Please place your bins out at the kerb by 5am as services can occur anytime between 5am and 6pm and may change from week to week without notice. Where it’s safe, place bins out the night before. Make sure your bin is not too heavy or overfull.
After collection, bring the bins back onto your property. Bins must not remain on the kerbside for more than 24 hours before or after collection as penalties may apply.
Kerbside wheelie bin collection continues on public holidays and during wet weather. Place bins out the night before, or by 5am on the collection day as collection times can change without notice.
How to position bins
Position bins about 1 metre apart from other bins and obstacles like trees, poles and signs and no more than 1 metre from the kerb. In cul-de-sacs, place bins about 1 metre from the gutter to allow trucks to turn.
Avoid placing bins under low branches or wires. Make sure bins are easily accessible for the collection arms, not behind obstacles and in front of your property boundary.
Handles should face away from the road towards your house.
Public holiday collections
There are no public holidays for our kerbside waste collection service. Collection is completed Monday to Friday including all public holidays.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day
If your collection falls on Christmas day or Boxing Day it will commence earlier than normal. It is recommended that your bins are placed out the night before.
Show holidays
Residents living around any of the Region's showgrounds may experience changed collection times due to an increase in traffic. We recommend that you place your bins out the night before and where possible, place them on the edge of your driveway next to the kerbside so that the truck can reach them if a car parks in front.
Anzac Day
To avoid marches and dawn services, the route taken by the waste trucks may change. It is recommended that your bins are placed out the night before.
Bin collection during wet weather or flooding
Wet weather and localised flooding can affect our wheelie bin services in some parts of our region. Some roads are often impassable when wet as our trucks are heavy, the road may not be sealed, there is water over the road or a bridge is flooded.
If we can't get into your area to service your bin, please leave your bin out if it is safe to do so. Our contractors will return to service bins as soon as possible.
Use our online tool to find your bin day.
You can also print out a hardcopy and mark your collection day:
Wheelie bins are not owned by the property owner, instead, they are supplied by us. You can arrange for us to repair or replace your damaged or stolen bin for free. We don't recommend making any repairs to your own wheelie bins.
After you report your damaged bin, we will ask you to place it out on the kerbside. Our contractors will not enter your property to get the bin unless you have a pre-approved assisted waste collection service.
Request bin repair Report stolen or lost bin
We don't fix or replace bins that you have purchased from a hardware store or bins that are not allocated to your property by us.
Missed collection
If your bin pickup is missed check the following:
- The bin was placed out for service before 5am.
- The bin isn't overfull. Bins must only be filled to the top so that the lid can close properly. This ensures waste is contained within the bin until pickup time and the lift mechanism of the trucks can operate.
- The bin isn't too heavy. This is so that the lift mechanism on trucks are not damaged.
- The bin doesn't contain items longer than 50cm.
If your bin has any of these issues, you will need to fix this before the next wheelie bin pickup.
You can lodge a missed service request online.
Missed bin service
Partially emptied bins
Bins can be partially emptied for a variety of reasons including:
- Polystyrene or cardboard placed in the bin in large pieces causing a blockage. Waste underneath it often cannot be shaken out by our trucks. Lightweight items should be placed at the top of the bin. Break the items into smaller pieces.
- Large and/or light items at the bottom of the bin often jam a bin.
- Waste may be wet or damp or tightly compacted.
Make sure your waste is loose and can be easily emptied. If your bin is tightly compacted or jammed by oversized items, we may charge a fee to return to your property and empty the bin.
You can lodge a request for the truck to reservice your bin.
Missed bin service
Overfilled or overweight bins
Excess weight or excess capacity such as overflowing bins or extra waste placed next to the bin, can't be collected. Make sure that all rubbish fits into the bin and the lid can close. Cut up any long pieces to less than 50cm long.
Overflowing bins create litter and encourage animals. One-off additional collections of household waste can be arranged for a small fee by contacting us.
Alternatively, please take your extra waste to the nearest waste facility.
One-off or special waste collection (forgot to put bin out)
If you forgot to place the bin out for collection or have more waste than can fit into the bin, we can organise a one-off collection for you at a small cost. This service is offered to most residents in the collection area. Remember also, there are no gate fees to tip up to 400kg of domestic waste at your nearest waste facility. Fees do apply for some kinds of waste - eg. tyres, fridges.
Contact us to find out if a one-off service is available to you and to arrange for your bin to be emptied on a day other than your normal collection day.
