Wyndham Bins and Hard Waste Guide 2026: What Goes in Each Bin, Three Free Collections a Year and Bin Costs (Melbourne, VIC)

Most Wyndham households, including renters, can book up to three hard and green waste collections free each financial year, and the council collects three bins: a 140L garbage bin every week, and a 240L recycling bin and a 240L food and garden organics bin every fortnight. This guide sets out what goes in each bin, how to put hard waste out, what extra bins cost and what the council says to do now that its cardboard collection trial has ended. It uses four Wyndham City pages, read on 9 November 2026.

Which bins does Wyndham City collect, and how often?

The council’s Household Bin Services page says most households get three services:

Bin	Lid	Size	Collected
Garbage	Red	140L (a 240L bin is optional, fees apply)	Weekly
Recycling	Yellow	240L	Fortnightly
Food and garden organics	Green	240L	Fortnightly

The recycling and green bins are collected on alternate weeks, so check you put out the right one. You can look up your collection day on the council’s website or download the Waste Collection Calendar for 2026-27, which the council publishes as a PDF.

What goes in the garbage bin?

The council lists these as accepted in the red-lid bin: flexible plastics, polystyrene or foam (in small bags so it does not jam the bin), dog poo or cat litter, nappies and wet wipes, broken crockery, and paper towels and tissues. It lists these as not accepted: toxic chemicals or hazardous waste, flammable liquids, building materials and asbestos, electronic waste, car parts, rocks, soil or other green waste, and recyclables. Waste in this bin goes to landfill, where the council says it is buried and compressed underground.

What goes in the yellow recycling bin?

Accepted	Not accepted
Hard plastics such as milk bottles, cleaning bottles, ice cream containers, punnets, shampoo bottles, takeaway containers and yoghurt containers	Bagged recyclables
Metals: empty aerosol cans, aluminium cans, trays and foil, tin cans	Soft plastics such as plastic bags and food wrappers
Paper and cardboard: magazines, newspaper, office paper, cereal boxes, egg cartons, envelopes, pizza boxes, toilet rolls, wrapping paper	Polystyrene, nappies and wipes, paper towel or tissues
Glass bottles and jars only; if broken, put them in loose	Food scraps or garden waste, broken window panes, glasses or bakeware, and milk, juice or other Tetra Pak cartons

The council says the contents of this bin go to the Visy Recycling Facility, and asks you to keep items loose so they can be sorted. It also says e-waste and batteries cannot go in any kerbside bin, and asks residents not to remove items, including Container Deposit Scheme containers, from other people’s recycling bins.

What goes in the green food and garden bin?

The council says the green-lid bin takes all types of food waste, not just fruit and vegetable scraps, as long as it is without packaging. It lists accepted items as leftover food (fruit and vegetable scraps, bread, pasta, rice, coffee grounds, loose-leaf tea, dairy, eggs, meat and seafood, and spoiled or mouldy food), garden waste (branches, twigs, leaves, lawn clippings, weeds) and paper caddy liners. Not accepted are general garbage, coffee pods, dog or cat poo, cigarette butts, ceramic crockery, tea bags, soil and rocks, and compostable or biodegradable liners and other plastic bags. The council says food and garden waste from this bin is recycled into compost and mulch for farms, parks and gardens.

How should I put my bins out?

• Put your bin out the night before your collection day.
• Place bins side by side near the kerb with the handles facing away from the road.
• Leave 50 centimetres between bins and 1 metre clear of trees, light and power poles, parked vehicles and driveways.
• Bring bins back to your property within 24 hours of collection.
• Do not squash items in, put extra bags or boxes beside the bin, or fill the bin above 70 kilograms, and make sure the lid can close.
• If you live in a court, mark your bin with your house number and place it on the straight section of the street, and do not park in the court on collection day because trucks need to turn.

If your bin has not been collected by 5pm on your collection day, you can raise a request on the council’s Requests and Issues Portal or call 1300 023 411.

How does the free hard waste collection work?

