Waste & recycling
When your bins go out, and how Hay Shire handles recycling and waste. Council runs a three-bin kerbside service: a green-lidded 240L organics (food and garden) bin collected weekly, and a red-lidded 240L general-waste bin and yellow-lidded 240L recycling bin collected on alternating weeks, so each is fortnightly. The service is compulsory within the town of Hay; properties outside the town boundary are not serviced, though some areas close to the boundary can opt in by calling the council. Booligal and Maude are served differently — waste trailers sit at each village recreation ground and are open 24 hours a day. Everything else goes to the Hay Waste Transfer Station on Thelangerin (Tip) Road, which is also where the Community Recycling Centre takes household problem waste for free.
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.
Bin collection at a glance
- General waste (red lid)
- Fortnightly240L bin, collected on alternating weeks with the yellow recycling bin. Both alternate against the weekly green organics bin — see the council's collection calendar for your area.
- Recycling (yellow lid)
- Fortnightly240L bin, alternating with the red general-waste bin.
- Weekly240L bin for all food scraps and garden waste. Each household received a kitchen caddy and compostable liners as part of the service; additional compostable liners can be bought at supermarkets. Council's drivers service more than 1,300 wheelie bins each week.
- Bulky / hard waste
- No kerbside collection — self-haul to the Hay Waste Transfer StationThelangerin (Tip) Road, Hay. Opening hours from 4 August 2025: Tuesday and Friday 1.00pm–4.00pm, Sunday 8.00am–12.00pm; closed public holidays. Gate fees apply and are set in the council's Revenue Policy. Tyres and asbestos must be booked in advance on an application form with fees paid before disposal. Booligal and Maude residents have 24-hour waste trailers at their village recreation grounds.
- Problem waste & drop-off
- Hay Community Recycling Centre, Hay Waste Transfer Station, Thelangerin RoadFree drop-off for household quantities of aerosols, batteries, compact-fluorescent and fluorescent bulbs, gas bottles and fire extinguishers, motor and other oils, paint and smoke detectors — an EPA 'Waste Less, Recycle More' facility, free to all NSW residents. Small items (household batteries up to 6V, printer cartridges, mobile phones) can also be left at the recycling station in the foyer of the Hay Library. Council takes part in DrumMuster for farm chemical drums, by appointment.
- Find your bin day
- Council's 2026 Waste Collection Calendar (PDF, with area map) / (02) 6990 1100Collection days vary by area within the Hay township — the calendar's map shows which day applies to your street. See the link below.
Kerbside collection is compulsory within the town of Hay; outside the town boundary the service is not provided, although nearby properties can ask to opt in. The council's 2026–27 Revenue Policy sets the domestic waste management charge at $600 per service per year and records a 7.5% increase in waste charges to cover the transition to the three-bin system. Frequencies, facility hours and gate fees can change — confirm on the official sources below.
Sources — check it yourself
- Hay Shire Council — New 3 Bin Waste System (FAQs, calendar, what-goes-where sheets) · 2026
- Hay Shire Council — Waste Collection Calendar 2026 (PDF, area map) · 2026
- Hay Shire Council — Waste and Recycling (transfer station hours, Community Recycling Centre) · 2026
- Hay Shire Council — Fees and Charges / Revenue Policy 2026–2027 (waste charges, gate fees) · 2026–27
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.