What to put in your bins
Information about what can go in each bin, communal food organics drop-off hubs, our bin posters and stickers and answers to frequently asked questions.
This information is for those with Council bins in Yarra. Some apartment buildings and businesses have a private collection instead of Council bins.
Wherever possible, see if you can sell, give-away, repair or repurpose unwanted items before you recycle or dispose of them.
Rubbish bin (red or dark green lid)
| Yes, please | No, thank you |
|---|---|
| Bottle pumps, sprays and droppers | Anything that can go in your recycling, food and garden organics (FOGO) or glass bin |
| Coffee cups and lids | Batteries |
| Glassware, crockery and mirrors | Electronic items (anything with a cord or battery) |
| Kitty litter and animal droppings | Hot ashes |
| Nappies and wet wipes | Liquids |
| Old clothing, shoes and textiles | Oil, paint and solvents |
| Plastic packaging that can’t go in your recycling bin | Syringes and needles |
| Wrapped vacuum dust | Timber and other building materials |
Recycling bin (yellow lid)
Please make sure everything that goes in your recycling bin is empty and free of food and liquids.
| Yes, please | No, thank you |
|---|---|
| Aluminium foil | Aerosol cans |
Clear plastic bottles labelled 1 (wrapper removed) | All plastic items labelled 1 that are not clear plastic bottles |
Metal cans
| All plastic items labelled 3, 4, 6 and 7 |
| Metal lids from bottles and jars | Glass |
| Milk, juice, soy and stock cartons | Loose plastic lids of any kind, including trigger, spray and pump lids |
| Paper, cardboard, junk mail and egg cartons | Soft, scrunchable plastics, like plastic bags |
| Plastic items labelled 2 or 5 |
Glass bin (purple lid)
Collecting glass in a separate bin ensures the paper and plastic in your yellow-lidded recycling bin is more valuable and has better recycling results, as it cleaner and doesn't contain pieces of broken glass.
Please make sure everything that goes in your purple-lidded glass bin is empty and free of food and liquids. Lids can stay on.
| Yes, please | No, thank you |
|---|---|
| Beer bottles | Corks |
| Jam and other condiment jars | Drinking glasses |
| Olive oil and sauce bottles | Light bulbs |
| Pasta sauce jars | Perfume or makeup containers |
| Spirit (alcohol) bottles | Vases |
| Wine bottles | Window glass |
Food and garden organics (FOGO) bin (lime green lid)
| Yes, please | No, thank you |
|---|---|
| Bread, cereal and baked goods | Any item that goes in your recycling or glass bin |
| Citrus, onion and garlic | Bamboo |
| Dairy products, including yoghurt | Fruit stickers |
| Eggs | Large branches (unless pruned and cut up to less than 40cm in length and 10cm in diameter) |
| Fruit and vegetable scraps | Liquids and cooking oil |
Grass and lawn clippings
| Nappies |
| Human hair and animal fur | Paper and paper bags, such as paper shopping bags from major supermarket chains |
| Leaves, plants, twigs, grass and weeds | Pet faeces, animal remains and litter tray contents
|
| Leftovers | Plastic bags |
| Looseleaf tea and coffee grounds | Products labelled compostable or bio-degradable (including bags) |
| Meat, seafood and bones | Tea bags and coffee pods |
| Newspaper and paper towel | Wet wipes |
| Rice, pasta and beans | Wood products such as wooden utensils |
| Small branches and logs (up to 10cm in diameter and 40cm in length) |
Communal Food Organics drop-off hubs
Food scraps can also be dropped off to one of our communal community hubs, located at the Clifton Hill Recycling Centre, Burnley Depot and Burnley Golf Course.
More community hub locations will be added as we identify more areas.
Bin posters and bin lid stickers
Our bin posters and bin lid stickers show you what can and can't go in each bin. They are only suitable for those with Council bins.
A3 and A1 heavy duty corflute posters are available in English for each bin type and can be picked up from our depot in Clifton Hill by request.
We can mail you bin lid stickers and full-colour A4 paper posters for each bin type in the languages listed below.
To request bin posters or stickers, please complete an online request.
If you have a private bin collection service, please contact the company that collects your bins to request bin posters, stickers and other resources.
Alternatively, generic bin posters for the collection of different types of waste can be found on Planet Ark's Recycling Near You website.
