Waste & recycling
How Swan Hill's kerbside bins work. Properties with a home inside the council's declared waste collection areas get a red-lid landfill bin, emptied every week, and a yellow-lid recycling bin, emptied every fortnight. In the Swan Hill township you can also pay for an optional green-lid garden waste bin. Glass still goes in the yellow bin for now: the council says a separate glass service is coming. A food and garden organics (FOGO) bin is due before 1 July 2027. There's no hard rubbish collection; the council runs two landfills and three rural transfer stations.
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, 120 L or 240 L)
- WeeklyGeneral rubbish, soft plastics, nappies, food scraps, polystyrene, broken crockery and old textiles. No batteries, e-waste, gas cylinders, liquids, chemicals, hot ash or building materials. Once the FOGO service starts, the council says all general waste bins will change to a 120-litre bin emptied fortnightly.What goes in each bin →
- Recycling (yellow lid, 240 L)
- FortnightlyPlastic bottles and containers, paper and cardboard, cans, tins, empty aerosols, foil and glass bottles and jars — loose, not bagged. Bagged recycling is sent to landfill. The council's page says a new separate glass service is 'coming soon'; it doesn't give a date (checked Sep 2026).What goes in each bin →
- Garden waste (green lid, 240 L) — optional
- Fortnightly, Swan Hill township onlyGarden waste only: grass clippings, prunings, weeds, flowers, leaves and branches up to 75 mm across. No food scraps. $106 a year in 2026–27, on your rates notice.What goes in each bin →
- Food and garden organics (FOGO)
- New weekly bin, to start before 1 July 2027The council says the FOGO bin (240 L, green) will take food scraps, including meat, bones and dairy, as well as garden waste, and will be emptied weekly. It will replace the optional garden waste bin, and households with a kerbside service will have to use it. The council says it will provide kitchen caddies and compostable liners, and that its answers may change because the state's regulations haven't been finalised.FOGO rollout (Let's Talk) →
- Hard rubbish
- No kerbside hard rubbish collectionIn the council's words: 'Council does not currently offer a hard rubbish collection service.' The Big Green Shed at the Swan Hill Landfill accepts some unwanted household goods for free; other items can go to the landfills and transfer stations, where fees may apply.Other options for household waste →
- Swan Hill Landfill and Transfer Station
- 6859 Sea Lake–Swan Hill Road — weekdays 8am–4pm, Saturday 9am–2pm, Sunday 9am–4pmTakes e-waste, household batteries, fluorescent tubes and scrap metal for free. The council says it is one of 18 landfills in Victoria licensed to take asbestos: book at least 24 hours ahead on 03 5032 9260; household loads are limited to 10 m². A 120-litre bin of general waste costs $7.30 in 2026–27.Hours, fees and what's accepted →
- Robinvale Landfill and Transfer Station
- 899 Robinvale–Sea Lake Road, Bannerton — 9am–3pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and SundayHours and fees →
- Rural transfer stations
- Manangatang (Tuesday and Saturday), Piangil and Ultima (Wednesday and Sunday), 8am–11amContact for all sites: 03 5032 9260.Locations and hours →
- Find your bin day
- Address lookup, or the 2026 printable recycling and green waste calendarPut bins out the night before. Bins over 75 kg, overfilled or with lids open may not be emptied.Check my bin day →
We describe the bins the way the council does. The kerbside service covers properties with a habitable home inside the council's declared waste collection areas. The FOGO start date and bin changes come from the council's Let's Talk page, which says details may change; the council's budget for 2026/27 lists rolling out 'the legislated glass and FOGO collection system' as an initiative. Services and fees change, so check the council's pages below.
Sources — check it yourself
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Bin collection · Sep 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — What can go in your bin? · Sep 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Let's Talk: FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) Service Rollout · Sep 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Landfills, transfer stations and resource recovery locations (2026/27 fees) · Sep 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Other options for household waste (hard rubbish, asbestos) · Sep 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Find your bin day · Sep 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Understanding your rates (bin service charges 2026/27) · Sep 2026
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Budget 2026/27, section 2.4 (initiative 85) (PDF) · 2026–27
- Victorian Government — Standardising household recycling across Victoria · 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.