Waste & Environment

Whittlesea Council Waste & Environment

How to get rid of waste

In addition to your garbage and recycling bin collection, the City of Whittlesea offers the following waste disposal options:

Optional Food and garden waste bin 

1. Hard rubbish collection – two bookings per year (This includes rental properties)
2. Pre-booked bundled branches collection – weekly
3. Free e-waste and whitegoods disposal at Wollert Landfill and SRS Metals.
4. Free cardboard, car battery, motor oil (up to 20L) recycling at Wollert Landfill
5. Free disposal of x-rays, printer cartridges, household batteries, mobile phones, cameras, DVDs and CDs, fluorescent light globes and small e-waste items like iPods through Council’s Recycling Stations.

In addition, on your annual rates notice Council provides residents with:

• 1 subsidised tip hard waste discount (Hanson Landfill) Please note that a $30 Landfill Levy charge applies
• 4 green waste vouchers (Green Waste Facility)
• 4 timber waste vouchers (Timber Waste Facility)
• 2 brick and rubble waste vouchers (Brick and Rubble Waste Facility)

For more information visit whittlesea.vic.gov.au (see Waste & Environment)

Do you have overfilled bins?

Leaving an overfilled bin out for collection (where a bin lid can’t be closed completely shut) can cause litter. Following local law, residents can receive a fine for overfilled bins that cause litter. To assist residents in complying with local law, here are some options that may help with overfilled bins:

• Buy products with minimal packaging
• Recycle your soft plastic packaging by taking it back to Coles or Woolworths.  Please note soft plastic packaging cannot be recycled through Council’s Recycling bin service.
• Find out what other items can recycled through specialist recycling at A-Z Guide to Waste and Recycling
• Check to see if you are putting the correct items in your recycling bin
• Order a Food and garden waste bin
• If you have too much recycling for your recycling bin, take your excess recycling to the recycling bins at Wollert Landfill
• Donate or sell unwanted good quality household items
• Donate good quality baby and children's equipment and clothing to Big Group Hug.

If you regularly have too much garbage or recycling to fit in your bin, call our Council’s Resource Recovery Officer on 9401 0579 to find out how to reduce waste or order an additional bin. 

Keep your street and local area looking great!

To keep your street looking great: 

• Ensure your waste bin lids are closed when you put them out for collection.  Overfilled bins cause litter and encourage pests and can result in a fine under local law.
• Dob in a dumper and report dumped rubbish
• Pick up just three pieces of rubbish whenever you go out and about.  Join the movement at  take3.org
• Coordinate a community clean up.

For more information contact Council’s Resource Recovery Officer on 9401 0579.

Recycle Right in Whittlesea

Recycling can be tricky, with some Council’s being able to accept items that other Councils can’t. In Whittlesea, the following items are accepted in your kerbside recycling bin:

Plastic bottles and containers: labelled with codes 1 to 5 – no plastic bottle lids

• Cans, tins and foil: scrunch foil into a ball
• Glass bottles and jars: including metal lids
• Cardboard: all non-waxed boxes
• Paper: including newspapers, envelopes and junk mail

Find out what other items can recycled through specialist recycling at A-Z Guide to Waste and Recycling

For more information on what can and can’t be recycled in the City of Whittlesea, visit Council’s website.

Ditch the disposables – use reusables Online Workshop!

Come and join the reusable revolution! Waste wise facilitator Elena, will show us how to ditch the unnecessary disposable items that we use around the home, replacing them with cost-effective reusable versions that will last. This free workshop will be delivered via ZOOM and can be easily accessed at home using a laptop, tablet or smart phone. Participants will be sent the meeting ID and password before the event.

Date: Saturday, 11 July

Time: 10.30am-12noon

One lucky workshop participate will win a $50 voucher from Going Green Solutions to start their own reusable journey. This workshop is only for City of Whittlesea residents. 

Bookings are required! To book, contact Council’s Resource Recovery Officer by email jocelyn.harte@whittlesea.vic.gov.au

Support wildlife by becoming balloon free 

The CSIRO (2016) outlined balloons as being in the top three most harmful pollutants threatening marine wildlife. Every day, balloons are released or accidentally escape from outdoor events where they almost definitely end up in waterways and oceans and can be mistaken by animals for food.

Council run community events are balloon free and it would be great if you would join us. It is easy, just use flags, bunting, banners or blow bubbles instead.  For more information see Melbourne Zoo.