MELBOURNE NEWS

Community

How to manage your food and garden waste

29 June 2022

Around half of the waste produced by the average City of Melbourne household is made up of food and garden organics.

That’s why we’re working hard to divert this nutrient-rich material from landfill, where it would produce harmful gases and contribute to climate change.

Since we launched our Food and Garden Organics Service in June 2021, we’ve collected 164,000 bin-loads from 23,000 households, diverting 1165 tonnes from landfill.

All residential properties in the municipality of up to five storeys now have a food and garden organic collection. A pilot to explore collection options for taller buildings is underway.

Here are some of the items that can and can’t go in the new green-lidded bins.

Yes

  • Council-approved kitchen caddy liners
  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Bread, rice and pasta
  • Leftover food scraps
  • Spoiled or rotten food
  • Solid dairy products (butter, cheese)
  • Meat, fish and bones
  • Soft-shell seafood (prawns, shrimps, crayfish, lobsters, small crabs)
  • Loose coffee grounds and tea leaves
  • Eggshells
  • Garden, grass cuttings and weeds
  • Cut flowers and leaves
  • Straw and hay
  • Wooden icy pole sticks, wooden chopsticks, toothpicks, skewers
  • Human hair and animal hair
  • Dryer lint

No

  • Biodegradable and compostable bags and packaging (only use council-approved caddy liners)
  • Recyclables and hard plastic
  • Soft plastics (bags, cling wrap, chip packets)
  • Tea bags
  • Coffee pods, compostable cups and coffee cups (including items marked as biodegradable)
  • Liquids (including cooking oil)
  • Hard seafood shells (mussels, oysters, pipis and large crabs)
  • String, twine, ties, rope and metal wire
  • Cotton wool balls and buds
  • Pet poo and litter
  • Vacuum dust
  • Fireplace ash

Did you know?

We are trialling the use of the processed organic compost on trees in Kensington with the view to using it more broadly across Melbourne.

For more information, visit Food and garden waste.

Share this story

You may also like
Young and old find their flow in Fawkner Park

Young and old find their flow in Fawkner Park

Meet the four-year-olds and older people who do tai chi together in South Yarra once a month. They’re keeping ageism at bay. Anticipation flutters through a group of tai chi students on a misty Thursday morning in Fawkner Park. All eyes are on the pre-schoolers who...

Celebrating our extraordinary Melburnians

Celebrating our extraordinary Melburnians

Entries are now open for the City of Melbourne's prestigious Melbourne Awards. For more than 20 years, we have celebrated inspirational individuals and organisations who have made a positive and valuable contribution to our city through the Melbourne Awards.Each year,...

Big win for beloved Kensington Neighbourhood House

Big win for beloved Kensington Neighbourhood House

Pop into Kensington Neighbourhood House for a warm welcome and take your pick from more than 99 inclusive events every week. The packed program brings together more than 1000 people from 70 countries each year to connect, learn and create. It relieves social isolation...

Passionate volunteers spread joy in Melbourne

Passionate volunteers spread joy in Melbourne

Celebrate the changemaking volunteers who help make Melbourne tick this National Volunteer Week. Then browse volunteer opportunities to enrich your life with friendship and purpose year-round. Whether you love sharing dining and entertainment tips with city visitors,...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep up with what's happening in the City of Melbourne by subscribing to the Melbourne newsletter.

You have successfully subscribed!