Waste & recycling
How Golden Plains' household bins work. Homes in the council's garbage collection areas typically have three bins: a 240-litre general waste bin, a 240-litre mixed recycling bin (yellow lid) and a 140-litre glass-only bin (purple lid). General waste and recycling are collected fortnightly, and glass every four weeks. There is no food and garden organics (FOGO) bin yet: the council estimates it will start in 2027/28. The council doesn't collect hard waste.
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.
Bin collection at a glance
- General waste
- 240 litres, fortnightlyNew general waste bins have red lids, but many properties still have a dark green or maroon lid — those bins keep being used for general waste. Soft plastics, wrapped broken glass and food scraps (if you don't compost) go in this bin. The council says general waste goes to the Smythesdale and Wyndham landfills.Kerbside collection →
- Mixed recycling (yellow lid)
- 240 litres, fortnightly (weekly until February 2025)Empty rigid plastic containers and bottles, loose dry paper and cardboard, cartons, aerosols, steel and aluminium packaging and foil. Items loose, never bagged. No soft plastics, polystyrene, clothing, nappies or food. Glass no longer goes in this bin.What goes where →
- Glass (purple lid)
- 140 litres, every four weeks — since 17 February 2025Glass bottles and jars only, lids off. No drinking glasses, Pyrex, ceramics or light bulbs. The council says you can't opt out of the glass service; it is paid for through the waste charge.Glass recycling →
- Food and garden organics (FOGO)
- Not yet — the council's estimate is 2027/28The state requires every council to offer FOGO by 2030. The council's FOGO page (archived November 2025) gives 2027/28 as its estimated timeline and says it is working with Barwon Water and three other councils on a regional organics processing facility.About FOGO →
- Find your bin day
- Address search, or the 2026–27 bin calendarPut your bin out the night before collection; the truck won't come back for a bin put out late. Bins over 70 kg aren't collected.Find my bin day →
- Hard waste
- No kerbside collection — take it to a transfer station (fees apply)Options named by the council: its Rokewood Resource Recovery Centre, the Geelong Transfer Station (Douro Street, North Geelong) and the Ballarat Transfer Station (Gillies Street South).Hard waste →
- Rokewood Resource Recovery Centre
- 141 Meadows Road, Rokewood — Sundays 10am–3pmClosed on public holidays and total fire ban days. Fees apply to household, green and timber waste, mattresses, tyres and fridges; e-waste, scrap metal, motor oil (up to 20 L), vehicle batteries, household recycling and drumMUSTER / bagMUSTER containers are free. No asbestos, chemicals, soil or demolition waste.Opening hours and fees →
We describe the bins the way the council does. The council's website refused our automated requests, so the bin details come from the council's kerbside, glass, FOGO and resource recovery centre pages as archived in November and December 2025; the bin calendar link was read in September 2026. Collection applies within the council's defined garbage collection areas. Bin charges are on the Rates & fees page.
Sources — check it yourself
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Residential Kerbside Collection (read from an archived copy) · Dec 2025
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Glass Recycling in Golden Plains Shire (read from an archived copy) · Nov 2025
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Food Organics Garden Organics in Golden Plains Shire (read from an archived copy) · Nov 2025
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Resource Recovery Centre (read from an archived copy) · Dec 2025
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Garbage Collection Areas (bin calendar and address search) · Sep 2026
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Waste Collection Calendar FY 2026–27 (PDF) · 2026–27
- Golden Plains Shire Council — Waste Management and Septic Systems (read from an archived copy) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Government — New recycling laws and governance (glass by 2027, FOGO by 2030) · Sep 2026
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.