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What Can Go in the Green Waste Bin?
Green waste includes everyday garden leftovers like grass, weeds, flower clippings, hedge trimming and other garden plant waste. As it’s organic, it breaks down naturally and can be recycled into compost or mulch instead of ending up in a landfill. Green waste disposal allows sorting of your green waste properly. Using your council-provided green waste bin correctly helps keep recycling streams clean and allows councils to turn garden material into something useful for the soil.
In this blog, you’ll learn what belongs in your green bin, and what doesn’t.
What Can You Put in Your Green Waste Bin?
To create an effective green waste disposal system, multiple bins are designed for specific types of rubbish. Here is the list of things that can go in the green waste bin:
- Branches and small twigs
- Grass clippings
- Leaves
- Weeds
- Hedge and shrub cuttings
- Garden prunings
- Flowers and dead plants
- Bark and wood chips
- Coffee grounds
Some councils with FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) services may also allow food scraps and compostable liners. Always check your local council’s guidelines before adding these items.
What You Cannot Put in Your Green Waste Bin?
Green bins are for organic waste only. Other materials can contaminate loads and may lead to fines or rejected collections. Hence, you shouldn’t dispose of the following items in a bin for organic waste:
- Plastic bags or packaging
- General or household rubbish
- Treated or painted wood and timber
- Soil, dirt, and rocks
- Hazardous waste
- Chemicals, paint, and oil
- Non-compoundable or “biodegradable” plastics
When in doubt, leave it out.
Tips for Using the Green Waste Bin
Green waste bins collect organic garden materials, which helps reduce landfill contamination and limit methane emissions. Using your bin the right way makes clean-ups quicker and helps your council recycle more efficiently. Here’s what you can do:
Sort First
You should keep garden trimmings and leafy greens separate from general rubbish. When green waste stays clean, it’s far easier to recycle. A quick look at what counts as green rubbish helps you keep things clear on what goes where.
Stick to Garden Materials
Avoid tossing in questionable items. Even small amounts of plastic or treated wood can ruin an entire load.
Choose the right Size Skip Bin
Choosing the wrong skip bin size can make your clean-up difficult. If you’re doing a big backyard tidy-up, hiring the correct bin size prevents overflow and extra trips to the tip.
Play Around the Seasons
Autumn leaves and spring pruning can pile up fast. Booking a bin during these periods keeps your yard neat and manageable.
Need a Skip Bin for Extra Garden Waste?
Council green bins are suitable for regular household garden waste. However, for larger projects such as landscaping, major tree pruning, or property clean-ups, a private skip bin hire service may be more suitable. Handy Dumpers provides skip bin hire across the Western Suburbs of Melbourne for bulk green waste and other materials. Our pickup dates are also flexible, so you don’t need to do your gardening or complete it before the next pickup date—you can arrange it for the middle of the week as well!
Give us a call on 0409 139 997 or fill out our online form today. Alternatively, you can drop us an email at mj.burgess@hotmail.com to book your bin.