Kerbside Services - Sorell Council

Garbage

Council provides weekly kerbside garbage collection for domestic waste.

✅ What You CAN Put in Your Garbage Bin

Food scraps
Disposable nappies
Small broken household items (e.g. china, glassware)
Plastic bags, garbage bags, and non-recyclable plastic or food packaging

❌ What You CANNOT Put in Your Garbage Bin

The following items are not accepted and must be disposed of separately:

Building materials
Batteries (Use the Recycling Hub at Council or take to Mornington Park Waste Transfer Station)
Chemicals (e.g. caustics, acids, solvents)
Gas Bottles (This can be taken to Mornington Park Waste Transfer Station)
Medical waste (including sharps – Can be taken to the Council Offices)
Medicines and drugs (Can be taken to the Council Offices)
Heavy metals
Herbicides and pesticides
Dyes and colourants
Tyres (This can be taken to Mornington Park Waste Transfer Station)
Glues and adhesives
Asbestos
Recyclable packaging (place in your yellow-lid recycling bin)

Important Waste Collection Guidelines

Help us ensure smooth and safe waste collection by following these tips:

Number your bin to help prevent loss or theft.
Remove bins from the kerb as soon as possible after they’ve been emptied.
Bag all items—especially dust and loose waste—to prevent spillage and jamming.
Bins are for domestic waste only (food scraps and non-recyclables).
Do not place bricks, heavy timber, or metal in the bin—these may damage collection equipment.
Do not place extra rubbish on top of or next to the bin.

Tips to Ensure Your Bin Is Collected

Place your bin out the night before collection, or by 6am on collection day.
Leave at least 1 metre of space between bins and nearby objects (e.g. trees, poles).
Bins must be facing the road, with handles facing your property.
Don’t place bins behind parked cars or other obstructions.
Do not overload your bin—the lid must be fully closed for safe collection.

Recycling

Council provides fortnightly kerbside recycling collection for domestic households.
Recycling is collected on the same day as your garbage collection.

To recycle correctly, please refer to these helpful resources:

♻️ What You CAN Put in Your Recycling Bin

Use your recycling bin as a first choice for disposing of recyclable materials to help reduce landfill waste:

Paper
Cardboard
Plastic bottles and containers
Steel food cans and empty aerosol cans
Aluminium cans, foil, and empty aerosol cans
Glass bottles and jars

Important:
Do not place recyclables inside plastic bags. Loose items only, please.

🚫 What You CANNOT Put in Your Recycling Bin

The following items must not be placed in your recycling bin:

General household or garden waste
Ceramics, cookware, cutlery, or pottery
Plastic bags
Window glass or broken glass
Clothing, fabric, or shoes
Oil, acid, or chemical containers
Nappies
Asbestos

⚠️ Recycling Contamination

Placing incorrect items in your recycling bin is called contamination. If your bin is contaminated, it may not be collected, and it could result in an entire truckload of recyclables being sent to landfill.

Plastic bags are the most common contaminant. These must not be placed in your recycling bin. Instead, you should:

Reuse them where possible
Return them to a participating supermarket recycling station
Or dispose of them in your garbage bin

Help us recycle right—your actions make a difference!

Recycling Collection Reminders

Number your bin to prevent loss or theft
Remove your bin promptly after collection
Place bins out the night before or by 6am on collection day
Keep 1 metre of space between bins and objects (e.g. fences, trees, poles)
Ensure the bin faces the road, with handles facing your property
Don’t overload the bin—the lid must be fully closed
Do not place bins behind parked vehicles or obstacles

FOGO

Council provides a fortnightly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside collection for eligible domestic households.

FOGO is collected in your green-lid bin, on the same day as your regular garbage collection.

The FOGO service commenced in July 2026, expanding the existing green waste collection service to include food organics.

This service helps reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfill by turning food and garden waste into a useful resource through composting.

The FOGO service is available to residential properties in the following land use zones:

General Residential
Low Density
Rural Living Zone A
Village

Check If You’re in the Collection Area

To confirm whether your property is included in the collection zone, please refer to the following maps:

✅ What You CAN Put in Your FOGO Bin

Food organics

Fruit and vegetable scraps
Meat and bones
Dairy products
Bread, pasta and rice
Coffee grounds and tea leaves
Eggshells

Garden organics

Lawn clippings
Leaves
Weeds
Garden prunings
Small branches

Other accepted items

Paper bags, Paper towel
Uncoated paper and cardboard suitable for composting

🚫 What You CANNOT Put in Your FOGO Bin

Plastic bags or plastic liners
Compostable or biodegradable plastic bags
Soft plastics or plastic packaging
Household garbage
Plant pots
Treated or painted timber
Bricks, rocks, sand or soil
Large stumps and logs
Other non-organic materials

Kitchen Caddies

Households with a FOGO service receive a 7-litre kitchen caddy to make collecting food scraps inside the home easier.

You can place food scraps directly into your caddy or use a paper bag /paper towel to line the caddy to help keep it clean.

When your caddy is full, empty the contents into your green-lid FOGO bin.

Important FOGO Collection Guidelines

To help us provide safe and efficient collection, please follow these requirements:

Number your bin lid to help prevent loss or theft.
Remove bins from the kerb as soon as possible after collection.
Do not place green waste beside or on top of the bin.
Ensure no loose or oversized items prevent the bin from emptying properly.

Tips to Ensure Your Bin Is Collected

Place your bin out the night before collection, or by 6am on collection day.
Leave at least 1 metre of space between your bins and any nearby obstacles (e.g. poles, trees).
Bins must be facing the road, with handles facing your property.
Do not place your bin behind parked cars or other obstructions.
Ensure the bin is not overloaded and the lid is fully closed.

Why FOGO?

FOGO helps divert food and garden waste from landfill, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and turning organic material into a valuable compost resource.

Driver Assist Service

If you’re having difficulty placing your wheelie bins out for collection, Council offers a Driver Assist Service through our Waste Contractor.

No additional fees apply for this service.
However, you must submit an application to Council along with a medical certificate from your doctor.

To be eligible:

A medical condition must prevent you from safely moving your bins.
The Waste Contractor must be able to safely access and service your bins from your property.

To apply or learn more:
Call us on 03 6269 0000
Or submit an enquiry via our Contact Us page

Waste Collection from Multi Unit Development

Council has a dedicated policy to guide both developers and residents of multi-unit developments on how waste collection services are managed.

You can read the full policy here: Guidelines for Multi-Unit Developments
(Refer to pages 9–19 for specific information on waste collection requirements.)

This document outlines important details including:

Bin placement and storage
Shared bin arrangements
Collection point access requirements
Responsibilities of developers and body corporates

If you’re planning or living in a multi-unit development, reviewing these guidelines is essential to ensure compliance and efficient waste service delivery.