Find your bin days
You can check your bin collection days online:
How to use your kitchen caddy
To use your kitchen caddy:
- line it with a lime green compostable caddy liner (AS4736)
- use newspaper or paper towel
- use no liner at all.
When your caddy is full, empty the contents into your green-lidded food and garden bin.
For more information, order a Food and Garden Kitchen Caddy user guide from [email protected].
Need a replacement caddy? Collect one from:
- the Civic Centre
- your local library
- contact [email protected].
Lime green compostable caddy liners (AS4736)
If you've run out of lime green compostable caddy liners, you can:
- order a free roll by contacting [email protected]
- collect a free roll from your local library
- purchase your own.
Stock may fluctuate and will only be available for a limited time.
Not all liners are the same. Some compostable liners take longer to break down and are not suitable for your food and garden bin.
Council-approved liners must be:
- lime green (not pale green or any other colour)
- displaying the code AS4736
- displaying the seedling symbol below
Only use lime green compostable caddy liners with this seedling symbol and code AS4736
Caddy liners are designed to break down over time. Their average shelf life is 10 -12 months. Don't store more than a year's supply.
Extra kitchen caddies
Knox residents can pick up an extra kitchen caddy for free from these locations:
- Knox Civic Centre
- Bayswater library
- Boronia library
- Knox Library at Westfield Knox
- Ferntree Gully library
- Rowville library
What can go in
- Bread, pasta, cereal and rice
- Coffee grounds
- Dairy leftovers
- Dirty egg cartons* (soiled with egg or food) - Put clean egg cartons into your recycling bin to become new paper products
- Eggshells
- Flowers, grass, leaves, bark, dead foliage, garden pruning, clean timber and branches (under 10 cm in diameter)
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Human and animal hair
- Leftover food (cooked and raw)
- Lime green compostable bags – only AS4736 type bags with the seedling symbol (shown above). This does not include dog poo bags
- Oily pizza boxes* that are 60% or more oily - put clean pizza lids and not very oily boxes, that are free of food scraps, into your recycling bin to become new paper products
- Seafood and meat (including bones)
- Small amounts of used paper, paper towels, napkins, paper bags, newspaper sheets, and tissues*
- Small sticks, tooth pics, skewers, and uncoated chopsticks
- Weeds can be placed in the FOGO bin; however, weeds that have been treated with pesticide may not. Visit our A-Z waste guide for more information on the correct way to dispose of noxious and environmental weeds.
* Newspaper, paper towel, tissues and cardboard must not make up more than 3% of the entire contents of your Food & Garden bin, and must be free of any staples, sticky-tape, paint or glues.
What cannot go in
- Backyard and garage items garden hoses, sporting equipment, gardening tools, batteries and oil containers
- Bundled branches, log stumps or tree limbs larger than 10 cm in diameter or longer than 30 cm.
- Cardboard and paper products must not make up no more than 3% of the entire contents of your Food & Garden bin, and must be free of any staples, sticky-tape, paint or glues.
- Clean egg cartons - put this in your recycling bin
- Clean pizza boxes - put this in your recycling bin
- Furniture, textiles and fabric
- Liquids, fats, greases, and oils
- Nappies, personal hygiene products, baby wipes, makeup wipes
- Pet and animal poo
- Pet litter
- Plastic, biodegradable bags, compostable labeled food packaging, including cling wrap
- Recycled items (e.g. plastic, glass, plastic pots)
- Rubble, metal (e.g. bottle caps, wire), rocks, bricks, foil, polystyrene or cellophane
- Seafood shells (e.g. oysters)
- Soil or potting mix
- Syringes
- Treated and painted timber, treated lattice and building materials
View A-Z rubbish and recycling guide
Pet waste
You cannot put pet waste (dog poo, cat poo and kitty litter) in the food and garden bin. Pet poo can contain parasites and bacteria that could make the compost unsafe.
Please put any pet waste into your general rubbish bin. Alternatively, you can purchase a pet poo compost system at a discounted price. The pet poo compost system should be placed away from any edible plants/veggie gardens.
Compost from this service will be used to grow consumable vegetables, fruits and plants.
Tips to reduce bin odours
- Keep bins out of direct sunlight
- Keep meat and seafood scraps in the freezer until bin day
- Use the AS4736 type lime green compostable bags with the seedling symbol (shown above)
- Wash your caddy and bin regularly
- Sprinkle bi-carb soda into your bin to neutralize smells
- Layer your green waste and food scraps
- Make sure your lid closes properly and there are no cracks in the bin body.
Putting your bins out
When putting your bins out:
- put them out before 6 am on collection day
- return them to your property within 24 hours
- place bins at least 50 cm apart
- face wheels and handles away from the kerb
- leave 1-metre clearance from obstacles, including cars, trees and light poles
- close lids completely to prevent animals accessing the bins, and the wind blowing litter into the street
- don't overfill (max weight 50 kg)
- don't place rubbish beside your bin
- in a court, place bins along the straight section.
Missed bin collection
If your bin isn't collected by 6 pm on collection day, report it within 36 hours.
Check your bin day before reporting a missed collection.
Report a missed bin collection
Or call us on 9298 8000.
We aim to collect reported missed bins within 2 business days.
If you find a sticker on your bin or a notice in your letterbox, follow the directions on the sticker or notice.
Report a bin issue
If a bin at your property has been damaged, stolen or gone missing, you can report it online.
Tenants, property owners and real estate agents can make these reports. Bins will be replaced at no extra cost.
We aim to complete requests within 5 business days.
Order new bins
If you are the owner of a new property or find that you need extra bins at your property, you can make these requests online.
Only property owners or real estate agents can make these requests. Tenants should contact their landlord or agent.
We aim to complete requests within 5 business days.
For information on the fees and charges for this service, visit our bin fees page.
To understand how an additional bin will affect your rates as a property owner, visit our About your rates page.
Opting out of the service
It is possible to opt out of the food and garden bin service.
Requirements to opt-out
You must show that you can compost all organic material at home, with no organic waste going to your household rubbish bin or collected in the bundled branch service.
Provide photo evidence and a brief description of your home composting system plus how you process all garden waste. Evidence can include photos of:
- your compost bin
- worm farm
- a mulcher
We also require a detailed explanation of how you process items that go in the food and garden bin such as bones (raw/cooked), meat, dairy, citrus, and mouldy food.
What happens next?
If your application is successful, your food and garden bin will be removed.
Can I opt back in?
If you wish to opt-in in the future, please contact our Waste Team:
- by phone at 9298 8000
- by email at [email protected]
