• Put food scraps (including meat and bones) in your green food and garden organics (FOGO) bin. They will be turned into compost instead of ending up in landfill. Find out what can go in your FOGO bin and how to reduce smells at Food and garden organics bins | merri-bek.vic.gov.au

• You can pick up a kitchen caddy from one of our Customer Service Centres to collect your food scraps in. Use a paper bag to line your caddy or put food scraps in the FOGO bin loosely.

• Reduce food waste at home and save money at the same time. For tips on how to meal plan, shop smart, store food and use your leftovers visit:conversations.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/eat-it-dont-bin-it

• Get a discount on a compost bin or worm farm and turn your food scraps into compost at home. Find out more: merri-bek.vic.gov.au/composting

• Put garden waste in your green food and garden organics (FOGO) bin. It can be turned into compost instead of ending up in landfill.

• Get a discount on a compost bin or worm farm and turn your garden waste into compost at home. Find out more: merri-bek.vic.gov.au/composting

• Book a hard waste collection to dispose of bulky bundled branches. Book here: merri-bek.vic.gov.au/hard-waste

• Put plastic bottles and containers, paper and cardboard and aluminium and steel cans in your yellow mixed recycling bin

• Flatten and squash boxes, bottles and containers before putting in your bin to make space for more recyclables

• Take eligible drink containers to a CDS drop-off point for a 10-cent refund. Find your nearest location here: cdsvic.org.au/locations

• Book a hard waste collection to recycle bulky cardboard. Book here: merri-bek.vic.gov.au/hard-waste

• Don't put excess recycling in your rubbish bin. If you need a bigger recycling bin, order one here: merri-bek.vic.gov.au/recycling-bins

• Put glass bottles and jars in your purple glass recycling bin. They will be turned into new glass bottles and jars right here in Melbourne.

• Take glass drink bottles to a CDS drop-off point for a 10-cent refund. Find your nearest location here: cdsvic.org.au/locations

• Reuse glass jars and bottles at home.

• Don't put excess glass bottles and jars in your rubbish bin. If you need another glass recycling bin, order one here: merri-bek.vic.gov.au/glass-bins

E-waste, batteries and other hazardous items don't belong in any bin.

These items are dangerous in our bins. They can cause fires in our trucks or at waste facilities.

• E-waste (electronic waste) is anything with a battery or cord. Put these items in your hard waste collection or take to a designated drop-off point. Click here to find out more about e-waste

• Take household batteries to a recycling station at one of our Customer Service Centres or a B-cycle battery drop-off point. Find your nearest one here: bcycle.com.au/drop-off

• Safely dispose of hazardous household chemicals at a Detox your Home event. Click here to find out more about Detox Your Home.

• Squash soft plastics firmly into one bag to make more space in you rubbish bin

• Shop smarter - Pay more attention to how you buy and consume products. For example, choose products with less packaging and avoid single-use items like take away coffee cups

• Give items a second life - donate them to a charity, repair broken goods, host a garage sale or give them away through an online group like Hard Rubbish Rescue

• Have pets? Try composting pet poo at home. We'll give you a discount on pet poo composting kits. Click here to learn more

Visit our Reducing Waste webpage to find out more about:

• avoiding waste at home
• swapping, repairing or borrowing goods
• giving your unwanted items a second life, and
• how to buy more sustainably to reduce waste.

• Give reusable cloth nappies or period products a try. We'll give you a discount of up to $100 on the purchase price of cloth nappies and/or period products. Click here to find out more.

• Using cloth nappies can save space and reduce the smell in your rubbish bin. Whether using them sometimes or all the time, the environmental and cost savings of modern cloth nappies can be significant.

• If you have young children in nappies, you may be eligible for a larger rubbish bin at no extra cost. Click here to find out if you're eligible for this concession.

• Donate unwanted clothing and textiles in good condition to a charity or at a clothes swap. Find out how on our Reducing Waste webpage: merri-bek.vic.gov.au/reducingwaste

• Give your clothes a second chance by getting them repaired by a tailor, at a repair cafe or by joining a local mending circle.

• Recycle damaged clothing and textiles that are beyond reuse. Look up 'clothing and textiles' in our A to Z Recycling Guide to find out how.