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What you can put in your bins

Key points

This page tells you what you can and can’t put in your: 

To find out how to dispose of other common items in your house, garage and backyard. visit our A to Z waste and recycling guide

Please make sure you’re only putting ‘allowed’ items in your bins. If your bin is contaminated (has the wrong items in it), we’ll put a sticker on it to let you know. In some cases we might not be able to collect it until the items are removed. More info: Using the right bin page

Rubbish (landfill) bin

  • Collected weekly
  • Bin lid colour: Dark green or red. 
    From February 2024, all kerbside rubbish bins in Cardinia Shire will transition to red lids over a 4-week period. The red lids will replace any existing dark green lids on these bins.  
    More info: Go to our New red bin lids webpage
  • Maximum allowed weight: 70 kilograms

What CAN go in your kerbside rubbish bin

  • General household rubbish
  • Soft 'scrunchable' plastics - These can only go in your rubbish bin. The REDcycle program is  paused and not taking soft plastics.
  • Black plastic items - such as meat trays and plant pots, as they can't be recycled. (Although you may want to contact local nurseries to see if they can re-use the plant pots).alt=" "
  • Broken glass and ceramics
  • Nappies and sanitary products - if you live in Cardinia, you can claim cash back (a rebate) on reusable nappies and hygiene products
  • Polystyrene and foam - Or visit 'P' in the A to Z guide for more sustainable disposal options
  • Kitty litter and pet poo - there are also compost systems specifically designed for animal waste. Do a web search for 'pet waste composting' to find out more
  • Broken toys
  • Cardboard with a wax coating - goes in your rubbish bin as it can't be recycled
  • Clothing and shoes - Or visit 'C' and 'S' in the A to Z guide for ways to dispose of them that are more sustainable. 

What CAN'T go in your kerbside rubbish bin 

Recycling bins

Important recycling info

  • Do NOT place your recycling in bags. All items must be loose in the recycling bin
  • Rinse food or liquids from containers before putting them in your recycling bin
  • Squash any bulky items (such as cardboard boxes and milk bottles)
  • Do not overfill or overstuff your bin. Make sure the bin lid closes

More info: Recycling web page

What CAN go in your recycling bin

  • Cans - aluminium, steel and empty aerosol cans
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Paper (not shredded)
  • Cardboard - including egg cartons and clean pizza boxes - cardboard must not have a wax coating or be soiled with foodalt=" "
  • Aluminium foil and foil trays - Scrunch small pieces of foil into a ball larger than a golf ball or bigger
  • Hard plastic bottles and containers - including plastic bottles (screw small lids to the bottle), containers, trays (including biscuit trays and sushi containers), damaged Tupperware
     

What CAN'T go in your recycling bin

  • NO recyclable items in plastic shopping or garbage bags - all items must be put loose in your bin
  • NO plastic bags and other soft 'scrunchable' plastics - such as chip, bread and pasta bags and chocolate bar wrappers. Put these in your rubbish bin
  • NO long-life milk and juice containers (UHT, Tetra Pak)
  • NO general household plastic waste - such as washing baskets, buckets, coathangers, and other plastic household items
  • NO clothing, textiles or shoes - visit 'S' and 'C' in the A to Z guide for disposal options
  • NO food or garden waste
    Food: Compost it, put it in your food and garden waste bin, or put it in your rubbish bin as a last resort
    Garden waste: Put it in your food and garden waste bin or for larger branches and cuttings use our free drop-off days, or book a hard waste collection.
    If you buy a compost bin, worm farm, mulcher, shredder or portable wood chipper and you live in Cardinia Shire, you can claim cash back (a rebate). 
  • NO black plastic - including meat trays and plant pots. (Contact local nurseries to see if they can re-use the plant pots).
  • NO nappies and sanitary products - if you live in Cardinia, you can claim cash back (a rebate) on reusable nappies and hygiene products.
  • NO building and renovation materials - Visit 'B' in the A to Z guide for disposal options
  • NO e-waste (any item with a plug, battery or cord at the end of its life) - Visit the e-waste page for disposal options
  • NO mirrors and window glass - These can be put out for hard waste collection
  • NO polystyrene and foam - visit 'P' in the A to Z guide for disposal options
  • NO scrap metal - including car parts. These can be put out for hard waste collection

Food and garden (green) waste bin

More info: Food and garden waste page

What CAN go in your food and garden waste bin

  • All organic garden waste (including grass clippings, small prunings and cuttings, small branches, weeds, flowers)   
  • Food waste (including meat, dairy, seafood, eggs and eggshells, citrus, onion and garlic)
  • Coffee filter paper and grounds 
  • Tea leaves (loose) 
  • Cooking oil and fats (absorbed in paper towel or newspaper) 
  • Nuts and seeds (including fruit stones such as mango and avocado) 
  • Shredded paper (paper only, not in a bag)
  • Food-stained cardboard and paper (such as soiled pizza boxes)
  • Certified compostable lime green caddy liners (must be lime green with the AS4736 logo). These can be picked up from Council's Customer Service.

What CAN’T go in

  • NO general rubbish
  • NO recyclables
  • NO food packaging (including compostable/biodegradable)
  • NO produce stickers or rubber bands
  • NO nappies and hygiene products
  • NO bags and plastic
  • NO rubbish from the garden (including pots, hoses, ropes and fake turf)
  • NO building and demolition materials (such as bricks, sand, soil, concrete, rocks or asbestos)  – visit 'B' in the A to Z guide for disposal options
  • NO hazardous waste or chemicals – visit Detox Your Home for disposal options
  • NO large logs or stumps
  • NO manure and animal waste - these should go in your rubbish (landfill) bin. There are also compost systems specifically designed for animal waste. Do a web search for 'pet waste composting' to find out more. 
  • NO oyster or mussel shells
  • NO plant pots –  you may want to contact local nurseries to see if they can re-use the plant pots.
  • NO soil, stones, rocks or potting mix - visit 'S' in the A to Z guide for disposal options
  • NO treated timber

Questions?

Contact our Waste team
Ph: 1300 787 624
Email: mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au

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