Moving home
When you move, don't take the bins with you. Bins are allocated to a property, so your new home should already have bins. If it doesn't, please let us know.
If the property doesn't already have a green waste bin, you can order a new service.
Report stolen or lost bin
Tenants - contact your landlord or managing agent to request changes to your bins or waste service.
Swap sizes
You can swap your current bins for a larger recycling bin or smaller general waste bin. A standard sized bin is 240L however you can swap your general waste bin and recycle bins for a:
- 360L recycle bin
- 140L general waste bin.
If your bins are not broken, there is a fee to swap your bins to a different size which you will need to pay when you order them. If you change back to a 240L bin after it has been swapped, the fee will apply again.
How to swap sizes
To swap bin sizes you can:
Green waste bins
A green waste bin will cost:
- $37.50 half yearly
- $75 yearly.
The charge for the service is raised on the property's rates notice. It is for this reason that only the property owner or their agent can order a green waste service for a property.
If you had a green waste service at your original residence, the bin and the charge for the bin remains at that property. You will need to register for a new green waste service at the new property if required.
How to apply for a green waste bin
- Check the areas listed below, that are currently in the green waste service area.
- If you’re in a serviced area, submit a new bin request.
Request new bin service
Green waste service areas
We have compiled a list of suburbs that currently are within the service area. If in doubt, please contact us to confirm whether your property can receive a service.
- All suburbs within the Toowoomba Service Centre (previous Toowoomba City Council area)
- Blue Mountain Heights
- Brookstead
- Cabarlah (south of Reushle Road)
- Cambooya
- Cawdor
- Clifton
- Cotswold Hills
- East Greenmount
- Glencoe
- Glenvale
- Gowrie Junction
- Gowrie Mountain
- Greenmount
- Highfields
- Hodgson Vale
- Kings Creek
- Kingsthorpe township
- Kleinton
- Meringandan
- Meringandan West
- Millmerran township
- Nobby
- Oakey township
- Pittsworth
- Ramsay
- Ryeford
- Southbrook
- Top Camp
- Torrington
- Vale View
- Westbrook
- Wyreema.
Cancel green waste bin
Once ordered, the service must be kept for a minimum of 12 months (or two rate bills) before it can be cancelled.
Cancel bin service
Bins for new houses
If a new home within a designated bin collection area is ready to be occupied and has never had a bin service, the property owner or their agent can contact us to arrange waste services.
Your new bins will be delivered to your property. In some locations, a new wheelie bin will not be issued unless the final inspection of the dwelling and plumbing/drainage has been approved.
Request new bin service
Our designated bin collection area is the area under our waste collection contract where kerbside waste collection is carried out.
If you live outside a defined collection area, you can purchase a bin from most hardware shops. We don't sell wheelie bins or service bins not provided as part of the collection contract. You will be responsible for taking the contents to the waste facility. If you are unsure if you are in a defined collection area, contact us.
If you are the owner or agent and would like your property to be included in the expressions of interest register for expanding the waste collection area, contact us.
Additional bins
You can request additional bins or ask for them to be removed if you are the property owner or managing agent.
Additional fees will apply for the extra bin services as an annual charge on the property's rates notice.
Request new bin service Cancel bin service
We're proud of the recycling efforts by our residents to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Your recycle bin, serviced fortnightly, has a yellow lid. Recycle bins are available in standard 240L and an optional 360L size. Find out what should go in your recycling bin below.
Items for your recycling bin
Acceptable
Generally, much of the hard containers and materials that come from the kitchen, laundry or bathroom can be recycled. These can include:
- Paper, magazines, newspaper, junk mail, paper gift wrap, greeting cards.
- Shredded paper - place it in a paper bag or a cereal box, do not use plastic bags.
- Cardboard, egg cartons, empty pizza boxes, avoid waxed cardboard.
- Glass bottles and jars - clear, green or brown glass only. Remove metal lids from glass bottles and jars. Place them in a container of the same material; steel into a can or aluminium into a drink can, or throw them into the general waste bin.
- Steel cans and empty aerosol cans.
- Aluminium cans.
- Aluminium foil and foil trays - roll into a ball about the size of a tennis ball.
- Clean rigid plastic bottles containers and packaging trays - from your household only. Plastic identification codes (♺) 1, 2 & 5 only. Please remove any caps, triggers and spray pumps/nozzles. Avoid containers from the shed that have held petrol, chemicals or oil. These can be taken to your nearest waste facility.
