Public recycling bins around Knox have either a blue lid or a yellow lid. In 2024, Council started updating our public recycling bin lids to yellow to match with the Victorian standard colours.
When to put your recycling bin out
Your bins are emptied on the same day each week, once a fortnight, including all public holidays. They should be placed at the collection point by 6am of your collection day.
Use our online tool to check when your household rubbish collection day is:
Waste calendars
You can also download our waste calendars and view waste maps and zones of Knox:
What goes in your recycling bin
Put all recyclable items into your bin loose. They won't be sorted if packed in plastic bags.
Use your recycling bin for:
- wrapping paper made from paper and has no glitter on it
- greeting cards and envelopes with or without a window
- magazines and newspapers
- egg cartons if they contain any stuck, broken eggshell, put that part into the Food & Garden bin
- pizza boxes – make sure they are completely empty and if more than two-thirds greasy, rip the box in half and put that half into your food and garden bin
- paper and cardboard no need to take off tape or staples first
- scrap paper
- aluminium and steel aerosol cans only if completely empty
- hard plastic packaging and emptied food containers e.g. any plastic that is rigid and holds its shape
- aluminium baking trays empty, rinsed/unrinsed
- aluminium foil empty, rinsed and scrunch into a loose ball
- steel or aluminium cans and tins rinsed - lids can be put back into tin and top of can squished together
- glass bottles and jars – lids off and place all loose into the recycling (empty, rinsed/unrinsed)
- milk and juice cartons or bottles – milk and juice cartons or bottles. After bottles are empty (rinsed/unrinsed), squish the bottle where practical, then put lids back on
- small plastic bottles – lids on, empty, rinsed and squashed
- plastic meat trays – cardboard ones must have any light plastic film removed first.
What doesn't go in your recycling bin
Do not use your recycling bin for:
- soft plastics
- plastic bags – any recyclables in plastic bags will end up in landfill
- general rubbish and waste
- batteries – Bunnings, Coles, Woolworths and Officeworks collect batteries for recycling
- take-away coffee cups - no lids or cups
- nappies
- polystyrene
- polystyrene meat trays
- food and garden waste
- e-waste and electrical items - check Knox Gate Prices at Knox Transfer Stations & Recycling Facilities - charges may apply
- timber, bricks, rubble, steel or building materials
- syringes – visit our Customer Service centre for a free sharps container
- Ashes (hot or cold) – do not put them in the recycling bin
- chemicals or hazardous waste – attend our annual, FREE, Detox Your Home Day to get rid of some of these items safely
- fluids or liquids – check Knox Transfer Stations & Recycling Facilities - charges may apply.
Soft plastics
Soft plastics cannot be placed in household recycling bins as they may cause damage to machinery at the recycling facility. Soft plastics disposal points can be found at selected Woolworths stores across Knox.
Take your soft plastics with you on your next trip to the supermarket and drop them off at the designated collection point in-store. This will help reduce the amount of waste going into household rubbish bins and ending up in landfill, contributing to a cleaner, greener Knox.
A soft plastic is any type of plastic that you can scrunch into a ball and doesn’t bounce back into its original shape. Examples of common soft plastics include:
- biscuit wrappers
- plastic bags
- garbage bags
- chip packets
- salad mix packets
A–Z rubbish and recycling guide
View Council's guide to rubbish and recycling in Knox:
View A–Z rubbish and recycling guide
E-waste
E-waste is anything that has a power cord, plug or batteries. Do not put e-waste in rubbish or recycling bins.
To find out more about e-waste visit our e-waste page.
Where your recycling goes
The material from your blue-lid recycling bin is collected by a contractor and delivered to our recycling processor, 'Re.Group' in Dandenong.
The material is sorted and processed at a material recovery facility, where recycling is separated into material types:
- paper
- cardboard
- plastic
- aluminium
- other metals and glass.
The materials are also graded based on quality.
Millions of tonnes of valuable materials are recovered. These are then purchased by manufacturers who turn them into new products.
Manage your bin service
Need help with a missed collection, bin repairs or replacements, braille bin stickers, or putting your bins out for collection? Find everything you need on our Bin services and fees page.
