Mixed recycling bins

Your mixed recycling service has changed

Please note: Glass bottles and jars go in your glass recycling bin (purple lid). They are no longer accepted in your mixed recycling bin (yellow lid).

You now need to sort your waste into 4 different bins.

Go to our Your new bins page for more information.

Mixed recycling bin collection

All your waste services are collected on the same day of the week. Your mixed recycling is now collected every 2 weeks.

  • Some large apartment buildings will continue to have mixed recycling collected weekly.
  • Your old 120 litre recycling bin will be recycled into new bins.

If you pay the waste charge as part of your rates then you can use this service. You can find out more about the waste charge on our Understand your rates page.

Our mixed recycling bins have a yellow lid.

Information about commercial waste is on our Waste for businesses page.

To find out when your recycling collection will be, enter your address below. 

Enter your address

For a printed waste collection calendar contact us on 9240 1111.

There is a waste management charge in your rates that covers recycling collection. You can learn more about this charge on our Understand your rates page. The charge also includes garbage, food and garden organics (FOGO), and hard waste collection. You can find out more about these services on our Bins and collection services page.

You can find out more about how much waste we are collecting and which companies hold waste collection contracts with us on our Council services data page.

  • Put your bins out by 5:30am on your bin collection day. You can also put your bins out the night before.

    Put your bin on the kerb at the edge of your street. Make sure the bin is facing the street and that there are no objects within 30cm (such as a car, tree or another bin).

    Any waste left beside or on top of the bin will not be collected.

    If your street is a court or cul-de-sac, place your bins along the straight part of the kerb.

    Below are some diagrams that show this placement.

  • You can put these items in your recycling bin:

    • cardboard and office paper
    • newspapers and magazines
    • phone books
    • books (with covers removed)
    • pizza boxes (with no food waste)
    • single use / disposable paper dinnerware (plates and bowls, with no food waste)
    • milk and juice cartons (refrigerated only, not long-life cartons)
    • aluminium foil, trays and cans (remove any food, scrunch foil into a ball)
    • steel cans (empty)
    • aerosol cans (empty with plastic nozzle removed)
    • paint tins / cans (empty)
    • rigid plastic packaging including bottles and containers
    • small plastic plant pots

  • Make sure that you are putting the right items into your garbage bin and food and garden organics (FOGO) bin. The items that belong in these bins cannot go in your recycling bin.

    The following items also cannot go in your recycling bin:

    • batteries (take these to a household battery recycling drop off point which you can find on our Recycling stations page)
    • flexible soft plastics (plastic bags, bread or pasta bags, plastic wrap)
    • any items in plastic bags
    • long-life milk, soy milk, and juice cartons (foil-lined cardboard packaging)
    • expanded polystyrene packaging (cups, plates, and trays)
    • clothing, shoes, or blankets
    • nappies
    • food waste or garden waste
    • toys
    • drinking glasses, ceramics, or Pyrex
    • single-use / disposable cups (includes plastic, paper, and bio-cups)
    • single-use / disposable plastic dinnerware (plates, bowls, and cutlery)
    • garbage
    • napkins, tissues, paper towel or shredded paper (place these items in your compost bin or worm farm)

    Putting the wrong items in your recycling bin makes the service more expensive. It can also mean that truckloads of recycling have to go to landfill. Contaminated recycling can be a fire hazard and may be dangerous for workers at the Material Recovery Facility.

  • Information about how to change your bin or get a new bin ison our Bin delivery, repairs and replacements page. This includes damaged bins, lost or stolen bins, changing your bin size, or ordering a bin for your property.

  • If you have too much recycling to fit in your bin, you can wait until your bin is collected or you can take your excess recycling to a transfer station. You can find out about nearby transfer stations on our Waste and recycling locations page.


Can I change the size of my mixed recycling bin?

The available sizes for mixed recycling are 120 litres, 240 litres (standard) or 360 litres.

You can now change the size of your mixed recycling bin if the standard bin size is not suitable for your household. There will be no changeover fee, but your waste charge will change. Smaller bins cost less and larger bins cost more.

Tips for saving space in your mixed recycling bin

  • Glass bottles and jars now go in your glass recycling bin (purple lid)
  • Take eligible drink containers, like aluminium cans and glass or plastic bottles to your nearest Container Deposit Scheme refund point. You get a 10 cent refund for every eligible container. Find your nearest refund point on the CDS website.
  • Flatten or rip up cardboard boxes
  • Squash empty plastic bottles and containers
  • Only buy what you need and reduce the amount of packaging you buy

Shared bins at multi-unit developments and apartment sites

We provide shared bins for multi-unit and apartment sites across Merri-bek. These are for use by all residents at the site. Most shared recycling bins have 240 litres of capacity, double the size of the standard 120 litre recycling bins. One shared bin is big enough to service 2 to 3 units.

  • To ensure that everyone at a site can effectively use shared bins you need to:

    • Store the bins in a central location so that everyone can access the bins
    • Agree who will take out the bins for collection and bring them in
    • Assess if the capacity of the different bins is meeting the requirements of the site. Discuss this with your owners corporation or body corporate
    • Ensure shared bins do not weigh more than 30kg and are not overfilled as we will not be able to collect them

  • To reduce the amount of general waste produced at your development you can: