Four bin frequently asked questions

The Victorian Government requires all councils to have a four-bin system in place by 2027 under the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021.

As Council’s current kerbside contract ends in mid-2025, this is the right time to make the change.

The new system adds:

• A purple-lidded bin for glass bottles and jars, and
• A green-lidded bin for food and garden organics (FOGO).

This helps keep costs down by reducing landfill and improving recycling by sorting materials more effectively.

Yes.  Rural residents who currently receive a kerbside collection service will receive a purple bin for glass bottles and jars.

Some rural residents who don't currently have a kerbside collection service will receive a service from 30 June 2025 as our collection routes are being expanded. You'll receive three bins, a red bin for general rubbish, a yellow bin for mixed recycling and a purple bin for glass recycling.

A green bin for food and garden organics will be optional for residents in rural areas who live along Council's collection route. However, starting from 30 June, you won't be allowed to put food or organic waste in the red-lidded general rubbish bin. If your bin is found to have the wrong items, you could be fined. These measures might seem strict, but they are necessary to reduce our growing waste problem. The first step is making sure we dispose of our waste responsibly and use the correct bins.

No, businesses without on site residences can choose to opt out of all kerbside services. To find out more visit our website hereBusiness and Commercial Zoned Properties - Murrindindi Shire Council.

Details of the changes to your kerbside collection service from 30 June are outlined in the table below.

The four-bin collection service starts on 30 June 2025. You should not put your purple-lidded or green-lidded bins out for collection before then but may choose to begin to fill these bins in the week leading up to the commencement date.

Council is working with a new contractor to finalise the bin collection schedule. The day of the week that bins are collected won't change for any locations. For example, if your bin is currently collected on a Wednesday, it will continue to be collected on a Wednesday even after the new bins are added.

The green-lidded organics bin will be collected every week. General rubbish and mixed recycling will be collected on alternating weeks, and glass will be collected once every four weeks. The schedule will look like this:

• Week 1: Food and Garden Organics (green), General Rubbish (red)
• Week 2: Food and Garden Organics (green), Mixed Recycling (yellow)
• Week 3: Food and Garden Organics (green), General Rubbish (red)
• Week 4: Food and Garden Organics (green), Mixed Recycling (yellow), Glass Recycling (purple)

It's important to check Council's website in the weeks before the new service starts to find out the exact schedule for your location. You can see your bin collection schedule in several ways:

• Council will update the "Your Local Area" tool, allowing you to type in your address and see your next bin collections.
• Council will provide an updated bin collection calendar on our website for the whole Shire
• Council is developing a mobile phone app to help remind you which bins to put out each week

Most general rubbish bins contain a lot of food and garden waste - over 60%, based on a 2021 audit in Murrindindi Shire.

With the new green-lidded bin for food and garden organics, this waste will be collected weekly, reducing the need for weekly general rubbish collection. Most households will find a fortnightly red bin is enough once they start separating their food and garden waste.

If you need more capacity, extra services are available for a fee.

Medical and nappy-related exemptions are also available — visit our website to apply.

Council’s draft 2025–26 Budget proposes no increase in the cost of a standard service when moving from two bins to four bins. The current annual charge for the two-bin service is $ 560 per annum.  The proposed annual charge for the new service from 1 July 2025 is:

• $560 for township properties (includes general rubbish, mixed recycling, glass recycling, and food and garden organics).
• $410 for rural and commercial properties receiving the three-bin service (excludes food and garden organics).

These charges are the same or lower than current services, thanks to savings in the new kerbside collection contract and the lower cost of processing food, garden, and glass waste compared to landfill.

The kerbside collection service is mandatory for all residential properties on the collection route. In township areas, the minimum service required is a four-bin system, which includes bins for general rubbish, mixed recycling, food and garden organics, and glass recycling. In rural areas along the collection route, where the truck passes by the driveway, the minimum required service is a three-bin system, which includes bins for general rubbish, mixed recycling, and glass recycling.

The State Government requires that if it is reasonably practicable to provide a kerbside service, then councils must provide the service to that household. Properties beyond the collection route would need to be assessed to determine if the service is feasible.

