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Food waste recycling service
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The food waste recycling service will be paused from 1 July 2024.
This trial has provided insight into our city’s food waste behaviours, which will help inform future planning for an expanded food waste recycling service.
From 1 July 2024 until further notice, food waste will no longer be accepted in the green waste recycling bin of residents who live in the participating suburbs.
Find out what you can put in your green waste recycling bin from 1 July 2024 in the 'yes' and 'no dropdowns below.
Yes - throw in
- grass clippings
- small garden prunings from shrubs and trees (offcuts, roots, tubers)
- palm fronds, twigs, small branches, leaves and loose bark
- weeds, ivy, creepers and vines (including noxious weeds as the recycling process destroys seeds within the final composted material).
No - keep out
- cat litter
- animal droppings
- general waste
- glass
- plastic - all types (e.g. plastic bags, compostable bags, wrappers, containers)
- packaging
- cardboard
- clothing and other fabric
- food
- metal (e.g. cans, kitchen appliances, pots, pans)
- logs, large branches, or stumps wider than 10 centimetres
- paper - all types (e.g. paper towel, tissues, deli paper, newspaper)
- rocks and stones
- soil
- timber - all types (e.g. construction materials, wooden furniture, offcuts)
- bamboo
- bioplastics.
Tips for use
- Never bag green waste before placing in the green waste recycling bin.
- Items should be no larger than 10 centimetres in diameter and 75 centimetres in length.
- Keep the bin closed at all times by cutting down long palm fronds and other oversized green waste items.
- Ensure the bin does not exceed 70 kg. Heavy bins are too difficult for the waste truck to lift.
For large volumes of green waste, consider using a garden bag collection service or Council’s resource recovery centres which accept green waste.
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Composting at home
Garden waste and fruit and vegetable scraps can be composted at home to improve your garden's health.
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Top tips to choose and use a kitchen caddy
Looking for other ways you can avoid food waste? Use this blog to find out how you can repurpose the food waste recycling service kitchen caddy.
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Want to know more?
If you were previously involved in the food waste recycling service, comments and queries can be submitted here up until 31 July 2024.
About the service
What are the changes happening to the food waste recycling service?
The food waste recycling service will be paused from 1 July 2024.
Why is the food waste recycling service being paused?
Council will continue its commitment for a clean and sustainable city but needs to better understand the complexities of providing a food waste recycling city-wide service. Council will continue to promote the green waste recycling service, to ensure that we are providing not only the best value services for our customers, but sustainable ones as well.
My household is located within the participation area, what do I do with my food waste now?
All food waste can still be collected with your food waste caddy and be used at home in your own home compost bin or worm farm or be taken to your nearest Community Composting Hub. If composting at home or in the community is not an option, food waste should go in the general waste bin.
What can I place in my green waste recycling bin from 1 July 2024?
Only green waste, like lawn clippings and pruning’s, are placed into your green waste recycling bin. Find out more.
Will there be any changes to how my green waste recycling bin is collected?
No. Your green waste recycling bin will still be collected on the normal fortnightly schedule. To find out what day your green waste recycling bin is collected visit our bin collection calendar available online or on the free Brisbane Bin and Recycling app.
What happens to the food waste caddy residents currently own?
Residents who have already received a food waste caddy are encouraged to keep and continue to use the caddy for their own at home composting or worm farming or to transport food scraps to their nearest Community Composting Hub. The caddy supplied by Council is made from recycled materials. If the caddy breaks it can be recycled by placing it in your yellow recycling bin.
What are other programs offered by Council about composting?
Council provides the Compost Rebate Program and the Community Composting Hubs. Program to help residents compost at home or in the community.
I want to learn more about food waste avoidance, what is available?
Option one - Reducing waste and increasing recycling to create a clean and sustainable Brisbane starts at home. Learn more about avoiding food waste in Brisbane and simple changes you can make to save money.
Option two - There are many resources available for Brisbane residents to learn more about food waste avoidance and the simple changes you can make at home to save money and reduce waste. Find tips and tricks on how to plan, prepare and store your food to help reduce the volume of food waste going to Brisbane landfill each year.
When will the food waste recycling service resume?
We will continue to regularly monitor and assess food waste disposal in Brisbane to determine the best path forward for a food waste recycling service. In the interim, we will continue to invest in our other food waste initiatives and trials such as our rebates for home compost bins and worm farms, and our rebates for in-sink food disposal systems and food waste dehydrators.
More information
- Compost and organic recycling - find other ways to start recycling your food waste
- Love Food Hate Waste - save money by preventing food from going to waste
- Phone Council on 07 3403 8888