What you should know about garden waste in Brisbane

Did you know that about 26% of the average general waste bin for Brisbane households contains garden (or 'green') waste. This means that tonnes of garden waste from residential properties ends up in landfill every year.

What happens when green waste goes to landfill?

Many people incorrectly assume that green waste breaks down easily when buried in landfill. Compacting and burying green waste without oxygen slows breakdown and creates gases like methane and carbon dioxide.

What does this mean for your garden waste?

Your garden waste can help create a cleaner, greener Brisbane instead of just sitting in a landfill. Let's make better use of it for the environment! Recycling produces useful compost that local farmers, park managers, and city gardeners can use.

Top tips for good garden waste disposal

Here are the top 3 ways you can stop wasting your garden waste to landfill.

1. Get a green waste recycling service

Join more than 150,000 homes in Brisbane that already have a green waste bin.

If you're a tenant in a property with a yard, ask your landlord to approve and order a green waste recycling service for you.

Council collects green waste and transports, mulches, and composts it at green waste recycling facilities.

Top green waste bin tips

Cut larger palm fronds down so they fit inside your bin to make collection easier.

The collection service picks up green bins fortnightly, so time your mow with your scheduled bin day. Download the Brisbane Bin and Recycling app to find your green bin collection day and to set-up fortnightly reminders.

Keep your green waste loose. Avoid plastic or compostable bin bags.

Remember, garden waste can get heavy, so watch how much weight you put inside your bin.

Only put plant waste in your green bin. Do not add hoses, plastic plant pots, potting mix bags, and other garden waste.

2. Mulching or home composting

If you produce a small amount of green waste, consider an at-home solution. Mulching and home composting might be the right choice for you.

Start by using green waste on your garden beds as mulch. This is a quick and easy way to reuse garden clippings, retain moisture and reduce watering.

Composting at home is growing in Brisbane with more and more residents starting their own composting systems. Put garden waste and food scraps in a compost bin to create compost to add to your soil.

Top mulching and composting green waste tips

The best mulch uses different materials. Make mulch with lawn clippings, leaves, small twigs, and indoor plant cuttings.

Don't stack your grass clippings around the base of street trees as they can heat and kill the roots at the surface.

Council has a great compost rebate program to help get you started with composting at home.

3. Self-haul to a resource recovery centre

Take your garden waste to one of Council's 4 resource recovery centres.

When you arrive at a resource recovery centre, staff will ask you what type of waste you are carrying. They will then guide you to the right place for recycling or disposal.

Keep in mind that fees apply when you take your waste to a resource recovery centre. However, you can use Council waste vouchers. You can also take part in free green waste recycling drop-off events on selected weekends throughout the year.

Top tips for your trip to the tip

When you arrive, drop off recycling first. If you have waste and green waste, pack recyclable items like paint tins and e-waste last, so you can easily unpack them first.

If you have a trailer, bring a rake or outdoor broom to help move your garden waste from the trailer to the green waste pile more easily.

Did you know?

Council works hard to capture as much landfill gas (greenhouse gases) as possible through horizontal pipes and vertical wells. We monitor landfill gas for quality, quantity, and flow within the extraction system.

Captured gas is converted to green energy and supplied back to the energy grid to power homes. While this uses a by-product of the landfill process, it is better to find ways to recycle green waste. This ensures that the nutrients from our garden waste help our gardens and local environment.