Properties in rural areas don't have to use the food and garden organics collection service, but they can choose to if they want. The three-bin collection service (without the green-lidded bin) costs less than the four-bin collection service (with the green-lidded bin). The difference in cost, which is $150, is for providing the green-lidded bin collection.

The State Government requires that if it is reasonably practical to provide a kerbside service, then councils must provide the service to that house. If the truck passes by the driveway of a property, Council considers it practical to provide the service. The Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021 includes significant penalties for councils that do not implement the services described by the State.

No, residential properties cannot return bins. Bins are assigned based on property type and collection route:

• Urban households must have all four bins: red (rubbish), yellow (recycling), green (FOGO), and purple (glass).
• Rural households must have red, yellow, and purple bins (green FOGO bin is not required).

Commercial properties can opt out entirely or customise their service. The minimum is red, yellow, and purple bins — green (FOGO) is optional.

No. Bins are registered to specific property addresses and must stay at that property. Each bin has a serial number and is linked to the property for collection and billing purposes.

If you need extra bins to suit your needs, you can request them through Council - additional charges apply.

Council will not be supplying caddy liners, and they are not mandatory.

If you choose to use caddy liners, they must be compostable and certified to AS4736 standards. These are accepted by our organics processing facility.

You can use the Council provided smooth, easy-to-clean caddy without a liner.

Alternatively, you can place a paper towel or some garden waste in the bottom to keep it dry.  Items can be wrapped in paper towel, butchers' paper or newspaper.

Council will work with local retailers to ensure certified compostable liners are available locally. 

Most councils have successfully moved to fortnightly collection service as best practice to divert refuse to new recycling streams and out of landfill.

Council’s draft 2025–26 Budget proposes no increase in the cost to ratepayers who currently have a two-bin service, for the new four-bin service.

The current annual waste charge is $428.35 for general rubbish bin (red lid) and $130.95 for the recycling bin (yellow lid), a total of $559.30 for the four-bin system is $560. This is mandatory for properties in township areas.

The proposed annual charge for the three-bin service (no food and garden organics) is $410. This applies to rural and commercial properties.

Properties which previously did not have a kerbside service and are now included in the mandatory service zone, will be required to pay $410 per annum for red bin general rubbish, yellow lid bin, mixed recycling and purple lid bin for glass bottles and jars.  Properties can opt in for a green lid FOGO food and garden organics bin for $150 per annum.

The new expanded service will not cost more because of savings made by:

• Collecting landfill bins fortnightly instead of weekly.
• Diverting up to 60% of waste from landfill to recycling through the new green (food and garden organics) and purple (glass) bins.
• Reducing landfill disposal costs, which are the most expensive part of the service.

Recycling helps lower costs in the long term and supports the creation of new products from recovered materials. Keeping recyclable items out of landfill is key to keeping costs down and making the system more efficient for everyone.

Council’s draft 2025–26 Budget proposes no increase in the cost of a standard service when moving from two bins to four bins. The current annual charge for the two-bin service is $ 560 per annum.  The proposed annual charge for the new service from 1 July 2025 is:

• $560 for township properties (includes general rubbish, mixed recycling, glass recycling, and food and garden organics).
• $410 for rural and commercial properties receiving the three-bin service (excludes food and garden organics).

These charges are the same or lower than current services, thanks to savings in the new kerbside collection contract and the lower cost of processing food, garden, and glass waste compared to landfill.

Council is working with a new contractor to finalise the bin collection schedule. The day of the week that bins are collected won't change for any locations. For example, if your bin is currently collected on a Wednesday, it will continue to be collected on a Wednesday even after the new bins are added.

