Waste & recycling
When your bins go out, and how Snowy Monaro Regional Council handles recycling and organics. The council runs a kerbside service across a very large, dispersed region: a general-waste bin collected weekly and a recycling bin collected fortnightly. A food-and-garden organics (FOGO) bin, collected fortnightly, currently runs in the Cooma township only, and the council says it is working to expand the service across the region. Because the LGA covers thousands of square kilometres, many rural households also rely on the network of waste facilities, transfer stations and Community Recycling Centres. To find your collection day, use the council's Bin Collection Calendar.
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.
- General waste
- Weekly
- Recycling
- Fortnightly
- Fortnightly — Cooma township onlyThe council currently runs the FOGO service in Cooma and says it is working to expand it across the region. NSW mandates FOGO for all households by 2030.
- Bulky / hard waste
- Drop-off at council waste facilities / transfer stationsThe council operates landfills, transfer stations, tip shops and drop-off points across the region (including Cooma, Jindabyne and Bombala). Confirm what's accepted, fees and hours on the Waste Facilities page — arrangements vary by site.
- Problem waste & drop-off
- Community Recycling CentresFree year-round drop-off for tricky household problem waste (e.g. batteries, paint, chemicals, gas bottles, motor oils); item and quantity limits apply.
- Find your bin day
- Council's Bin Collection Calendar (address lookup)See the link below. Bins should be out the night before collection.
Kerbside FOGO currently covers the Cooma township only; a combined food-and-garden service is required across NSW by 2030, and the council says it is expanding coverage. Given the size of the LGA, collection days, facility hours and fees vary a lot by town — 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.