Waste & recycling
When your bins go out, and how Lismore City Council handles recycling and organics. The council runs a three-bin kerbside service, and unusually the food-and-garden bin is the one collected most often: a green-lid FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) bin collected weekly, a red-lid general-waste bin collected fortnightly, and a yellow-lid recycling bin collected fortnightly. The green FOGO bin takes food scraps (including meat and dairy) as well as garden waste — the combined service NSW is mandating for all households by 2030. Bin sizes and prices vary by service level (urban, urban-half and rural options), and rural collection runs on a separate schedule. The council doesn't run a free on-call bulky-waste kerbside collection; instead it offers Tip Free Days four times a year for residents to self-haul household waste to the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre. To find your collection day, use the council's 'What's my bin day' tool.
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.
- WeeklyCombined food-and-garden organics: food scraps incl. meat and dairy, plus garden waste. This is the FOGO service NSW mandates for all households by 2030.
- General waste (red lid)
- FortnightlyStandard urban service is a 140L bin; larger and smaller bin options are available at different annual charges.
- Recycling (yellow lid)
- Fortnightly
- Bulky / hard waste
- Tip Free Days — 4 per year (self-haul)The council does not run a free on-call bulky-waste kerbside collection; instead residents can drop household waste free at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre on four Tip Free Days a year. Check dates and eligibility with the council.
- Problem waste & drop-off
- Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre, 313 Wyrallah Road, East LismoreHousehold hazardous waste, e-waste and recyclables; the site includes a regional Materials Recovery Facility and glass processing plant. Open Mon–Fri 7.30am–3.30pm, Sat–Sun 9am–4pm (closed public holidays).
- Find your bin day
- Council's 'What's my bin day' address lookupSee the link below.
Lismore already runs a combined food-and-garden (FOGO) service, which NSW is requiring of all councils by 2030. Bin frequencies, sizes and fees can change, and rural areas run on a different schedule — confirm your collection day and current fees on the official sources 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.