Waste & recycling
How Yarra's household bins work. The rubbish bin and the food and garden organics (FOGO) bin are collected every week, on the same day. The recycling bin is collected every two weeks. Since 6 July 2026 the separate glass bin is collected every four weeks; it used to alternate fortnightly with recycling. Your collection day didn't change. Some apartment buildings and businesses use a private collector instead of council bins: the council says council bins carry a Yarra logo.
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
- Rubbish (red or dark green lid)
- Every weekFor coffee cups, nappies and wet wipes, kitty litter, glassware, crockery and mirrors, old textiles, and plastic packaging that can't go in recycling. No batteries, electronic items, hot ashes, liquids, paint or chemicals, syringes, or building materials.What goes in this bin →
- FOGO — food and garden organics (lime green lid)
- Every week, on your rubbish dayAll food scraps, including meat, bones, seafood, dairy, citrus, onion and bread; grass, leaves, weeds and small branches (up to 10 cm across and 40 cm long); loose tea and coffee grounds; newspaper and paper towel. No plastic or 'compostable' bags, tea bags or coffee pods, pet waste, nappies or wet wipes. The council started FOGO collection in July 2024. Food scraps can also go to the council's food organics drop-off hubs at the Clifton Hill Recycling Centre, Burnley Depot and Burnley Golf Course.What goes in FOGO →
- Recycling (yellow lid)
- Every 2 weeksPaper, cardboard and cartons; metal cans and lids; aluminium foil; plastics labelled 2 or 5; and clear plastic bottles labelled 1 (wrapper removed). Empty and free of food. No glass, soft plastics, loose plastic lids, aerosol cans, or plastics labelled 3, 4, 6 or 7.What goes in recycling →
- Glass (purple lid)
- Every 4 weeks, from 6 July 2026Glass bottles and jars, empty; lids can stay on. No drinking glasses, window glass, light bulbs, vases, corks, or perfume and makeup containers. The council says it moved to 4-weekly collection because most glass bins weren't full at collection and many residents said the service was too frequent. Households were sent a letter with collection dates to June 2027. If the bin fills up, the council's glass drop-off points and the Container Deposit Scheme's reverse vending machines take glass in between. Yarra has had a separate glass bin since November 2020.Glass bin FAQ →
- Hard rubbish
- Up to 2 free booked collections per household per calendar yearBook online or on (03) 9205 5555. Each collection must fit within 2 m³, with items no longer than 2 m, under 50 kg and liftable by two people. Includes mattresses (1 per booking), e-waste, white goods, small furniture, paint (up to 5 × 20 L, lidded) and 1 gas bottle. No garden waste, building materials, rubble, soil, chemicals or asbestos. Put it out the night before; not available to commercial properties, and apartments with private waste services may not be eligible. Unused bookings don't carry over.Book hard rubbish →
- Drop-off
- Clifton Hill Recycling Centre, 168 Roseneath Street (residents only, free)Open Monday to Friday 8.30am–3.45pm and weekends 9am–4.45pm; closed on public holidays and on days over 35°C or with strong winds. Bring ID, such as a driver's licence or rates notice. No white goods or household chemicals, and no trucks or trailers. The Burnley Depot (440 Burnley Street) takes small quantities of cardboard only, 24 hours a day.Drop-off centres →
- Find your bin day
- Online bin lookup by addressPut bins out no earlier than 5pm the night before, or by 5am on collection day; collection runs 5am–4pm. Christmas Day and Good Friday collections move to the next day. Report a missed bin within 48 hours.Check your bin day →
We describe the bins the way the council does. The frequencies and the glass change come from the council's bin collection page as archived on 20 July 2026; the bin lists, hard rubbish rules and drop-off details come from the council's pages as archived between November 2025 and June 2026, so check the council's pages for any change. The council consulted on a draft Waste and Recycling Strategy in 2026 and says it is reviewing the feedback. Waste charges are on the Rates & fees page.
Sources — check it yourself
- Yarra City Council — Bin collection (frequencies, glass change from 6 Jul 2026), read from an archived copy · Jul 2026
- Yarra City Council — What to put in your bins, read from an archived copy · Jun 2026
- Yarra City Council — Book a hard rubbish collection, read from an archived copy · Nov 2025
- Yarra City Council — Recycling drop-off centres, read from an archived copy · May 2026
- Your Say Yarra — Waste and Recycling Strategy (current services, FOGO and glass start dates) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Government — Standardising household recycling across Victoria (lid colours) · 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.