Bin items
Brisbane City Council has three different bins for household waste disposal:
- Recycling
- Green waste
- Landfill (general waste).
Use this page to find out what you can put in and must keep out of each type of Council bin.
What can I put in my bins?
Recycling bin
| Yes, place these items in | No, don't place these items in |
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1 Most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel, and liquid paperboard drink containers are eligible for the 10 cent refund under the Containers for Change program. You will be asked to remove the lids.
2 Household batteries can be dropped off at your nearest B-cycle drop-off point, including any of Council's resource recovery centres. For smoke alarms (both ionisation and photoelectric) with removable batteries, remove the battery from the case and take to your nearest B-cycle drop-off point. Dispose of the smoke alarm case (without the battery) in the general waste bin.
3 Medical blister packs can be recycled with Pharmacycle.
4 Terracycle, Nespresso and other specialist recyclers offer coffee pod recycling programs.
5 Cookware (pots and pans) can be dropped off for recycling at participating Myer stores, located in the kitchen section.
6 Hard plastics can be recycled at Council's resource recovery centres.
7 Return your cartridge to the supplier/manufacturer for a refill or drop off for recycling at your local Officeworks store.
8 Clean polystyrene packaging blocks, without any tape or glue, can be recycled at Council's resource recovery centres. Polystyrene trays cannot be recycled, this includes black trays often used for meat, fruit and vegetables. Avoid this type of packaging by buying loose produce.
9 Toothpaste tubes can be dropped off for recycling with TerraCycle.
10 Wetsuits can be recycled with RipCurl.
Keep lids on
Leave lids on plastic bottles and containers when placing them in your recycling bin. Plastic bottles and containers should be squashed to let the air out first before the lids are placed back on. This helps to free up space in your recycling bin and ensures the lid is recycled with the bottle.
Leave metal lids on glass jars.
Lids that are too small to be processed at the recovery facility are discarded to landfill.
More information
Empty bottles and containers before placing them in your recycling bin. You don't have to wash them out.
If you have additional recycling, you can:
- order a larger recycling bin (free upgrade)
- drop-off your recyclables for free at one of Council's resource recovery centres.
Watch the recycling video on the Visy website.
Download the free Brisbane Bin and Recycling app to find out how to improve your recycling at home.
Other tools to help you recycle more
Green waste recycling bin
| Yes to these items | No to these items |
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Note - green waste should be no larger than 10cm in diameter and 75cm in length. |
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Visit Green waste recycling service for more information.
Help us wipe out weeds with tips on how to control weeds on Council's online weed identification tool.
For large volumes of green waste, consider using a garden bag collection service.
Do not put green waste in a plastic bag before placing it in your green waste recycling bin.
Council's resource recovery centres also accept green waste.
General waste bin
| Yes, place these items in | No, don't place these items in |
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Never place batteries or electronic products in any of your bins!
All battery types and electronic products can cause fires in collection trucks, at Council’s resource recovery centres and at recycling facilities. They are an environmental and health hazard, and can cause costly damages to waste infrastructure. To recycle:
- Take batteries to B-cycle drop-off points at Council's resource recovery centres, Aldi, Coles, Woolworths, Officeworks, Bunnings stores and more
- Take e-waste to Council's resource recovery centres, Officeworks and more
- Take mobile phones to MobileMuster drop-off points at Council's resource recovery centres, Council libraries, Woolworths, Optus, Vodafone, Telstra stores and more.
11 Blister packs can be recycled with Pharmacycle.
12 Nespresso offers a coffee pod recycling program and Terracycle also recycles a number of coffee pod brands.
13 Animals larger than the size of a possum cannot be placed in the general waste bin. Phone Council on 07 3403 8888 to request collection of a dead animal.
14 Take unwanted or expired medicines to participating pharmacies for safe disposal.
15 Clean polystyrene packaging blocks, without any tape or glue, can be recycled at resource recovery centres. Polystyrene trays such as black trays used for meat, fruit and vegetables cannot be recycled. Avoid polystyrene trays by buying loose produce.
16 Toothpaste tubes can be dropped off for recycling with TerraCycle.
17 Take batteries to your nearest B-cycle drop-off point, including any of Council's resource recovery centres. For smoke alarms (both ionisation and photoelectric) with removable batteries, remove the battery from the case and recycle separately. The smoke alarm case can go in the general waste bin. If the battery can’t be removed, recycle at Council’s resource recovery centres.
Books in good condition can be donated to Council's Treasure Troves via our resource recovery centres.
Paint can be taken to the recycling shed at Council's resource recovery centres. Aerosol paint cans, along with other flammable items can only be taken to Council's free household hazardous waste drop-off days.
Make sure you close your bin lid.
Signage
To maximise recycling and waste recovery efforts, consider installing signs near bins in your workplace or apartment complex to show what can and can't be placed in bins.
You could also use these signs – or make your own – for your home, to make sorting easier into your:
- yellow lid bin (recycling)
- red lid bin (landfill)
- resource recovery centres (e-waste, textiles etc)
- charity shops (clothes, furniture etc)
- 10 cents bottle returns.
Resource recovery centres
You can drop off a wide range of recyclable items for free at the recycling shed at any of Council's four resource recovery centres.
Close your rubbish bin lids
Your rubbish bin lids – general, recycle, green waste – must be kept firmly closed at all times, unless when you are placing rubbish in or removing it from the bin.
Bins left open, or even slightly ajar, 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. For tips on managing waste to prevent nuisance, see the Management of waste odour, flies and vermin page.
Council may issue fines to repeat offenders who leave their rubbish bin lids open.
Relevant law: Health, Safety and Amenity Local Law 2021
Your responsibilities
You are responsible for ensuring your rubbish bins or other waste container lids remains closed at all times, except when you are placing rubbish in and taking it out. Council may issue on-the-spot fines if you do not have a reasonable excuse for not keeping your bin closed.
Lodging a complaint
In most cases, the best way to resolve an issue is through polite and productive communication with the property owner or occupier. If you haven’t already spoken with your neighbour about their rubbish bin lid being left open, we strongly recommend you try this approach first. Often, residents do not realise they are causing an issue to their neighbours.
Council has also developed a letterbox-drop template which you may wish to use - simply print out the form, fill in your details (if you wish) and place it in your neighbour’s letterbox.
When investigating complaints about waste containers being left uncovered, Council considers:
- the day of service (the day of collection)
- how long the bins are left uncovered
- how often the bins are left uncovered
- any impacts the uncovered waste is having on the surrounding community.
To lodge a complaint about a bin being left uncovered:
- phone Council on 07 3403 8888
- email Council.
Please note that Council will send letters to both you and the occupier of the property with the bins to give them an opportunity to address the matter themselves before further actions are taken. This letter will also provide you with a Further Information Request Form which you will be required to fill out should the issue be ongoing and you wish the complaint to progress further.