There are many benefits to having fortnightly rubbish collections:

• Reduces food waste sent to landfill
• Saves ratepayers money over the long-term by slowing down rising collection and landfill costs
• Creates more compost, a valuable resource that improves soil quality on farms and gardens across Victoria
• Reduces climate pollution by preventing greenhouse gas emissions that are created when food waste breaks down in landfill
• One less bin on the street each fortnight
• Reduced number of collection trucks and less kilometres travelled – reducing emissions, noise and traffic congestion
• Aligns with our goals of towards zero carbon and towards zero waste to landfill

It costs more to send waste and recycling to landfill than it does to compost or recycle it.

Fortnightly general rubbish collections can help reduce waste sent to landfill and slow down rising disposal and collection costs, which are paid for by ratepayers through the waste charge.

In 2021, after 3 stages of community consultation, Council adopted our Kerbside Waste Service & Charge Policy, which included the move towards fortnightly rubbish collections

We've been rolling out changes to our kerbside waste service in stages to better support our community with the transition.

In July 2023 we started our 4-bin service. We introduced weekly FOGO and fortnightly mixed recycling collections, as well as a new monthly glass recycling collection.

Council also decided to trial fortnightly rubbish collections before rolling it out across Merri-bek. The trial started in July 2025.

Six months into the trial, we are seeing great results, so we are starting to plan the roll-out across Merri-bek.

Before rolling out fortnightly rubbish collections across Merri-bek, we are making sure everyone is well informed in advance and ensuring we understand how we can help everyone adjust to the change.

In 2020-21, we spoke to the Merri-bek community about changes to our kerbside waste service. This included the introduction of fortnightly rubbish collections.

Changes to our waste service have been happening gradually since this time. The last stage is introducing fortnightly rubbish collections for all of Merri-bek.

To find out more about what we heard from our community consultation on waste go to conversations.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/waste/project-background

Fortnightly rubbish collections are expected to start in July 2027.

26 Victorian councils already collect rubbish bins every 2 weeks. These are:

Victorian metropolitan councils:

• Banyule
• Bayside
• Boroondara
• Glen Eira
• Knox
• Manningham
• Monash
• Nillumbik
• Yarra Ranges

Victorian regional councils:

• Alpine Shire
• Bass Coast Shire
• Benalla Rural City
• Greater Bendigo City
• Golden Plains Shire
• Horsham Rural City
• Indigo Shire
• Macedon Ranges Shire
• Mildura Rural City
• Mitchell Shire
• Queenscliffe Shire
• Greater Shepparton
• Strathbogie
• Surf Coast Shire
• Wangaratta Rural City
• Warrnambool City
• Wodonga City

Most Councils with fortnightly rubbish collections have a weekly FOGO collection. We are one of the few Victorian councils that currently collect both FOGO and rubbish bins every week.

We started trialling fortnightly rubbish collections in parts of Hadfield, Brunswick and Brunswick West in July 2025.

3,000 properties have been taking part.

For more information on the trial, please visit our trial webpage.

The waste charge recovers the annual cost of delivering the kerbside waste collection service. It is paid by ratepayers through an annual charge on Council rates and is reviewed every year.

It entitles all residential properties that pay the charge to receive general rubbish, mixed recycling and food and garden organics kerbside bin collections and hard waste collections.

Commercial properties can also pay the waste charge and use Council’s waste service.

The waste charge pays for all the kerbside waste services Council provides. It is paid by ratepayers through an annual charge on Council rates. The waste charge does not generate additional revenue for Council.

It entitles all properties that pay the charge to food and garden organics (FOGO), general rubbish, mixed recycling and glass recycling kerbside bin collections and hard waste collections.

The waste charge covers:

• the collection, transportation, sorting and processing of waste and recycling
• the hard waste service
• waste education for our community
• administration costs to deliver these services, and
• the State Government waste levy.

To learn more about the waste charge visit our Understand your rates webpage

No. Merri-bek’s waste charge works on a cost recovery basis, so any savings to Council must be passed directly on to ratepayers. The waste charge does not generate additional revenue for Council and cannot be used for other Council activities beyond provision of kerbside waste related services.

