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Waste & recycling

Waste & recycling

How Horsham's kerbside bins work. The council's 2026 collection calendars are split into urban and rural zones. On the urban calendars, the red-lid general waste bin and the yellow-lid recycling bin are emptied together every fortnight, the green-lid food and garden organics (FOGO) bin is emptied every fortnight on the other week, and the purple-lid glass bin is emptied every four weeks on the same day as FOGO. The rural calendars show general waste and recycling only, every fortnight. The council doesn't run a hard waste collection. Look up your bin night by address, or download your zone's calendar.

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

General waste (red lid)
Fortnightly — same day as recyclingUrban and rural zones. A 120 L bin can be upsized to 240 L at no charge. The calendars say bins must weigh no more than 70 kg (240 L) or 48 kg (120 L).Bin sizes and extra bins →
Recycling (yellow lid, 240 L)
Fortnightly — same day as general wasteWhich bin do I use? →
Food and garden organics — FOGO (green lid)
Fortnightly, on the week general waste isn't collected (urban zones)Food scraps and garden organics. The council's calendar says compostable bags other than paper can't go in the FOGO bin, because they don't suit the composting methods at its contractor's facility. The FOGO bin can be downsized to 120 L or upsized to 240 L at no charge.Urban Zone A calendar →
Glass (purple lid, 120 L)
Every four weeks, on the same day as FOGO (urban zones)Glass bins were introduced in April 2023. In November 2025 the council asked residents about emptying them every eight weeks instead of four; it received 289 survey responses and said it would prepare a final report with recommendations. The 2026 calendars still show collection every four weeks (checked Sep 2026). Glass can also be dropped off at transfer stations and at drop-off points in Brimpaen, Clear Lake, Dadswells Bridge, Laharum, Natimuk and Pimpinio.Glass collection review →
Hard waste
No kerbside hard waste collectionIn the council's words: 'Council does not offer a hard waste collection service, these items can be taken to a recycling facility and must not be placed on the nature strip.' Ratepayers with a garbage or recycling charge on their rates notice get one free load (up to a 6×4 trailer or a car boot, about 1 m³) at a council transfer station each year; bring your rates notice. Asbestos, fridges and freezers, mattresses, tyres and gas cylinders aren't eligible.Free transfer station load →
Horsham Transfer Station
93 Kenny Road, Haven — 10am–5pm every dayPublic holidays 10am–2pm; closed Good Friday and Christmas Day. Phone 03 5382 4512. E-waste, sorted paper and cardboard, bottles, glass and cans, and steel are free; general waste is $22 for a car boot or 240 L bin and $37 for a 6×4 trailer (council fee list, GST inclusive). Transfer stations may close at short notice in a declared emergency.Facilities, hours and fees →
Rural transfer stations
Mt Zero (Sat 9am–12pm), Quantong (Wed 1–4pm, Sat 9am–1pm), Toolondo (Thu 1–4pm)Dooen Landfill is closed to the general public; call customer service on 03 5382 9777 to arrange a drop-off of domestic quantities of asbestos.Transfer station details →
Find your bin night
Address search, the HRCC Waste App, or your zone's 2026 calendarCalendars for Urban Zone A and B and Rural Zone A and B; the council's community map shows which zone you're in. Bins aren't collected on Good Friday or Christmas Day; collections due on those days happen a day earlier. Kerbside collections run between 6am and 4pm.What is my bin night? →

We describe the bins the way the council does. Lid colours come from the council's bin-request page and its 2026 calendars. FOGO and glass collections appear only on the urban zone calendars; the council's pages we read don't say which rural properties, if any, have them. Services and fees change, so check the council's pages below.

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.