Waste Collection
Households in Brisbane are provided with a 240 litre general waste and a 240 litre recycling
bin. Residents also have the option of applying for a 240 litre green waste bin for garden waste
such as lawn clippings, palm fronds and leaves.
General waste bin
General waste bins have a red lid (although some households may still have the old style dark
green lid) and are for non-recyclable waste, such as plastic bags, old clothes or leftover food
scraps.
General waste is collected every week by the rubbish truck and transported to one of
Brisbane’s four transfer stations located at Nudgee, Ferny Grove, Willawong and Chandler.
At the transfer station, rubbish is crushed and compacted as much as possible so that it takes
up less space, before being loaded into large semi-trailers and transported to the landfill.
Transfer stations also accept general waste, green waste and recyclable items that cannot be
placed in the household recycling bin from residents.
The landfill is a carefully designed and managed site where waste is compacted and buried
and constantly monitored to ensure that the breakdown of materials does not harm the
surrounding environment.
Brisbane City Council
Rethink Your Rubbish Fact Sheet: Waste collection
Recycling bin
Recycling bins have a yellow lid and are collected every second week. Residents are provided
with a 240 litre bin, but can apply for a large 340 litre recycling bin, or an additional 240 litre or
340 litre bin. The recycling bin is for recyclable packaging items only such as paper, cardboard,
glass, firm plastic containers and metal cans and tins. Recycling is taken to Council’s Material
Recovery Facility (MRF) where materials are sorted, ready for processing into new materials.
Green waste bin
The green waste bin is available for a small fee to help residents recycle garden waste such as
lawn clippings, palm fronds, prunings and leaves. These materials are composted and mulched
for use in parks and gardens, instead of ending up in landfill.
Brisbane City Council
Rethink Your Rubbish Fact Sheet: Waste collection