If in one year, the waste charge collected is more than the cost of delivering the service, the ‘savings’ from this year is used to reduce the waste charge in the following year. Likewise, if the waste charge collected is less than the total cost to provide the service, the gap is added to the next year’s charge.

The State Government waste levy has been rising rapidly since 2019. The steep increases aim to curb landfill use and fund recycling infrastructure. The waste levy is a charge set by the Victorian Government for each tonne of waste sent to landfill.

As all general rubbish is sent to landfill, this service is the most expensive to deliver. The waste levy and other service costs are passed on to ratepayers through the annual waste charge on rates notices. Fortnightly rubbish collections can help protect ratepayers from rising waste costs.

The waste levy is a charge set by the Victorian Government for each tonne of waste sent to landfill. It increases annually which means the cost of delivering our waste service will increase, regardless of any changes.

The waste levy used to be called the landfill levy.

The charge depends on the size of each household’s bins. There is a higher charge for larger bins and a lower charge for smaller bins.

Reducing household waste and recycling can reduce the need for larger bins.

The cost also depends on how often we collect each bin. Bins that are collected less frequently have a lower cost. For example, glass recycling bins are collected every 4 weeks, so this service has the lowest cost.

Where bins are shared (for example in a townhouse, unit or apartment block) the charge is lower for all users.

We have had a separate waste charge since 1996/97. Most Melbourne Councils have a waste charge listed separately to general rates.

The new standard size rubbish bin will increase from an 80-litre bin to a 120-litre bin with fortnightly rubbish collections.

There will be options for smaller and larger bins for those that want them. Larger bins at no extra cost (concessions) will be available for eligible households.

We know having space to store a larger bin is a concern for some households.

The footprint of a 120 litre bin is not much bigger than an 80 litre bin, so you should find that it will fit in the same spot you currently store your rubbish bin.

There will be no changes to your collection day. Your bins will continue to be collected on the same day each week as they currently are.

Yes, you will be able to choose from the following rubbish bin sizes:

• 80 litres
• 120 litres (new standard size)
• 240 litres
• 360 litres (a 240 litre bin and a 120 litre bin)

Smaller bins have a lower waste than larger bins.

To support households with extra waste needs, concessions will be available. A concession would entitle the following eligible households to a larger rubbish bin (above the standard 120 litres) at no extra cost:

• Households with 2 or more children in nappies
• Large families with 4 or more dependents
• People living with a medical condition or disability that creates a lot of extra waste

Unfortunately, nappies smell. But we’ve been looking at the experience of other households at councils that already have fortnightly rubbish collections.

We’ve found that councils already with fortnightly rubbish collections have reported households had no ongoing issues with nappies once the service change was established. Encouragingly, despite initial concerns, rubbish bins with disposable nappies were found to be no smellier when collected every 2 weeks.

Households in these council areas have been following these tips to help manage nappies in the rubbish bin:

• Firmly wrap nappies before placing in the rubbish bin
• Where possible, flush solids from the nappy down the toilet
• Store your rubbish bin in the shade and out of direct sunlight
• Make sure your rubbish bin lid closes properly and there are no cracks in the bin sides.

Yes! We offer a discount of up to $100 each year for the purchase of cloth nappies and accessories to help households cut their waste. Find out more about our cloth nappy subsidy on our website: merri-bek.vic.gov.au/reducingwaste

Using cloth nappies can save space and reduce the smell in your rubbish bin. While the convenience of disposable nappies still wins out for many families, reusable modern cloth nappies have come a long way.

Whether using them sometimes or all the time, the environmental and cost savings of modern cloth nappies can be significant.

Unfortunately, bins smell. But experience of other households at councils that already have fortnightly rubbish collections have found that rubbish bins are no smellier when collected every 2 weeks.

Households in these council areas have been following these tips to help manage smell from their rubbish bins:

• Firmly bag or wrap pet poo and pet litter before placing in the rubbish bin
• Try using an odour-controlling cat litter
• Store your rubbish bin in the shade and out of direct sunlight
• Make sure your rubbish bin lid closes properly and there are no cracks in the bin sides.

