Waste & recycling
When your bins go out, and how Port Macquarie-Hastings Council handles recycling and bulky waste. The council runs a three-bin kerbside service: a green-lid FOGO bin (food organics and garden organics) collected weekly, and a yellow-lid recycling bin and red-lid general-waste bin collected on alternating fortnights. Unlike many NSW councils, the green bin here already takes food scraps as well as garden waste — the council's kerbside waste diversion is among the higher performers in the state. Bulky household items are collected through a user-pays booked kerbside service, and household 'problem wastes' can be dropped at a Community Recycling Centre. To find your collection day, use the council's Bin Collection lookup or the free WasteInfo app.
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.
- Food & garden organics (green lid)
- WeeklyFOGO — food organics and garden organics together, composted at the council's Organics Resource Recovery Facility. NSW mandates FOGO for all households by 2030; Port Macquarie-Hastings already runs it.
- Recycling (yellow lid)
- FortnightlyAlternates fortnightly with the red general-waste bin.
- General waste (red lid)
- FortnightlyAlternates fortnightly with the yellow recycling bin. Larger red-bin service options (Minimiser / Standard / Excess) are available for a different charge.
- Bulky / hard waste
- Bulky goods kerbside collection (user-pays, book first)Performed for a fee with prior booking, for items too large for the kerbside bins. Do not place bulky waste on the verge unless a collection is booked.
- Problem waste & drop-off
- Community Recycling Centre (CRC)Free drop-off for common household problem wastes (e.g. paint, gas bottles, motor oils, batteries, fluorescent tubes) not accepted in the kerbside bins; item limits apply.
- Find your bin day
- Bin Collection lookup / WasteInfo appSee the links below.
Port Macquarie-Hastings already runs a combined food-and-garden (FOGO) service, which NSW requires of all councils by 2030. Bin frequencies, sizes and fees can change — 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.