When to put your household rubbish bin out
Your bins are emptied on the same day each fortnight, including all public holidays. Please leave your bin at the collection point by 6 am on 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 household rubbish bin
Use your household rubbish bin (red lid) for:
- household rubbish
- tissues and paper towel
- take-away coffee cups and lids
- polystyrene, foam trays and bean bag beans securely bagged
- soft plastic packaging including wrappers and cling film. For more information on how to recycle soft plastics, visit our Recycling bin collection webpage.
- nappies and personal sanitary items
- glassware, Pyrex, mirrors and window glass - please wrap and label "glass"
- plastic plant pots.
What doesn’t go in your household rubbish bin
Do not use your household rubbish bin (red lid) for:
- batteries - they can cause fires in the collection truck
- food and garden waste - put this in your food and garden bin
- e-waste - anything with a plug, cord or battery
- recyclables - put these in your recycling bin
- timber, bricks, rubble, steel, or building/renovation materials
- syringes
- hot ashes - ensure they are completely cold
- paint - take to a free Paintback drop-off location
- chemicals or hazardous materials - dispose of via Detox your home
- fluids or liquids, including motor oil, pesticides, paints or solvents.
View A-Z rubbish and recycling guide
Tips to reduce bin odours
- Keep bins out of direct sunlight
- Wash your bin regularly
- Sprinkle bi-carb soda into your bin to neutralize smells
- Make sure your lid closes properly and there are no cracks in the bin body
- Pet owners can use a pet poo compost system rather than put it in the bin
- If you have children in nappies, using reusable nappies can help reduce odour
E-waste
Anything that uses batteries or a power cord is e-waste. Do not put e-waste in rubbish or recycling bins.
Find out more on our e-waste page.
How to reduce rubbish
If your rubbish bin is too full, consider:
- Food scraps - put your food scraps into your food and garden waste bin which is collected weekly.
- 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 which will reduce your waste.
Some other handy tips 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, you have the option to upsize your rubbish bin or order an additional rubbish bin for a fee.
Multi-unit development waste management
Learn about multi-unit development waste management in Knox:
Where your rubbish goes
When the waste from your household rubbish bin is collected by our waste collection trucks, it is delivered to either:
- Lysterfield Transfer Station (Cleanaway)
- South East Melbourne Transfer Station in Dandenong South (Cleanaway).
From these sites, waste is transported in large haul vehicles to the Melbourne Regional Landfill (Cleanaway) in Ravenhall.
Here, it is buried in the ground in landfill cells. We try to reduce waste where possible before it gets landfilled. Council is also working with other Councils in our region to explore alternative waste processing.
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.
