Waste & recycling
How Mitchell's household bins work. The council introduced a 4-bin system in March 2025. The food and garden organics (FOGO) bin is collected every week; the general rubbish bin and the mixed recycling bin every two weeks; and the glass bin every four weeks. The bins are compulsory for homes in a compulsory collection zone. Outside those zones, households and non-food businesses can opt in to a basic two-bin service (rubbish and recycling). Find your bin days with the council's collection schedule or the My Mitchell app.
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
- Food and garden organics — FOGO (green lid)
- Every week (120 L)All food scraps, including dairy, bread, meat bones, citrus and eggshells; lawn clippings, twigs, plants, leaves and weeds. No plastic, food containers, coffee pods, kitty litter, pet droppings, nappies, large branches, or painted or treated timber. The council doesn't supply caddy liners; you can use paper towel or newspaper. Bins over 70 kg can't be lifted. The council says the material goes to a composting facility in Epping.What goes in FOGO →
- General rubbish (red lid)
- Every 2 weeks (120 L)For nappies and wipes, broken crockery, kitty litter, plastic bags and pet droppings. No food or garden waste, recyclables, batteries, e-waste or building materials. Households with medical waste or six or more residents can apply for an exemption for a larger or extra rubbish bin.What goes in this bin →
- Mixed recycling (yellow lid)
- Every 2 weeks (240 L)Cans, paper, newspapers and magazines, foil, egg cartons, cardboard, and milk, juice and other accepted hard plastic bottles. No glass (since March 2025), food, plastic bags or electrical goods.What goes in recycling →
- Glass (purple lid)
- Every 4 weeks (120 L)Glass bottles and jars, emptied and rinsed; labels can stay on but lids go in the rubbish bin. No drinking glasses, mirrors, Pyrex, window glass, light globes, ceramics, or medicine or perfume bottles. Eligible containers can also be returned through the Container Deposit Scheme.What goes in the glass bin →
- Hard rubbish
- No booked kerbside collection found (inferred — re-check)We didn't find a booked kerbside hard rubbish service on the council's waste pages; larger items go to its resource recovery centres. The council's voucher page (last updated June 2023) says each rates notice carries a QR-code voucher that can be scanned up to 5 times, each scan worth up to $40, expiring on 30 September each year. Check the council's page for the current terms.Tip vouchers →
- Drop-off
- Four resource recovery centresThe 2026–27 budget says the council runs four resource recovery centres and the Mitchell Landfill. Locations, opening hours and fees are on the council's resource recovery centres page. Bring ID and your voucher.Resource recovery centres →
- Find your bin day
- Collection schedule by address, or the My Mitchell appThe app can send reminders about which bin goes out. Report a missed bin with the online form or through Customer Service on 03 5734 6200.Check your bin day →
We describe the bins the way the council does; its FOGO bin has a green lid. The bin frequencies, sizes and lists come from the council's bin pages as archived in April and May 2026 (the council's site doesn't answer automated requests). The kerbside charges are on the Rates & fees page.
Sources — check it yourself
- Mitchell Shire Council — About our 4-bin kerbside service (frequencies, sizes), read from an archived copy · May 2026
- Mitchell Shire Council — Food and garden organics bin (green lid), read from an archived copy · May 2026
- Mitchell Shire Council — General rubbish bin (red lid), read from an archived copy · May 2026
- Mitchell Shire Council — Mixed recycling bin (yellow lid), read from an archived copy · May 2026
- Mitchell Shire Council — Glass recycling bin (purple lid), read from an archived copy · Apr 2026
- Mitchell Shire Council — Resource Recovery Centre vouchers, read from an archived copy · May 2025
- Mitchell Shire Council — Budget 2026-2027, adopted 18 May 2026 (Waste Management service; PDF) · 2026–27
- Mitchell Shire Council — Report a missed collection, read from an archived copy · May 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.