Whitehorse (VIC) bin day, recycling & waste collection

Waste & recycling

How Whitehorse's household bins work today. The standard service is an 80-litre garbage bin (red or dark green lid), collected every week, and a recycling bin (yellow lid), collected every two weeks. A food and garden (FOGO) bin with a lime-green lid is an optional extra with an annual charge, collected every two weeks on the alternate week to recycling. The council plans to give a FOGO bin to every eligible household from July 2027. Glass bottles and jars still go in the recycling bin.

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.

See the full explainer, with formulas →

Bin collection at a glance

Garbage (red or dark green lid): Every weekThe standard bin is 80 litres; larger or extra garbage bins cost more (see Rates & fees). For bagged household rubbish, nappies, soft plastics, polystyrene and wrapped ceramics, window glass and Pyrex. No batteries, electronics, chemicals, gas bottles or building materials.What goes in this bin →
Recycling (yellow lid): Every 2 weeksHard plastic bottles and containers, paper and cardboard, steel and aluminium cans, empty aerosols, and glass bottles and jars (lids and labels on). Put items in loose, not bagged. No soft plastics, drinking glasses, crockery, coffee cups or liquid-paperboard cartons.What goes in recycling →
Food and garden organics — FOGO (lime-green lid): Optional now, every 2 weeks; for all eligible homes from July 2027Food scraps (including meat, bones and dairy) and garden waste; small branches up to 7.5 cm across and under 1 m. Use bright green compostable liners certified to AS 4736 — not teabags or other 'compostable' packaging. The bin costs $75 a year (140 L) or $99.50 (240 L) in 2026–27. The council says it will roll FOGO out to every eligible household that doesn't have one for July 2027, collected fortnightly.Order a FOGO bin →
Glass (separate bin): No separate glass bin — glass goes in the recycling binThe state requires councils to move to a four-bin system that includes a purple-lid glass bin. On 20 April 2026 Whitehorse councillors voted to defer a kerbside glass service, saying the state had not released a business case or its kerbside service standards; the 2026–27 budget has no provision for it. The council is asking the state to reconsider the glass bin and to extend the Container Deposit Scheme to wine and spirit bottles.Council's glass FAQ →
Hard waste: 2 free booked collections per financial yearBook online with the council's contractor or on 9780 6120, by 5pm Wednesday for collection the following week. Each collection is up to 3 m³ (6 m³ uses both). Put items out only on the weekend before your collection week, with the 'BOOKED' sticker. Extra collections can be booked for a fee. Items left out without a booking count as illegal dumping.Book hard waste →
Drop-off: Whitehorse Recycling and Waste Centre, corner Burwood Highway and Morack Road, Vermont SouthOpen 6.30am–4pm, 7 days (no weighed vehicles after 3.45pm); closed Good Friday, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. No booking needed. Many recyclables are free; general waste and some items are charged. Phone 9262 6236.Accepted items and fees →
Find your bin day: Whitehorse Maps address search, or the 2026 calendar for Area 1 or Area 2Check your bin day →

We describe the bins the way the council does. The council collects only bins stamped with City of Whitehorse, City of Nunawading or City of Box Hill branding; some apartment and unit blocks use a private collection instead. Frequencies, charges and the FOGO and glass-bin timetables can change, so check the council's pages 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.