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
Empowering women and girls through community sport

Empowering women and girls through community sport

It's been a monumental year for women’s sports. More than 11 million people worldwide watched the Matildas make history in the Women’s World Cup semi-final, capturing hearts and going further than any Australian team has gone before. One thing is certain – more women...

Building strong communities one child at a time 

Building strong communities one child at a time 

North Melbourne Children’s Centre coordinator Maree Rabach knows better than most that a solid foundation for young children is the first step to building strong communities.   After 44 years working as an early childhood educator, she has a lifetime of...

Why we love North Melbourne

Why we love North Melbourne

Dynamic North Melbourne is brimming with creativity and community spirit. Facts about North Melbourne Postcode: 3051 Distance from CBD: 3 km north-west Area: 2.37 km² Bounded by: Flemington Road, Victoria Street and Moonee Ponds Creek Local economy: 822 businesses...

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!