- Cartons such as tetra packs, milk, cream and juice cartons. Please remove any caps.
- Plastic trays from biscuit packets. Not the outside packaging, this goes in your red lidded bin.
Unacceptable
The list below outlines some of the things that can't be recycled and therefore stay out of the yellow bin:
- Soft plastics such as plastic bags, bin liners, soft plastics, plastic wrap and bubble wrap.
- Food and kitchen scraps.
- Lawn clippings and tree cuttings.
- Empty containers from your shed or garage that have held chemicals, fuels or oil.
- Brooms and mops.
- Plastic furniture or hoses.
- Crockery or china, pyrex and ovenproof dishes.
- Blue and white glass.
- Drinking glasses and ceramic mugs.
- Disposable/single-use coffee cups. Put the cup and the plastic lid in your general waste bin.
- Mirrors, fish tanks, safety glass.
- Light bulbs, fluorescent lamps.
- Window or automotive glass.
- Waxed cardboard.
- Foil lined cardboard chip packaging tubes.
- Tissues, serviettes, toilet paper or paper towels.
- Wet wipes, nappies, sanitary and incontinence products - disposable and cloth.
- Foil gift wrapping or ribbon.
- Polystyrene foam and packing including food packaging trays similar to trays meat is sold in at the supermarket.
- Clothes or fabric. Contact your local charity organisation.
- Syringes, sharps containers or medical waste.
- Batteries - all types.
- e-Waste such as computers, printers, TV's, microwaves.
- Building/renovation waste e.g. pvc pipe, fixtures, fittings, plasterboard.
- Meat trays that contain foam. Place this in your general waste bin.
- Foam packaging from computers and white goods boxes even if there is a number in a triangle on it.
- Bricks, concrete, masonry, tiles, rocks etc.
The recycling process
All the waste is sorted at the Re.Group recycling plant in Nambour, Qld. Some of the material is baled and exported for further recycling and manufacturing. Placing non-recyclable waste in the recycling bin can cause a lower grade product to be produced in the manufacturing process.
While contamination in the recycling bin doesn’t stop processing the material for another use, it does cost the entire community more money to pay for the de-contamination process which occurs by hand. Your recycle bin contents are not landfilled.
How to recycle correctly
Don't bag or box recyclables
Always place your recyclables loose into your kerbside yellow lid recycling bin. Never bag or box your recyclables.
Don't recycle soft plastics e.g plastic bags, food packaging
Soft plastics such as cling wrap, plastic bags, bin liners, bread bags and other plastic packaging are not recyclable through your kerbside service. These should be disposed of in your general waste (red lid or dark green) bin.
How to recycle small items
Anything loose and smaller than a credit card (85 x 55mm) needs to be kept out of the yellow lid recycling bin. This includes drink and milk bottle lids, bread tags, bottle tops or small pieces of paper.
If you want to recycle small items, place them into a container of the same material first. Make sure that the container is one that won’t break open or have the lid come off when compressed in the back of the kerbside collection truck.
Aluminium caps and tags can be placed in an aluminium drink can before crushing the can, so they don’t fall out. Similarly, steel bottle tops and can or jar lids can be placed in a used food can, which then have the open end squashed down. Aluminium foil sheet must be scrunched up into a ball at least the size of a tennis ball (6.5 - 6.8cm) before being placed in your kerbside recycling bin.
Aluminium coffee pods can be placed in a can or scrunched up with foil.
How to recycle large items
Nothing larger than 50cm in any dimension should be in your recycling bin. To save space, flatten all boxes and crush or nest containers.
Clean containers before recycling
Make sure all your containers are free from food or liquids by wiping or rinsing them out. A little film or residue is fine but pieces of food, sauce or grease are not.
The same rule goes for cardboard boxes and containers. A little grease or sauce film or residue is fine. Chunks of cheese or bits of pizza are not.
Don't remove labels from containers
Labels can stay on containers placed in your recycling bin.
Don't remove lids
Lids are often made of a different material than the container like steel lids on a glass bottle, or a different plastic than the container. The recycle process can remove the lid and recycle them separately.
Green waste bins are a handy way to dispose of lawn clippings, leaves and prunings. The green waste bin has a lime coloured lid and is available only in a 240L size. A green waste service is not mandatory and is collected fortnightly.
