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Waste & recycling

Waste & recycling

How Whittlesea's bins work today. The council gives every residential property four bins: a red-lid rubbish bin collected weekly, a yellow-lid recycling bin collected fortnightly, a purple-lid glass bin collected every four weeks, and a green-lid food and garden waste bin collected fortnightly. The lid colours are the council's own description. The food and garden waste bin used to be optional; since July 2026 it is part of the standard service for every household. Use the council's lookup to find your bin days.

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

Rubbish (red lid, 120 litres)
WeeklyThe council has been replacing dark-green rubbish-bin lids with red ones to match the Victorian standard colours. Bins with a green lid are still collected as usual. Food waste is no longer accepted in the rubbish bin, and the council says penalties may apply. It also says it will look at changes to rubbish collections in 2027.About the lid change →
Recycling (yellow lid, 240 litres)
FortnightlyPaper, cardboard, plastics and cans. Glass bottles and jars go in the glass bin, not here.What goes in each bin →
Glass (purple lid, 120 litres)
Every four weeksFor glass bottles and jars only, lids off. Drinking glasses, cookware, mirrors, windows and light bulbs don't go in. If the bin is full, extra bottles and jars can be dropped off free at the Wollert landfill. The bin isn't optional: every household with council rubbish and recycling bins gets one.Glass recycling →
Food and garden waste (green lid, 240 litres)
Fortnightly, on the week you don't put out recyclingHouseholds without one were sent a bin, kitchen caddy and compostable liners in June 2026, with collections from 6 July 2026. The service is now part of the standard waste charge on your rates, so there is no separate opt-in fee. If you don't want the bin, the council considers requests case by case.Food and garden waste bin →
Hard rubbish
Up to 2 bookable collections per household each financial yearUp to 3 m³ (3 m × 1 m × 1 m), with items that two people can lift. Put it on the nature strip no earlier than the night before. Allow up to four weeks to get a date. E-waste, building materials, garden waste and general rubbish aren't collected. Units and townhouses need to phone the council to book.Book hard rubbish →
Drop-off
Heidelberg Materials (Wollert landfill), 55 Bridge Inn Road, WollertA privately owned facility, not run by the council. Open Mon–Fri 7am–4.30pm and Sat 7am–2.45pm; closed Sunday. E-waste is free. Residents can use the council's waste and recycling vouchers there, which expire on 30 June each year; the council says a $30 fee applies for general rubbish.Landfill details →
Find your bin days
Council address lookupBins aren't collected on New Year's Day, Good Friday, Anzac Day or Christmas Day. When one of these falls on your bin day, collection runs a day late. Other public holidays are normal collection days.Check your bin days →

Whittlesea already runs the four-bin system that Victorian councils must offer (glass by 2027, food and garden waste by 2030). We describe the bins the way the council does. The council's general 'Bin collections' page still says food and garden bins are collected 'if you have one'; its food and garden waste page says every household has had one since July 2026. Check the council's pages below for changes.

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.