We can work with residents and/or Owners Corporations to get the right bin set-up for people living in units, townhouses and apartments. On request, we can review the waste needs at these properties and help by:

• adjusting the size and number of bins each property has
• rearranging bin storage areas so that bins are accessible
• adding educational signage so that it is clear what goes in each bin.

If residents have their own individual rubbish bin, we can work with them to transition to shared rubbish bins and reduce their waste charge at the same time.

Businesses that use Council’s waste service may find that fortnightly rubbish collections do not meet their needs.

Businesses can get larger or additional bins if they need them to help with the change to fortnightly rubbish collections.

For more information options for businesses, and to provide feedback, go to our business page.

You can place food scraps and leftovers in this bin along with your garden waste.

To learn how to use the service and what happens to your food and garden organics (FOGO) waste, refer to our FOGO user guide or explore this Question and answer library.

Most food scraps and garden waste can go in your FOGO bin, even some things you might be surprise by including:

• meat and seafood scraps, including bones
• meal leftovers, including take away food (remove packaging first)
• dairy products like cheese
• bread, pasta, cereal and other processed foods

Visit our A to Z guide to waste and recycling to look up specific items and find out which if they belong in your FOGO bin

The following items cannot go in your FOGO bin:

• compostable or biodegradable bags
• food or garden waste in plastic bags
• food packaging (including containers, cling wrap, ties and fruit stickers)
• coffee cups and disposable plates/cutlery
• tea bags (many have plastic in them)
• plant pots
• tree stumps, soil and ash
• kitty litter, dog or cat poo (they contain pathogens which can be harmful to human health)
• shredded paper.

Putting incorrect items in your recycling bin is called contamination. Contamination can be a safety hazard and makes it harder to turn your recycling into new things.

Find out more about contamination on our Recycle Right webpage.

Your food and garden organics (FOGO) waste is a valuable resource. The FOGO waste that we collect is turned into compost, which is used to enrich the soil at farms, parks and gardens.

Collected FOGO waste goes to organics processing facilities in Melbourne, where it is turned into compost and mulch to enrich healthy soils on Victorian farms and gardens.

Yes. If you don’t already have a kitchen caddy to collect your food scraps in, you can get a complimentary one from a Customer Service Centre .

Alternatively, you can use any container to collect food scraps in your kitchen. This could be an ice cream or yoghurt container, or a store-bought caddy.

Food scraps can smell as they break down and attract pests.

A few ways you can reduce the likelihood of your kitchen caddy smelling bad:

• Wrap food scraps or line your kitchen caddy with a brown paper bag, or 1 to 2 layers of newspaper or paper towel
• Empty your kitchen caddy regularly (every 2 to 3 days)
• Put food scraps in your caddy straightaway so flies and other pests don't land on them first
• Keep your kitchen caddy closed and don't overfill it
• Wash your caddy regularly - Council provided caddies are dishwasher safe
• Sprinkle bicarb soda (baking soda) in your kitchen caddy to absorb the smell

A few ways you can reduce the likelihood of your FOGO bin smelling bad:

• Put scraps like prawn shells and meat in your freezer, and transfer them to your FOGO bin close to your collection day
• Layer your food scraps between your garden waste
• Line the bottom of your FOGO bin with dry garden waste, leaves or twigs to stop food scraps sticking to the bin
• Sprinkle bicarb soda (baking soda) in your FOGO bin to absorb the smell
• Keep your bin in the shade (where possible) and don't overfill it
• Wash your bin out from time to time with a hose

Compostable bags of any type are not accepted because they are a contamination risk if people use the wrong type of bag or put the wrong things inside.

The bags do not always breakdown fully in the rapid process used, which means pieces of compostable bags can be seen in the compost and mulch products which is unwanted by farmers seeking high quality compost to use on their farms.

Bagged waste can also be a safety risk to people whose job it is to sort waste materials, particularly if incorrect or unsafe items are placed in the bag. In line with these requirements, we ask that compostable bags are not used.

Residents are encouraged to use a paper bag, paper towel or newspaper to line their kitchen caddy. Or they can put food scraps in the FOGO bin loose.