Request new bin service
Tenants - contact your landlord or managing agent to request a green waste bin.
Collection guidelines
If your bin is overweight, overfull or contains items that are not garden waste, it may not be collected. You will be asked to remove the excess green waste or the contamination before a truck will be able to service your bin.
If a return service is available, you may be charged for this service.
Excess waste outside of the bin will not be collected.
Items for your green waste bin
Only green waste can be placed in your bin. Please place it in loose - no plastic bags and don't tie it up with rope or twine.
While contamination in the green waste bin doesn’t stop our contractor from processing the material for another use, it does cost the entire community more money to pay for the de-contamination process which occurs by hand. Your green waste bin contents are not landfilled.
Acceptable
The following items are appropriate for your green waste bin:
- prunings and cuttings
- flowers
- weeds and lawn clippings
- mulch
- branches up to 15cm diameter
- branches less than 50cm long; please break up or cut up branches that are longer than 50cm and place in your bin
- untreated timber.
Unacceptable
The following items are not appropriate for your green waste bin:
- general household waste
- branches or tree limbs longer than 50cm
- branches and trunks thicker than 15cm
- tree stumps
- plastic bags, bin liners and soft plastics - including biodegradable plastic bags
- compostable bags
- food scraps, fruit or vegetables, meat
- brooms, mops and rakes
- plant pots - plastic, ceramic and terracotta
- garden furniture
- food scraps, fruit and vegetables
- nappies - disposable or cloth
- plastics or metals
- animal droppings or dead animals
- treated timber - eg. cabinetry, laminates, fence palings, painted wood and composite wood
- building/renovation waste - pvc pipe, fixtures, fittings, plasterboard
- bricks, concrete, masonry, tiles, rocks etc.
- tools
- compostable cups/paper/cardboard
- moist towels, tissues, serviettes, toilet paper or paper towels.
Your general waste bin, serviced weekly, has a red lid or nature green lid (same colour as the bin body). General waste bins are available in standard 240L and an optional 140L size. Items put in this bin are buried in landfill at a waste management facility.
Your bin is too heavy to service if it weighs more than 70kg. Check below to see if your waste can be recycled instead of placed in the general waste bin:
Items for your general waste bin
Acceptable
The following items are appropriate for your general waste bin:
- general household waste; waste that can be 'bagged' but no large items like furniture
- plastic bags
- plastic wrap
- nappies - disposable and cloth
- ceramic, china, pottery
- styrofoam, polystyrene; make sure foam boxes are broken into smaller pieces otherwise they will form a suction between the bin wall and the box restricting complete emptying of your bin
- pyrex and ovenproof glass
- drinking glasses
- light bulbs, fluorescent lamps
- mirrors, window and automotive glass and safety glass
- garden waste (green waste)
- food scraps
- clothing
- disposable/single-use coffee cups should be placed in the general waste bin and the plastic lid in the recycle bin.
Keep in mind there are many charitable organisations that may want your good, usable household items such as crockery, glassware and clothing.
Unacceptable
The following items are not appropriate for your general waste bin:
- Items longer than 50cm. Make sure items are broken or cut up into smaller pieces before placing them in your bin. If throwing out an old broom or mop please cut it up before you place it in your bin.
- Building or renovation waste such as large pieces of PVC pipe, fixtures, fittings, plasterboard.
- Car motors or parts.
- Liquid waste, chemicals and oil.
- Paint tins, either empty or still containing paint. Paint can be recycled at your waste facility.
- Bricks, concrete, masonry, tiles, rocks, etc. Large pieces are too heavy and will damage the internal paddles in the collection vehicles
- Hot ashes. Make sure ashes are cold and completely soaked through with water and dried out before disposing of them in the bin. Better still, dig them into your garden.
- Asbestos.
- Gas cylinders.
- White goods.
- Dead animals.
- Tyres.
- Furniture.
- TV's.
- Mattresses
- Batteries - all types.
- e-waste. There are recycling alternatives around Toowoomba for your e-waste.
- Treated timber such as cabinetry, laminates, fence palings.
Many of our waste facilities offer disposal options for these items. For further information read the waste facilities article.
70% of the waste in the average kerbside general waste bin in our Region can be composted, avoided, reused or recycled. That’s:
- 33% food waste
- 24% green waste
- 13% recyclables.
That’s around 30,000 tonnes of materials that shouldn’t be going to landfill.