The Great Aussie Guide to Safe Waste Disposal at Home

According to a survey by Planet Ark, around 48% of Aussies still don’t know what can and can’t be recycled at home – and that’s just for recycling. We haven’t even covered food compost or batteries or the like. Safe waste disposal is important, but let’s face it, with 537 different local councils in Australia – each with their own set of rules - we can’t blame the average Australian for feeling a little stumped when they step up to the bin. 

In this blog, we’re going to take a crack at explaining safe waste disposal for our readers. Because the more you know, the more you contribute to the solutions instead of the problems!

The Basics of Everyday Waste

The first thing you need to know about the Aussie waste system is that the system itself is quite literally still being built. Brisbane only started swapping their old dark green/grey lids to red (for general waste) in April 2025. And we’re only just starting to get consistent colour coding across the nation thanks to The National Kerbside Collections Roadmap. Basically, what we’re saying is; if you’re confused, you get a pass (for now!).

General Waste (Red Lid)

For most Aussie councils, the red-lidded bin is for general waste. But here at Ecobin, we prefer to call it the landfill bin – because that’s really what it is. Everything that’s thrown in that bin ends up in the ground. In our soil. For this reason, we should treat the red bin with caution, only using it when our waste fails to fit into another waste stream.

What goes in the general waste bin?

• Nappies

• Broken crockery/ceramics

• Polystyrene/foam

• Hygiene products

• Pet waste (cat litter, dog poop, etc)

• Soft plastics

A common mistake with general waste is that people toss a lot in here that should actually go into recycling or organics. One council found that 66% of waste in general rubbish was food and garden waste. The truth is that if you’re waste sorting correctly, general waste should be the smallest waste stream in your house. 

Mixed Recycling (Yellow Lid)

The yellow-lidded mixed recycling bin causes more confusion than any other waste stream. But we need to make one thing clear – don’t just put anything in the yellow bin and hope that it’ll be recycled. Seriously. This is something we call ‘wishcycling’ and it is a very real issue that our waste system is facing. 

What can actually go in the recycling bin?

• Rigid plastics

• Glass bottles and jars (except in areas with a purple bin)

• Aluminium and steel cans

• Paper and cardboard

• Milk and juice cartons.

Note: Unsure what a ‘rigid plastic’ is? Try the scrunch test: if you squish plastic and it springs back, it’s rigid and likely recyclable. 

How do we avoid contaminating the recycling bin?

• Don’t chuck in soft plastics (think bread bags, cling wrap, chip packets), these tangle machinery at recycling centres and can contaminate entire loads.

• Give your rigid plastic containers and glass jars a wash before popping them in. They don’t need to be spotless, just empty.

• Separate the lid and base of your pizza boxes. This is a big one. Cardboard can (and should) be recycled – but cardboard covered in pizza grease can not. So we suggest tearing your grease-free pizza box lids from the bases. Lids go in the recycling, bases go in organics or landfill (yes, cardboard can be composted!).

• The coffee cup from your local cafe can’t be recycled (in most cases). This is due to the pesky plastic linings inside them. They have to go in landfill – so buy a keepcup!

Organics (Green Lid)

The green-lidded bin is for food and garden organics – also known as FOGO. This is probably the most underused bin in Australia. Over half of household food waste ends up in general waste, destined for landfill, when it could have been composted! 

What goes in the organics bin?

• Fruit and veg scraps (including peels)

• Meat, fish and dairy scraps (including bones and shells)

• Bread, rice, pasta and other cooked food

• Coffee grounds and tea bags (check yours aren't lined with plastic first)

• Garden clippings, leaves and small branches

• Greasy pizza box bases and food-soiled cardboard

One important note: not all councils have FOGO yet. Some green bins are garden waste only – read: no food scraps allowed. Check your local council's website to see what applies to you. If your area does offer FOGO, most councils will supply a kitchen caddy to collect scraps on the bench before transferring them to the big bin. But only use newspaper or compostable liners, please.

Glass Recycling (Purple Lid)

The purple-lidded bin is for glass only. The purple bin is found in several parts of Victoria, but will be statewide by 2027. If you’re reading this outside of Victoria and thinking “Why on Earth is there a purple-lidded glass bin?” — this bin was created because broken glass in recycling contaminates everything else. If you’re reading that and thinking “Well, why don’t we have one yet?” – don't worry, your time will come. 

What goes in the purple bin?

• Glass bottles (wine, beer, spirits, olive oil, etc.)

• Glass jars and containers (jam, pasta sauce, condiments, etc.)

That’s it really. You can keep labels on, but give your jars a wash and remove lids from everything. And before you try it, no – mirrors, Pyrex, and windows are not allowed in your standard glass recycling. It melts at a different temperature and buggers everything up. 

What Can’t Go In Regular Bins?

Some things should never go in any of your kerbside bins. Here’s where to safely dispose of those ‘irregular’ types of waste.

Why Proper Waste Stream Sorting Is the Foundation of Safe Waste Disposal

Righto, now that’s out of the way, we need to talk about why we keep rabbiting on about waste sorting. 

It’s so tantalisingly easy to throw our rubbish in any old bin and pretend that that’s the end of the line. But we all know it’s not. 

When waste sorting goes wrong, it’s bad for everyone. 

• Poor general waste sorting clogs up our landfills, polluting our country’s soil, and costing us billions of dollars a year. 

• Poor recycling sorting means recycling machines get clogged up and batches are ruined, again costing billions and polluting our soil. 

• Poor organics sorting is one of the worst of all, as decomposing food in landfill releases methane into our atmosphere, a greenhouse gas 28x more potent than CO2. 
  
  

We know, ‘bad habits = bad’. We’re sure you’ve heard it before. But the solution is incredibly easy once it’s in place. 

Enter: Colour-coded bins. 

Colour-coded bins have been proven time and time again to drastically improve recycling and composting rates. They take away the confusion for people who don’t understand. They give people a reason to care when they otherwise wouldn’t. That’s what we’re trying to do here at Ecobin; reduce confusion, get people to care. 

Safe waste disposal isn’t as complicated as it first may seem. All it really takes is the right setup. And we can certainly help with that. 

Grab a set of fully recyclable bins that’ll last up to 10 years for your home today. You can check out the rest of the range here.