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Waste & recycling

Waste & recycling

When your bin goes out, and how Walgett Shire handles waste across Walgett, Lightning Ridge, Collarenebri, Burren Junction, Carinda, Rowena, Cumborah, Come By Chance and the opal fields. Council runs a one-bin kerbside service to eligible properties — a 240-litre general-waste bin collected weekly — and there is currently no kerbside recycling or food-and-garden-organics collection in the shire. Everything else goes to a council waste facility: Walgett and Lightning Ridge are staffed, and Burren Junction, Carinda, Collarenebri and Grawin are open 24 hours. Council took waste-facility operations back in-house on 1 July 2026 and is developing a Waste Management Strategy, with community consultation flagged for September–October 2026 and the strategy due in early 2027.

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.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

Bin collection at a glance

General waste (red lid)
WeeklyA 240-litre mobile garbage bin collected weekly. The adopted 2026–27 charge is $635 a year for the domestic 240L weekly service, plus a $200 Waste Management Levy applied to residential and non-residential assessments. New red-lid bins were delivered free to eligible properties from 11 August 2026; from 11 September 2026 Council collects only the new red-lid bins. Collection days did not change.
Recycling (yellow lid)
Not offered as a kerbside serviceCouncil's 2026–27 fees and charges list only a general-waste kerbside service — there is no kerbside recycling collection anywhere in the shire. The yellow bins around Lightning Ridge are community waste bins for areas that do not get a kerbside collection, not recycling bins. Council has said it will seek grant funding to add recycling at the Walgett facility, and that recycling (including cardboard) will be considered through the Waste Management Strategy. Return and Earn baskets for eligible drink containers have been installed beside public bins in Walgett, with Lightning Ridge and Collarenebri to follow.
Food & garden organics (green lid)
Not offeredThere is no FOGO or green-bin kerbside service in Walgett Shire. Green waste is accepted free of charge at Council's waste facilities (2026–27 fees and charges).
Bulky / hard waste
No kerbside cleanup — take it to a council waste facilityResidential general waste is free to drop off at Council's waste facilities. Item charges in the 2026–27 schedule include mattresses $15 each, fridges/freezers/air-conditioning units $50 each and tyres from $10 each; batteries, scrap steel and green waste are free. Commercial and builders' waste is charged per cubic metre.
Problem waste & drop-off
Walgett and Lightning Ridge (staffed); Burren Junction, Carinda, Collarenebri and Grawin (24 hours)Walgett and Lightning Ridge open Mon–Fri 8:30am–4:00pm and Sat 9:30am–12:30pm, closed Sunday. Batteries and chemical drums within drumMUSTER are accepted free; asbestos and other special wastes are charged. Council is a member of NetWaste, the regional waste group covering 25 regional NSW councils. Council plans to transition seven remote landfill sites to waste transfer stations over about 36 months.
Find your bin day
No online lookup — call (02) 6828 6100Council has not published an address-based bin-day tool. It has confirmed that kerbside collection days stayed the same through the 2026 waste changes; check your day with customer service or at admin@walgett.nsw.gov.au.

Charges, opening hours and facility arrangements changed on 1 July 2026 when Council brought waste operations in-house, and further changes are flagged through the Waste Management Strategy. Confirm current fees and hours on the official sources below before you make a trip.

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.