The green-lidded organics bin will be collected every week. General rubbish and mixed recycling will be collected on alternating weeks, and glass will be collected once every four weeks. The schedule will look like this:

• Week 1: Food and Garden Organics (green), General Rubbish (red)
• Week 2: Food and Garden Organics (green), Mixed Recycling (yellow)
• Week 3: Food and Garden Organics (green), General Rubbish (red)
• Week 4: Food and Garden Organics (green), Mixed Recycling (yellow), Glass Recycling (purple)

It's important to check Council's website in the weeks before the new service starts to find out the exact schedule for your location. You can see your bin collection schedule in several ways:

• Council will update the "Your Local Area" tool, allowing you to type in your address and see your next bin collections.
• Council will provide an updated bin collection calendar on our website for the whole Shire
• Council is developing a mobile phone app to help remind you which bins to put out each week

From 30 June 2025 the Murrindindi Shire Council Recycling and Bin Information App will be available to download here Bins, Rubbish and Recycling - Murrindindi Shire Council.   You will be able to view, download and print your calendar, set yourself bin reminders and have access to the full A-Z guide on waste disposal.

There are very few changes to the current collection schedules and, where there are changes, residents and businesses will be notified directly.  The collection day for Yea township remains Tuesday. The new Bins, Rubbish and Recycling - Murrindindi Shire Council  App will help residents and businesses keep track of the bin collection day.

The four-bin collection service allows for a lot more waste disposal compared to the current two-bin service. By properly sorting waste into the different bins, most households will have enough space to manage their leftover waste with the fortnightly collection. If you still produce more waste or recycling than the four-bin service can handle, you can request an additional bin from Council for any waste stream.

Additional fees will apply for extra rubbish, recycling, or organics services. However, households with individuals using nappies or generating medical waste can apply for a variation to these charges.

For households that need to dispose of nappies or incontinence products, the standard fortnightly 120-litre bin service can be replaced with an additional 120-litre bin at no extra cost. This can be done at the resident's request, as long as they provide suitable documentation to support their request. Council will keep a record of properties receiving the extra service and will review the need for it every year.

Residents with a chronic illness, disability, or medical needs that cause extra waste can get an additional standard rubbish or recycling bin at no extra cost. This extra bin is only for regular household waste like packaging and incontinence aids. It is not for medical or clinical waste such as sharps, large amounts of blood or urine, human tissue, or items from patients with contagious diseases - these should never go in Council's kerbside bins. This service is not available to businesses, businesses operating in residential properties, or non-residential properties.

Residents can apply for additional bin services from Council. A medical certificate or letter from a registered medical practitioner explaining the need will be requested once you apply. The Medical Exemption will be valid for up to two years, aligned with the financial year. A new medical certificate or letter will be required to continue the service for another two years. If a renewal letter is not provided within eight weeks of a request from the Council, the bin will be removed.

Yes, commercial properties can access the new bin services, but using Council’s collection service is optional.

If a commercial property chooses to use Council’s service, the minimum service includes:

• General rubbish (120L, fortnightly)
• Mixed recycling (120L, fortnightly)
• Glass recycling (120L, every 4 weeks)

These services are already included in current commercial rates and will apply from 30 June 2025.

Businesses can also choose to add extra bins or larger sizes to suit their needs. Optional services and annual charges include:

• General rubbish (extra 120L): $152
• Mixed recycling (240L): $64
• Glass recycling (extra 120L): $37
• Food & garden organics (120L weekly): $150
• Food & garden organics (240L weekly): $300

Commercial properties can also opt out of all Council waste services, and the related charges will be removed from their rates.

The number and type of bins provided will be based on the standard service options available under the new system.

If you need additional bins beyond the standard service, you’ll be able to request them, and extra charges will apply.

You can find the full list of bin service options and prices on the Murrindindi Shire Council website, under Business and Commercial Zoned Properties

There are no changes planned for public street bins. Red and yellow bins will remain, and public place waste will continue to be managed through those existing systems.

There will be six new collection trucks for the four-bin service. While the trucks may look the same, each one will only collect one type of bin per run, just like the current system.

In Murrindindi Shire, recycling and general rubbish is not mixed, each material is collected and processed separately. 

Yes. Council’s Kerbside Collection Policy allows shared or larger bins for multi-unit dwellings, where space is limited.

For example:

• Glass bins can be shared.
• General rubbish and food and garden organics bins can be upsized to 240L and shared between units, if everyone agrees.

Council will assess each request case by case.