Victoria
Where does it go in VIC?
The short answer
In Victoria, kerbside lids are red (general rubbish), yellow (mixed recycling), purple (glass recycling) and lime (FOGO). E-waste has been banned from landfill since 1 July 2019. Drink containers earn 10c through CDS Vic since 1 November 2023. Some VIC supermarkets host a soft-plastics bin; check before you drive. Household chemicals: Detox Your Home.
Waste rules are state and council law, not national. These are the VIC facts that change the answer.
What is different in VIC?
Kerbside bins Red lid — general rubbishYellow lid — mixed recyclingPurple lid — glass recyclingLime green lid — FOGO Victoria has a legislated state-wide four-bin standard with standardised lid colours, but the rollout is staged and not every council has every bin yet. A separate glass service is due in all local government areas by 2027 and food and garden organics by 2030, so check what your council currently collects.
E-waste Banned from landfill · 1 July 2019 The ban covers any item with a plug, battery or power cord: televisions, computers, mobile phones, e-cigarettes, battery-operated toys, kitchen appliances and white goods. Drop-offs are council transfer stations and resource recovery centres, plus B-cycle for loose batteries, MobileMuster for phones and the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme. Source: www.vic.gov.au.
Container refund CDS Vic · 10c Running since 1 November 2023. Most aluminium, glass, plastic and carton drink containers between 150ml and 3 litres, with size limits by category. Plain milk, cordial and syrup concentrate, wine, spirits, cask wine, health tonics and anything under 150ml are excluded. More than 600 refund points statewide, as reverse vending machines, depots, over-the-counter points and pop-ups. Source: cdsvic.org.au.
Soft plastics Check your supermarket Woolworths hosts soft-plastics bins at more than 700 stores nationally, but not in every area.
Household chemicals Detox Your Home Free household chemical collection events run with local councils across Victoria, plus permanent sites taking household batteries and fluorescent lights.
Verge collections Council by council Hard waste is not universal in Victoria. Councils run it as a scheduled kerbside pick-up for the whole municipality or as an on-call booking, and some run none at all. Check your council for current dates.
Find a drop-off Council waste and recycling services, all 79 Victorian councils (archived Sustainability Victoria page) Use the state's locator for current drop-off points.
Where does it go in Melbourne?
Twenty things a clear-out turns up. Items marked as varying have a VIC-specific page; the rest are the same everywhere.
- Batteries where to recycle batteries Melbourne
- Books, DVDs & CDs where to donate books Melbourne
- Car batteries where to dispose of a car battery australia
- Clothes & textiles where to donate clothes Melbourne
- Coffee pods how to recycle coffee pods australia
- Drink containersVIC container deposit VIC what can I return
- Electronics & screensVIC e-waste disposal Melbourne
- Furniture & mattressesVIC mattress disposal Melbourne
- Gas bottles how to dispose of gas bottles australia
- Glasses where to donate old glasses australia
- Kids' toys & gear can you donate a car seat australia
- Kitchenware & glass can you recycle drinking glasses australia
- Medicines & sharps how to dispose of old medication australia
- Mobile phones where to recycle old mobile phones australia
- Paint & chemicalsVIC paint disposal Melbourne
- Paperwork & documents how long to keep tax records australia
- Printer cartridges where to recycle printer cartridges australia
- Sentimental things how to declutter sentimental items
- Soft plasticsVIC soft plastics recycling VIC
- Tyres how to dispose of old tyres australia
Need it gone in Melbourne?
Compare council collection, drop-off, recycling and pickup options.
- Furniture furniture removal Melbourne
- Green waste green waste removal Melbourne
- A whole house, cleared deceased estate clearance Melbourne
- A mattress mattress removal Melbourne
- Help to declutter professional organiser Melbourne
- A skip bin skip bin hire Melbourne
- Whitegoods & e-waste fridge removal Melbourne
Which bins go out this week?
Set your collection day once and the VIC bin night tool works out every week after, including which fortnight you're in.