What goes in my bins?
Find out what goes in each bin. Council supplies recycling, general waste and green waste recycling services.
What you need to know
- Empty bottles and containers before placing them in your recycling bin. You don't have to wash them out.
- Leave lids on bottles, containers and jars when placing them in your recycling bin. When lids are not attached to bottles and containers, they are too small to be processed and are therefore discarded to landfill.
- If you require a green waste bin, you can register for the green waste recycling service. If you have a large amount of green waste, you can take it to Council's resource recovery centres.
- Do not put recycling or green waste in a plastic bag before placing it in your recycling or green waste bins.
Ensure that you can close your bin lid
Bins left open, or even slightly ajar, when put out for collection, or inside your property can cause amenity and odour issues to your community.
They can also attract flies, vermin and other animals such as birds or possums that can scatter rubbish.
Download our bin posters
To maximise recycling and waste recovery efforts, you might like to consider installing signs near the bins in your workplace or apartment complex.
Helpful links
Frequently asked questions
Polystyrene cannot be recycled in your yellow-lid recycling bin. However, you can take household quantities (maximum 5 cubic metres) of clean polystyrene to one of Council’s resource recovery centres.
Soft plastics are items like bubble wrap, cling wrap, chip packets and shopping bags. These items cannot go into Council recycling bins and should be placed in your red-lid general waste bin.
Recycle your coffee cups by dropping them off at a participating convenience store or cafe.
You can put coffee cup lids into your home recycling bin.
Pizza boxes can be recycled in Brisbane. Please place them in your yellow-lid recycling bin.
We encourage households to compost food scraps where possible. If you don’t have a compost system, you can find a community composting hub near you. Council also offers a compost rebate program.
If composting isn’t a viable option, you can place food scraps in your general waste bin.
We encourage residents to place green waste in a green waste bin. If you don't have a green waste bin, you can request a new bin. Do not place green waste in your recycling bin.
You can use any green waste, such as grass clippings, as mulch or compost in your garden. If this is not possible, you can place green waste in the red general waste bin.
Did you know Council runs a compost rebate program?
Council issues waste vouchers annually to Brisbane households. These vouchers can be used for green waste recycling at any of Council's resource recovery centres.
You can also place green waste in the green waste bin. If you do not currently have a green waste bin you can register for the green waste recycling service. There is an ongoing fee for this service.
Unfortunately, broken glass is a safety risk to staff at recycling facilities. Please do no place any broken glass in the recycling bin. Broken glass should be wrapped in paper and placed in the general waste bin.
Unused expired medication and unsafe disposal of medication can lead to environmental damage.
Your local community pharmacy offers a free and convenient way to dispose of your unwanted medication responsibly.