On this page
- If you haven't received your new green lid
- Compostable bags
- Extra kitchen caddies
- What can go in
- What cannot go in
- Putting your bins out
- Bin requests, stolen bins and missed collections
Find your bin days
You can check your bin collection days online:
Compostable bags
You can buy lime green compostable bags from major supermarkets and hardware stores. Only use 'lime green' AS4736 type bags with this seedling symbol, we do not accept any other type of colour or type of bag in this bin.
Extra kitchen caddies
Knox residents can pick up an extra kitchen caddy for free from these locations:
- Knox Civic Centre
- Bayswater library
- Boronia library
- Ferntree Gully library
- Rowville library
What can go in
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Bread, pasta, cereal and rice
- Seafood and meat (including bones)
- Dairy leftovers
- Eggshells
- Leftover food (cooked and raw)
- Human and animal hair
- Coffee grounds
- Lime green compostable bags – only AS4736 type bags with the seedling symbol (shown above). This does not include dog poo bags
- Small sticks, tooth pics, skewers, and uncoated chopsticks
- Small amounts of used paper, paper towels, napkins, paper bags, newspaper sheets, and tissues*
- Oily pizza boxes* that are 60% or more oily - put clean pizza lids and not very oily boxes, that are free of food scraps, into your recycling bin to become new paper products
- Dirty egg cartons* (soiled with egg or food) - Put clean egg cartons into your recycling bin to become new paper products
- Weeds (including noxious weeds), flowers, grass, leaves, bark, dead foliage, garden pruning, clean timber and branches (under 10 cm in diameter).
* Newspaper, paper towel, tissues and cardboard must not make up more than 3% of the entire contents of your Food & Garden bin, and must be free of any staples, sticky-tape, paint or glues.
What cannot go in
- Plastic, biodegradable bags, compostable labeled food packaging, including cling wrap
- Seafood shells (e.g. oysters)
- Liquids, fats, greases, and oils
- Nappies, personal hygiene products, baby wipes, makeup wipes
- Syringes
- Pet and animal poo
- Pet litter
- Clean pizza boxes - put this in your recycling bin
- Clean egg cartons - put this in your recycling bin
- Recycled items (e.g. plastic, glass, plastic pots)
- Rubble, metal (e.g. bottle caps, wire), rocks, bricks, foil, polystyrene or cellophane
- Furniture, textiles and fabric
- Backyard and garage items garden hoses, sporting equipment, gardening tools, batteries and oil containers
- Soil or potting mix
- Treated and painted timber, treated lattice and building materials
- Bundled branches, log stumps or tree limbs larger than 10 cm in diameter or longer than 30 cm.
- Cardboard and paper products must not make up no more than 3% of the entire contents of your Food & Garden bin, and must be free of any staples, sticky-tape, paint or glues.
View A-Z rubbish and recycling guide
Pet waste
You cannot put pet waste (dog poo, cat poo and kitty litter) in the food and garden bin. Pet poo can contain parasites and bacteria that could make the compost unsafe.
Please put any pet waste into your general rubbish bin. Alternatively, you can purchase a pet poo compost system at a discounted price. The pet poo compost system should be placed away from any edible plants/veggie gardens.
Compost from this service will be used to grow consumable vegetables, fruits and plants.
Tips to reduce bin odours
- Keep bins out of direct sunlight
- Keep meat and seafood scraps in the freezer until bin day
- Use the AS4736 type lime green compostable bags with the seedling symbol (shown above)
- Wash your caddy and bin regularly
- Sprinkle bi-carb soda into your bin to neutralize smells
- Layer your green waste and food scraps
- Make sure your lid closes properly and there are no cracks in the bin body.
Putting your bins out
When putting your bins out for collection, make sure you:
- put bins out before 6 am on collection day
- return bins to your property within 24 hours
- ensure bins are at least 50 cm apart
- place bins with wheels and handles facing away from the kerb
- allow a minimum of one-metre clearance from parked cars, trees, light poles or any other obstructions
- ensure bin lids are completely closed when presented for collection to prevent litter or birds or other animals from pulling out rubbish
- do not overfill your bins. The maximum weight for all bins is 50 kg
- do not place rubbish beside or on top of your bin.
Bin requests, damaged bins and missed collections
You can order additional bins, report a damaged bin, report a stolen bin and report a missed bin collection online:
Report a stolen or missing bin
Missed bin collection
If your bin contents are not collected by 6 pm on your collection day, you can report a missed bin collection online.
You must contact us within 36 hours (1.5 business days) of your scheduled collection day.
Before reporting a missed bin collection, please check your bin days.
Report a missed bin collection
You can also call us on 9298 8000.
If you find a sticker on your bin or a notice in your letterbox, follow the directions on the sticker or notice.
Apply for a free extra rubbish bin
You can apply for a free extra 120L household rubbish bin if your household has extra waste needs.
This is for households with:
- extra medical waste needs
- two or more children in disposable nappies
Submitting your application
You must provide evidence of your extra waste needs:
Medical needs
- a letter from a GP or medical practitioner stating you have extra medical waste needs
- the letter must provide detail regarding the reason for the extra waste (eg. packaging associated with treatment for an acute condition)
- if the condition is ongoing or temporary.
- a utility bill or lease agreement if you're a tenant and not the property owner
Two or more children in disposable nappies
- a photo of your Medicare card with the names of your dependents
- a utility bill or lease agreement if you're a tenant and not the property owner
Not eligible? Apply to pay for an extra bin
What happens next?
You should receive your new 120L rubbish bin within 5 business days from the date of approval.
How long can I keep my extra bin?
Two or more children in disposable nappies
Households with 2 or more children in disposable nappies will have their extra bin for one year.
You must reapply for your extra bin each year and provide evidence.
Extra medical waste needs
Households that have extra medical waste needs will have their extra bin for 5 years.
You must let Council know if your circumstances change and you no longer need the extra bin before the 5-year period ends.
Opting out of the service
It is possible to opt out of the food and garden bin service.
Requirements to opt-out
You must show that you can compost all organic material at home, with no organic waste going to your household rubbish bin or collected in the bundled branch service.
Provide photo evidence and a brief description of your home composting system plus how you process all garden waste. Evidence can include photos of:
- your compost bin
- worm farm
- a mulcher
We also require a detailed explanation of how you process items that go in the food and garden bin such as bones (raw/cooked), meat, dairy, citrus, and mouldy food.
What happens next?
If your application is successful, your food and garden bin will be removed.
Can I opt back in?
If you wish to opt-in in the future, please contact our Waste Team:
- by phone at 9298 8000
- by email at [email protected]
How to reduce rubbish
If your rubbish bin is still too full after you've taken out food scraps, consider:
- Recycling - are you putting items in your rubbish bin that can actually go in your recycling bin? Check our A to Z rubbish and recycling guide to see what can go in your recycling bin
- Packaging - what kind of packaging are you putting in your rubbish bin? This could be reduced by using reusable bags when shopping and purchasing items with less packaging
- Nappies - if you are using disposable nappies, you can swap out some or all for reusable nappies to reduce your waste
- Pet poo - if you have a lot of pet poo, there are discounted pet poo composting options to help reduce your waste.
Other ways to reduce rubbish include:
- Shop with a list so you buy only what you need and check your pantry before going to the supermarket.
- Shop local and not online to reduce and avoid plastic packaging.
- Take reusable bags to the supermarket.
- Instead of cling wrap, use reusable food covers or containers.
If you are still struggling with excess rubbish after trying everything above, you have the option to upsize your rubbish bin or order an additional rubbish bin for a fee.