Translated bin posters
الأشياء التي يمكنك إلقاؤها في حاوية القمامة [ PDF, 7.07 MB]
ما الذي يمكن وضعه في حاوية المخلفات الغذائية والحدائق؟ [ PDF, 623.42 KB]
Ποια αντικείμενα απορρίπτονται στους κάδους σας [ PDF, 6.88 MB]
Τι μπορεί να μπει στον κάδο οργανικών αποβλήτων τροφίμων και κήπου; [ PDF, 4.01 MB]
Quali sono gli oggetti che si possono gettare nei bidoni [ PDF, 6.99 MB]
Cosa può andare nel bidone dei rifiuti alimentari e da giardino? [ PDF, 3.99 MB]
您可以将哪些物品放入垃圾箱 [ PDF, 7.03 MB]
什么可以放入食物和花园垃圾桶? [ PDF, 4.15 MB]
Qué artículos puede meter en sus contenedores [ PDF, 6.98 MB]
¿Qué se puede poner en el contenedor de residuos de alimentos y jardín? [ PDF, 3.98 MB]
Agabkee baad ku ridi kartaa baaldiyadaada qashinka [ PDF, 6.97 MB]
Maxaa lagu ridi karaa qashinka cuntada iyo beerta? [ PDF, 3.99 MB]
您可以將哪些物品放入垃圾箱 [ PDF, 7.05 MB]
什麼可以放入食物和花園垃圾桶? [ PDF, 4.15 MB]
Yiyecek ve bahçe organik atıkları kutusuna ne konulabilir? [ PDF, 3.99 MB]
Những đồ vật nào có thể bỏ vào các thùng rác của quý vi [ PDF, 7.05 MB]
Những gì có thể cho vào thùng rác hữu cơ thực phẩm và vườn? [ PDF, 3.99 MB]
More information
If you would like more information in a language other than English, Arabic, Greek, Italian, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Turkish or Vietnamese, or for another language please contact us through an interpreter service.
Frequently asked questions
Glass (from bin with purple lid) goes to Visy. First, it goes to Laverton for sorting, crushing and processing. Then, it is moved to Spotswood for remanufacturing by Visy into new glass products.
Food and garden organics (from FOGO bin with lime green lid) goes to RepurposeIT's Epping facility, where it is composted and matured, ready for use in agriculture, parks and gardens.
Recycling (from bin with yellow lid) goes to APR Recycling in Truganina. It then undergoes a sorting process to separate clean material streams, which are bundled and sent to processers for recycling.
Rubbish (from bin with red or dark green lid) goes to Cleanaway in Ravenhall, where it is landfilled.
- Use the information on this page to work out what can and can't go in your recycling bin.
- Empty your recycling into your recycling bin loose (not inside bags).
- Flatten cardboard boxes, accepted plastic bottles/containers and aluminium cans so you have more space in your recycling bin.
- Scrunch aluminium foil into a ball, at least the size of a golf ball
- If in doubt, leave it out.
It can be frustrating when you have sorted your waste correctly, only to see a passers-by use it for things that aren’t supposed to go in there. To reduce the likelihood of this happening, consider the following, where feasible:
Store your bins off the street between collections.
Only place your bins out the night before they are due to be collected.
Make your rubbish bin more convenient for passes-by to use than your other bins:
(a) Ensure your rubbish bin is closer to the footpath.
(b) Position your rubbish bin so that it can be opened from the footpath (i.e. with the front of your bin closer to footpath and the bin handles and wheels closer to road).
(c) Position your other bins the opposite way.
No, we do not provide kitchen caddies for the collection of food scraps. We recommend re-using household items that work for your kitchen space and capacity instead, such as ice-cream, yoghurt or Tupperware containers.
Compostable liners are not accepted in Yarra FOGO bins. This is because the Victorian Government will soon be releasing household waste and recycling service standards. These standards will determine what can and cannot go in each type of Council kerbside bin, including FOGO bins. The current draft version suggests that compostable liners will not be permitted, so Yarra has followed this advice.
When the lid of your FOGO bin is completely closed it should not attract pests or any significant smell. However, the following strategies can reduce the risk of bad odours and pests:
- Ensure FOGO bins are put out for collection every week, regardless of how full they are.
- Store FOGO bins in the shade, away from windows (if possible).
- Layer food waste with garden waste (if available), newspaper or paper towel.
- Put meat and seafood in the freezer until the night before your bin collection.
- Sprinkle the contents of your FOGO bin with baking soda.
- Put 5cm of water at the bottom of FOGO bins after collection (works best with FOGO bins containing a combination of food and garden organics) - When the bins are emptied, the water will wash the bin.
- Consider engaging a bin washing service if you find the bin continues to get a bit smelly (search online for options).
- Use lavender, peppermint or eucalyptus oil to control flies.
Some apartment buildings have a Yarra waste and recycling collection service, but others have a private collection.
To find out who provides your waste and recycling collection service, check to see if you can see a Yarra logo on the bins.
For information about what can and can’t go in each bin if you have a private collection, please contact your building manager or Owner’s Corporation, as this may be different to the Yarra service.
If you can’t find what you are looking for, please visit our A - Z Waste and Recycling Guide or contact us.
This A to Z Waste and Recycling Guide shares ways to recycle or dispose of common items, including items that can't go in household bins.