The council’s Hard and Green Waste Collection Service page says most Wyndham households, renters included, can book up to three collections free each financial year. Each service allows up to 3 cubic metres of waste, and you can use them one at a time or combine them, in multiples of 3 cubic metres up to 9. Collections are scheduled once a week, and the council recommends booking early. You need to register as a new user on its booking system and verify your account before you book. For registration or booking problems, the page lists rdf@wyndham.vic.gov.au.

The council’s collection checklist says:

• Place items within your property boundary, on the driveway or front yard with clear access, and not inside trailers or the house.
• Put items out the day before your collection.
• Sort items into three separate piles placed close together: general hard waste, green waste, and white goods and metal items.
• Items must not weigh more than 55 kilograms, must be liftable safely by two people, and must not be longer than 1.5 metres.
• Only put out the amount of waste included in your booking.

The council says its contractor aims to recycle as much as possible, and commonly recycles metals, green waste, untreated timber, electrical items and mattresses. It recommends giving clothing, crockery and furniture to charity stores. Chemicals are on the “No” list; the council points to the Detox your home service, which you can reach on 136 186.

Can I swap a tip voucher or buy another hard waste collection?

Yes, according to the council. You can swap a waste disposal voucher (tip token) for an extra hard and green waste collection, or exchange a booked collection for a voucher to use at the Wests Road Refuse Disposal Facility. You can also buy extra collections if you have used your annual allocation. If you do not receive the standard waste service, as with some multi-unit properties, you can buy a collection for $111.50 each. To arrange an exchange, call 1300 023 411. The tip, the Refuse Disposal Facility, is at 470 Wests Road, Werribee.

The council also explains why some properties are ineligible: commercial properties and those with private collection do not pay a waste management charge, and a newly built property may not yet have its rates updated.

What did the cardboard collection trial change?

In a news item dated 26 October 2026, the council said its 12-month cardboard collection trial would end at the end of October 2026. It said that while a significant amount of cardboard had been recovered, it had also seen high contamination and illegal dumping at the collection sites, so the bins were to be removed from all trial locations after the final October collections. It asks residents not to leave cardboard or other items at the sites, and says cameras will stay in place during the transition.

For cardboard, the council lists three options: put smaller amounts in your household recycling bin, take larger amounts to the Wyndham Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre, or book a hard waste collection for eligible bulky household items, including cardboard. It also points to its A-Z Waste Guide for other recycling and disposal options.

What does an extra bin cost, and how do I order one?

The council’s Bin Requests page lists these charges, applied pro rata from the delivery date and added to your rates notice:

Item	Cost
Additional 140L garbage bin	$176.7
Additional 240L garbage bin	$239.75
Additional recycling bin	$51.85
Upgrade to a 240L garbage bin	$64.10
Additional green bin	$47.10

Property owners or managing agents order bins, and managing agents need proof such as a service agreement or written confirmation on letterhead. You can also phone 1300 023 411 or visit the Wyndham Civic Centre at 45 Princes Highway, Werribee. To avoid the charge recurring next financial year, the council says to submit a bin cancellation request before 23 June.

For a newly built home, the property must be occupied before bins are delivered, and the council says the bins are delivered to the nature strip within 2 working days once ordered. A visible house number is needed or delivery may be delayed. A missed collection should be reported no later than the following working day; leave the bin out and allow two working days for the truck to return. A damaged bin is generally repaired or replaced within 2 working days after your scheduled collection, and you should leave the empty bin on the nature strip.

Sources

• Wyndham City — Household Bin Services (bins, what goes where, how to put out; checked 9 November 2026)
• Wyndham City — Hard and Green Waste Collection Service (free collections, checklist, vouchers; checked 9 November 2026)
• Wyndham City — Bin Requests (extra bin costs, reports; checked 9 November 2026)
• Wyndham City — Cardboard collection trial ending (26 October 2026)

Featured image: Tarneit railway station (photo: Thebusofdoom / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Wyndham City. Rules, charges and collection days can change; check the council’s pages before you act.