Bin etiquette and your collection

Find out about bin placement and what to do if your bin is broken, stolen or you have a collection issue

Bin etiquette

Bin etiquette and placement is an important part of waste management and helps keep everyone happy.

How can you help? 

  • Place your bin/s out on the kerbside the evening before or prior to 5.00am on collection day.
    Please note: Garbage trucks stop frequently and to avoid unnecessary disruption to the service and danger to both motorists and the garbage collectors, certain roads with high traffic volumes may have their collection start before 5.00am.  
  • Ensure lids are fully closed, as overfull bin/s may not be collected.
  • Do not place rubbish on top of or beside the bin/s.
  • Ensure your bin/s weighs less than 80kg +.
  • Space your bin 0.5m - 1m apart from other bins.
  • Place your bin/s on clear ground at the road verge or on the footpath close to the kerb edge next to your driveway and away from any obstructions, such as vehicles, overhanging trees, electricity poles and letter boxes.   

Please note: It is standard practice for the waste collection vehicles to leave the bin lids open during the collection operation. The purpose of this is to allow the collection team to clearly see areas that have been collected. This practice is effective in increasing the efficiency of collections and reducing the instances of bins being missed.

Collection issues, repairs or replacements

Your recycling and garden organics bin

Should you encounter a collection issue, or need a repair or replacement bin for your recycling bin please report it to Hunter Resource Recovery on 1800 838 884, or for your garden organics bin contact Solo on 1800 870 250 or visit yourorganicsbin.com.au. 

Your waste bin

Waste bins are provided by Council and are allocated to your property, so let us know if any of the following occurs: 

Damaged/broken bin

Should your bin have broken parts (e.g. cracked or missing lids, pins, wheels and/or axles) you can report the issue by phoning our customer experience team or the online report it function, to arrange for repair or replacement of your bin free of charge. 

Stolen bin

If your bin was stolen, first you need to contact the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 to obtain a police event number. Once you have that you can phone the customer experience team to log your stolen bin.

Collection issue

Sometimes bins may not be emptied due to a number of factors. The number one reason is that bins are not presented on the kerbside in time for the collection. In this instance collection will not occur until the next scheduled service. In other instances a brightly coloured sticker detailing the nature of the issue may be attached to the uncollected bin. This may occur if:

  • The bin is overfull or overweight: Overfull bins expose the driver to an increased risk of rubbish falling onto the road or footpath as they complete the service. Overweight bins place excess strain on the trucks and the hydraulic arms cannot physically lift a bin weighing 80kg +. In this instance we will not return to collect and excess waste will need to be disposed of by the resident.
  • The bin is contaminated: Mixing other types of material into your recycling or green waste bin will result in the bin not being collected and the resident being responsible for the disposal of those items. Find out what can be placed into your bin.
  • It is a non-Council bin: Only waste, recycling and green waste bins that are Council issued bins will be collected. Waste in other bins will need to be disposed of by the resident.
  • The number of bins presented didn’t match the provision of waste collection services paid for at your property: Bins presented for collection that are above the quantity of bins identified for your property will not be collected and the resident will be responsible for the disposal of those items.

Cameras are fitted in all vehicles to record collection data and review matters. If your bin happens to not be collected and didn’t have a brightly coloured sticker attached explaining why, this could be because roadworks were taking place, cars were parked in front of the bin, items were stuck in the bin or the bin may have simply been missed. In these instances, please contact the customer experience team to make alternative arrangements.