Landfill bin FAQs

Need more space in your landfill bin?

Did you know that on average 48% of what people put in their landfill bin could have been composted or recycled?

Correctly sorting your household waste will save space in your landfill bin and reduce odours.

Audits of kerbside bins in October 2023 revealed that food scraps and organic garden waste (lawn clippings, prunings etc.) accounted for 33% of the contents in the landfill bin.

A further 15% of landfill bin contents could have been recycled through the recycling or glass-only kerbside bins.

Putting ALL food scraps, lawn clippings, weeds etc. in your FOGO bin (lime-green lid), all paper, cardboard, plastics and metals in your recycling bin (yellow lid), and glass bottles and jars in your glass-only bin (purple lid) will free up space in your landfill bin.

Use the A-Z guide to check you are recycling as much as you can.

How do I manage nappies in my landfill bin?

All nappes, including those labelled compostable, go in your landfill bin.

Use these tips to help manage nappy smell in your kerbside landfill bin;

  • Where possible, dispose of any solid waste collected in the nappy into the toilet before placing the nappy into your bin.
  • Wrap dirty nappies tightly in a nappy sack, bag or newspaper. You might choose to double wrap them to reduce the amount of air circulating around the dirty nappies and reduce the smell.
  • Consider cloth nappies - there are lots of online resources that can help you decide if this is a good option for your family.
  • Store your kerbside landfill bin in the shade and out of direct sunlight.
  • Make sure your landfill bin lid closes properly and there are no cracks in the bin body. Council will repair or replace your bin free of charge if it is damaged. Contact Council to report damaged bins. 
  • If smell is an issue, sprinkle vinegar, bi-carb soda, charcoal or eucalyptus oil into your bin to absorb and dissipate odours.

Isn’t it a health hazard to collect the landfill bin fortnightly?

If all your organic material, such as food scraps and garden organics, are put in your FOGO bin, there is no reason the landfill bin needs to be collected weekly.

Even with nappies still in the landfill bin, there is no health hazard as long as you aren’t opening up the nappies after you’ve disposed of them. 

Back to top