What goes in my bins?

We can all help to reduce waste and create a more sustainable, circular Glen Eira by using our bins correctly. Your first options should be to avoid, reduce and reuse, but if you have to throw something away, here's a guide to help you.

On this page

Green food and garden waste bin

The green bin is collected weekly

Your green bin is the best place for all your garden waste and food scraps.

But don’t forget! Make sure to leave plastic, compostable and bio-degradable bin liners out of the green bin, as these end up in landfill. Wrap food scraps in paper towel, small brown paper bags or newspaper instead. You can also put food scraps inside small paper bags or use a paper kitchen caddy liner.

✔ Yes ✖ No
✔ Fruit and vegetable scraps ✖ Plastic bags (including biodegradable or compostable bags) 
✔ Garden waste (grass, leaves, weeds, sticks, flowers) ✖ Packaging of any kind (including biodegradable or compostable) 
✔ Egg shells Cigarette butts
✔ Dairy leftovers Nappies and baby wipes
✔ Coffee grounds and loose leaf tea Tea bags or coffee pods, or coffee cups (including biodegradable or compostable) 
✔ Bread, pasta, cereal and rice Kitty litter (including biodegradable) 
✔ Meat scraps and bones ✖ Dishcloths 
✔ Used paper towel, newspaper and napkins Dog or cat droppings
✔ Tissues  ✖ Ash and tree stumps
✔ Seafood including shells ✖ Soil and sand
✔ Paper kitchen caddy liners ✖ Vacuum dust
✔ Small paper bags such as brown paper lunch bags or mushroom produce bag (no waxy or plastic coating, no handles or no larger than a kitchen caddy) Hair and feathers (including pet hair)
  ✖ Paper plates
   Plastic cutlery and plates (including biodegradable or compostable)
  ✖ Napkins or serviettes that have been printed on or heavily dyed (eg. black napkins) 
  Wooden icy pole sticks
  ✖ Large paper bags with handles such as supermarket shopping bags or food delivery service bags

 

Yellow recycling ​bin

The yellow recycling bin is collected every second week

Your yellow bin is for your recyclables including glass, metal, paper and some plastics. Make sure to empty plastic containers of any food, and take the lids off glass jars or plastic bottles before putting them into the yellow bin. Plastic lids go in the red bin.

✔ Yes ✖ No
Office paper and cardboard (not shredded paper) ✖ Aerosol cans
Newspapers and magazines Plastic bags or soft plastics (anything that is plastic and can be scrunched into a ball eg. bread bags, cling film, pasta bags) 
Clean pizza boxes Polystyrene
✔ Fresh milk or juice cartons (not Tetra Pak)  Ceramics 
Empty plastic takeaway food containers Batteries
Plastic bottles (bottle only, lids go in the red bin) Plastic cutlery
Detergent bottles (bottle only, lids go in the red bin)  Garden waste
Empty plastic tubs (eg. yoghurt tubs, ice cream containers) Food waste 
Plastic meat trays Clothes or fabric
Plastic plant pots (less than 10cm in diameter) Chemicals Hazardous waste
✔ Plastic fruit punnets and biscuit trays Light globes 
✔ Aluminium trays and foil (clean and scrunched)  Electronics
✔ Aluminium and steel cans  Gas cylinders or canisters
Glass jars and bottles (separate glass from metal lids and place both in the yellow bin)   Shredded paper or newspaper
Envelopes (including with plastic windows) ✖ Tetra Pak (long life milk) cartons

 

Red general waste bin

The red waste bin is collected every second week

As well as green waste and recycling, there are other items that cannot go in the red bin, like hazardous and electronic waste. Use our online A-Z Rubbish and Recycling Guide to help find the best place for your waste.

✔ Yes ✖ No
Household rubbish (non-recyclable) ✖ Recycling
Ceramics, crockery and glassware ✖ Food or garden waste 
Plastic bags Soil or ash (take to a waste transfer station)
Plastic wrap and cling wrap ✖ Building materials 
Polystyrene Medical waste eg. syringes
Nappies (wrapped) Electronic waste (batteries and electrical appliances)
✔ Pet waste and kitty litter (wrapped)  
✔ Shredded paper  
✔ Baking paper  
✔ Compostable packaging  
✔ Coffee cups (including lids)  
✔ Tea bags and coffee pods  
✔ Long life cartons and tetra paks  
✔ Disposable cutlery and plates (any material)  

 

Batteries and other electronic waste

Batteries and electronics don't belong in any household bin. 

Since 2019, it has been illegal to put e-waste in household rubbish or landfill in Victoria.

Domestic batteries can be recycled through participating B-cycle drop off points.

Small electronics and batteries can be recycled at Council's library e-waste hubs.

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