Council’s Fees and Charges are adopted each financial year by Council. The fees and charges for 2024/2025 relating to waste services are highlighted as follows:

All rateable residential properties in the Local Government Area must pay a domestic waste management charge set by the Council under the Local Government Act 1993.
 
The waste charge includes but is not limited to:

• Bin collection and repair services.

• Bulky Waste Collection services.

• Waste disposal and processing.

• Community recycling drop off events such as Household Chemical CleanOut and E-Waste Drop Off.

• Park and litter bin services

• Illegal dumping and hazardous waste collection services.

The new waste contract is delivering services during the 2024/2025 financial year. It will be at an increased cost to Council, but a better community service is expected as a result. There are a number of benefits as follows:

• Bin collection days expanded from three days per week to five days per week.

• Bin collections have been standardised across the former Kogarah and Hurstville council areas.

• Illegally dumped waste will be collected within 4 hours and 2 days of notification.

• In summer, public litter bins will be emptied more frequently when parks are busier.

• New collection trucks with advanced safety features will reduce missed bin collections.

• Missed bin collections will now be fixed within 1-2 days, instead of up to 7 days as before.

• Place your bin(s) on the kerbside no earlier than the night before the collection day. Return your bin(s) to your property as soon as possible after collection.

• The bin lid opening must face the street.

• Ensure your bin(s) are at least:

  • 1 metre away from parked cars, poles or trees.

  • 3 metres clear from overhead lines or wires.

  • 30 centimetres apart from the next bin.

• Keep bin lid(s) closed.

• Bins must not contain incorrect items (contamination).

• Two wheeled bins must weigh under 70kg.

Note: By not adhering to these requirements, you risk non-collection.

Bin placement to ensure collection

Waste collection services start from 6.00am in most of the Georges River Local Government Area and will be complete by 6.00pm.
 
Some streets have earlier collections between 4.00am - 6.00am to ensure the safety of waste collection staff.
 
Waste collection services are essential services and meet specific safety guidelines. Early starts prior to 6.00am may be to avoid:

• Heavy traffic.

• Pedestrians.

• Construction activities.

• School zones.

Reverse beeping or an equivalent warning system is compulsory under Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

In instances of extreme weather such as high winds, very heavy rain or during a natural disaster, there may be delays in waste collection services. If it is safe to do so, please leave bins on the kerbside until they are collected.

Please note that high winds may cause bins or waste to be blown. In these instances, ensure bin lids are closed and remove bins from the kerbside as soon as collection has occurred.

Only the following items can be placed in your general waste bin: 

• Soft plastics, plastic bags, cling wrap, plastic wrappers, bubble wrap.

• Food scraps.

• Polystyrene and foam.

• Broken glass (wrapped in paper). 

• Ceramics.

• Nappies and sanitary products.

• ​Pet waste.

• Clothing or shoes if unable to donate or upcycle. 

• ​Other small household items such as toys (no batteries), stationery, decorations, kitchenware etc.

Still unsure? Check out Recycle Mate to search through over 7000 plus item or our A-Z Recycling Guide.

Only the following items can be placed in your recycling bin: 

Paper and Cardboard

• Paper (not shredded, not tissues and wipes) such as: envelopes, pamphlets, office paper, magazines, newspapers, wrapping paper (not foil, glitter or plastic-coated).

• Cardboard (empty, no soft plastic film or coating) such as: cereal boxes (remove plastic bag), egg cartons, empty pizza boxes, cardboard packaging or boxes (flatten), toilet rolls (roll only). 

Rigid Plastic Packaging

• Rigid plastic bottles (empty) such as: soft drink, water, milk (leave lids on), shampoo, detergent and cleaning product bottles.

• Rigid plastic containers (empty) such as: margarine, yoghurt, ice cream and food tubs, meat trays (not foam) and fruit punnets.

Glass Bottles and Jars

• Glass food and beverage bottles (empty) such as: oil, vinegar, wine, beer and soft drink (leave lids on).

• Glass food jars (empty) such as: sauce, condiment, spreads, spice, pickle and jam jars.

Aluminium and Steel Packaging

• Steel packaging (empty) such as: food or drink tins and cans like tuna tins, vegetable cans, biscuit tins, milk formula tins. 

• ​Aluminium and steel aerosol spray cans (empty) such as: spray cooking oil, deodorant spray, air freshener, bug and hair spray (no compressed gas canisters such as propane, butane or nitrous oxide).

• ​Aluminium packaging (empty) such as: drink cans, foil trays and aluminium foil (scrunched into balls).

Still unsure? Check out Recycle Mate to search through over 7000 plus item or our A-Z Recycling Guide.

Only the following items can be placed in the garden organics bin:

• Grass clippings.

• Leaves and twigs.

• Small branches (must not exceed 1m long and 15cm wide).

• Flowers.

• Weeds and cuttings.

General Waste

General waste contents are processed at Veolia Woodlawn Mechanical and Biological Treatment (MBT) facility. This facility separates organic material diverting as much material from landfill as possible.

Recycling

Commingled recycling is processed at VISY Smithfield Recycling Material Recovery Facility (MRF) where the items are sorted manually by workers and then machines.
 
They are separated and compressed into bales of cardboard and paper, glass, rigid plastics, aluminium, and steel. This prepares them for further processing and re-manufacturing. Click the links below for a video to find out how VISY recycles these items.

Garden Organics

Garden organics are processed at the Cleanaway Lucas Heights Resource Recovery Park where the green waste is commercially composted.

The green tags indicate that the bin contains the correct items.  

The red bin tags indicate that incorrect items were found in the recycling or garden organics bin. The tag will provide information on what incorrect item was found. The tags are for educational purposes only to help residents identify what items can and cannot be placed into each bin. 

For more information on what is accepted into each bin see the What goes in my bin tabs above. If the item is not accepted in kerbside bins, see the A-Z Recycling Guide for other reuse, recycling or disposal options.

If you would like to request further assistance regarding bin contamination and the bin tagging program, you can lodge a “Bin - contamination and inspection” request on Log It/Fix It.