Households can recycle food scraps through the weekly green lid food organics garden organics (FOGO) service and garbage is collected every fortnight.
Service information
- Houses are provided with a red lid bin, collected fortnightly.
- Apartment buildings are provided with shared bins. Those with five or more units have their garbage collected weekly. Those with four or less have their garbage collected fortnightly but can opt-in for weekly garbage by calling the Customer Service Team on 02 9392 5000 (more info below).
- Rates for waste and recycling services can be found in Council's fees and charges.
- Collection day depends on your address. Enter your address below to find your collection day in our online waste calendar.
- If your garbage bin has been missed, you can lodge a missed bin request online.
What goes and does not go in my garbage bin?
| What goes in my garbage in? | What does not go in my garbage bin? |
|---|---|
| Soft plastics that can be scrunched e.g. bread bags, pasta bags, cling wrap | Food scraps |
| Nappies and wipes | Recyclable products e.g. pizza boxes, and plastic take-away containers |
| Paper towel, serviettes and tissues | Garden organics and soil |
| Take-away coffee cups | Oils and liquids |
| Foil-lined tetra packs e.g. juice poppers, long-life milk | Building materials |
| Bamboo and wooden cutlery | Large items e.g. furniture |
| Polystyrene foam and bubble wrap | Batteries |
| Cat litter, dog poo and pet waste | Electronic devices e.g. phones, computers |
| Vacuum cleaner dust | Paints, solvents and chemicals |
| Broken ceramics, crockery, Pyrex, and mirrors – ensure broken items are wrapped | Syringes |
Opt-in weekly garbage collection
On 20 February 2024 Council passed a resolution to provide weekly red lid garbage collections for those struggling to adjust to the FOGO service. Fees and charges associated with this extra level of service will be waived for up to two years from this date.
The aim of the service is to provide an interim measure for your household to adjust to fortnightly garbage collections and we are here to assist you in the transition.
Registrations for weekly opt in red lid garbage bin collections are open to all residents.
It will take up to two weeks from the time of registration until your weekly opt in service commences. In the meantime, you can:
- Book and extra red lid bin collection when it's really needed
- Upsize to a large (240L) garbage bin on fortnightly collection
- Book in (or chat to) the Waste Busters
- Better your recycling by finding out what goes where
- Request an additional recycling bin – you can order a recycling or FOGO bin at no extra cost.
You can register your interest for this service by contacting Customer Service on 02 9392 5000. Select Option 1.
We will collect your details and determine your level of priority. Our team are available to assist you, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm. You'll then receive information about the next steps and expected service commencement timing.
If you have any further queries, please email rethink.waste@innerwest.nsw.gov.au.
This extra service is to assist residents who are struggling with the transition to a weekly FOGO collection and fortnightly red-lidded bin collection.
For the first three weeks of registration, priority will be given to categories of residents with the most need. During this period households with small children in nappies, residents with medical conditions and disability and large households with five or more occupants can register.
From 8 April 2024, residents not listed above can register for the opt-in weekly service.
Book an extra red-lid bin collection
For households that struggle with fortnightly collections, extra red lid garbage bin collections can be booked below for the alternate week to their scheduled collection.
This service might only need to be used occasionally, or while households get used to separating their food scraps.
Call on our 'Waste Busters' team to assist via phone call or home visit. This team provides helpful tips and suggestions on reducing general waste in the red lid bin and can answer any waste or recycling questions.
Council's A-Z waste guide provides ideas on how a wide range of items can be recycled, reused, donated or sold, instead of being thrown in the red lid bin.
Nappy and sanitary products rebate - Inner West Council will provide a 50% rebate for reusable nappies (up to $150 per household) and for sanitary products (up to $100 per household) purchased after 1 July 2023.
Book a council clean-up for bulky items that cannot be re-used, donated or sold.
If you have a larger household, children in nappies or a medical condition, you may require a larger bin. Upsize to a 240L red lid bin or opt-in for weekly red lid garbage collections.
There will be no additional charge for households requesting a larger red lid bin for 2 years from 20 February 2024. Fees and charges are set annually on a cost recovery basis whereby the charges are determined by the total cost of providing the service and costs recovered of the equivalent amount through domestic waste charges. The fees residents pay for domestic waste updated on 1 July each year following adoption by Council. Council will review and advise the fees and charges for the new financial year.
Did you know that nearly 67% of your red lid waste bin can be recovered, recycled or composted?
44% of the red lid bin can be composted through the green lid bin - food scraps (42%) and garden organics (2%) should go into the green lid FOGO bin. Remember to remove food from packaging.
13% of the red lid bin can be recycled through the yellow lid bin - pizza boxes, aerosol containers, cardboard and paper packaging can be recycled through the yellow lid bin.
Hazardous wastes like household batteries, paints and motor oils should never be placed in household bins. Check out the full list of hazardous wastes that can be dropped off for free at one of our Community Recycling Centres, located at Leichhardt and St Peters.
Check these pages for tips on how to reduce what goes in your red bin:
*Compositional waste audit data from 2023 household audit of houses and apartments prior to introduction of FOGO.
