Waste & recycling
How Kingston's household bins work today. The landfill bin (red lid) is collected every week. The recycling bin (yellow lid) and the food and garden waste bin (green lid) are each collected fortnightly, on alternate weeks. The lid colours are Kingston's own description. Bins are collected on public holidays too. Use the council's address lookup, the Binston waste app or the printed calendars to find your bin day.
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
- Landfill (red lid)
- WeeklyHousehold rubbish, soft plastics and plastic bags, nappies (wrapped), polystyrene, and broken glass, Pyrex or crockery (wrapped).
- Recycling (yellow lid)
- FortnightlyHard plastic bottles and containers, paper, cut-up cardboard, steel and aluminium cans, foil and aerosols, and glass bottles and jars (lids on is fine). Put items in loose, not in plastic bags.
- Food and garden waste (green lid)
- FortnightlyFood scraps (including meat, bones and dairy) go in with garden waste. Use compostable liners with the seedling logo, newspaper, or no liner at all. It is a council service you order; your waste charge depends on the bins you choose (see 'Rates & fees').Food waste recycling →
- Glass (purple lid)
- No separate glass bin todayVictorian law requires councils to offer a separate glass service by July 2027. The state's new lid colours are purple for glass, lime green for FOGO, yellow for mixed recycling and red for general rubbish. Kingston is one of 35 councils asking the Victorian Government to reconsider the deadline. It says more than 85% of local respondents to their survey opposed a separate glass bin (council media release, 14 Sep 2026).Council's statement →
- Hard waste
- 2 bookable collections per financial yearFor homes using the council's kerbside bins. Use them separately (up to 2 m × 1 m × 1 m each) or together (up to 4 m × 1 m × 1 m). Items are collected on your next bin day if you book before 3pm on the business day before. Extra bookings cost $95 each.Book hard waste →
- Drop-off
- Privately run transfer stations nearbyThe council lists four: Bayside Waste and Recycling Centre (144 Talinga Road, Cheltenham), Kingston Waste Transfer Station run by Rhino Bins (24–30 Fonceca Street, Mordialloc), Cleanaway Clayton Transfer Station and Frankston Regional Recycling Recovery Centre (Skye). Fees may apply; the council suggests calling ahead.Transfer stations →
- Find your bin day
- Council address lookup, waste app or 2026 calendarsReport a missed bin within one business day and leave the bin out until it is emptied.Check your bin day →
We describe the bins the way the council does. Frequencies and charges can change, so check the council's pages below.
Sources — check it yourself
- City of Kingston — Bins and collections · Sep 2026
- City of Kingston — What you can put in your bins · Sep 2026
- City of Kingston — Waste and recycling FAQs · Sep 2026
- City of Kingston — Food waste recycling · Sep 2026
- City of Kingston — Hard waste · Sep 2026
- City of Kingston — Transfer stations · Sep 2026
- City of Kingston — Kingston residents reject fourth bin for glass recycling (14 Sep 2026) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Government — Standardising household recycling across Victoria (lid colours) · 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.