says its collection contractor will deliver a standalone glass service under the new contracts, pending the outcome of that advocacy.Council's statement →
Hard rubbish, branches and cardboard
Up to 3 free bookings of each per financial yearThree hard rubbish, three bundled branch and three bulk cardboard collections a year, booked one week to one day ahead. Hard rubbish is collected on your bin day; bulk cardboard on Tuesdays; bundled branches on Wednesdays. No batteries or items with built-in batteries.Book a collection →
Find your bin day
Bin collection calendar, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027Report a missed bin within 2 days of your collection day, but first leave it out in case the truck hasn't come yet.Bin collection questions →

We describe the bins the way the council does. Glen Eira collects food and garden waste weekly and general waste fortnightly; not every council does it this way. Waste charges are on your rates notice (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.