3 Bin Collection System

The new 3 bin household waste system allows food and garden waste to be collected, as well as general waste and recycling.

The three bins are:

• One 240L GREEN LID BIN for organics (garden and food waste)
• One 240L YELLOW LID BIN for recycling
• One 240L RED LID BIN for general waste

The new system will begin in Greater Hume in July 2024.

The service is compulsory within all townships and villages.

Those with a non-compulsory service (outside townships and villages) will not receive an organics bin. However, this service can be opted in if desired. If you wish to be included in the 3 Bin System, please contact Council on T: 02 6036 0100. 

The collection schedule will be:

• WEEKLY collection of 240L organics bin (food organics and garden organics) - Green lid

• FORTNIGHTLY collection of 240L recycling bin – Yellow lid

• FORTNIGHTLY collection of 240L general waste bin – Red lid

To download the new Collection Calendar, click here(PDF, 671KB). 

In June 2021, the NSW Government mandated the implementation of a Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) collection service for all Councils by 2030.

The introduction of the Three Bin System aligns Greater Hume with the majority of councils in the region who already collect food and garden waste through the system since 2015. The additional bin introduction has been funded through the NSW Environmental Protection Agency to provide education and information to transition to the new system. 

To read more about this via the official media release, click here.

You will be receiving an organics bin, for your food scraps and garden matter, to reduce the quantity and content of waste going to landfill. Approximately half the content of the average household rubbish bin is organic material.

To learn more about what happens with the organic matter once collected, visit the 'Closing the Loop' page on Halve Waste website. 

Every year your garbage charge increases slightly in line with inflation. Next year there is an additional change due to the introduction of an organics bin from July 2024.

We have worked to make the service as convenient and cost effective as possible – kitchen caddy, compostable liners (and free annual replacements) and all new bins are all supplied in the charge.

The Waste fees are listed with the 2024/2025 Fees and Charges document, click here to view the 2024/2025 Fees and Charges(PDF, 4MB). 

Each household within the townships and villages of Greater Hume will be receiving new bins in the coming weeks for the new 3 Bin Collection System.  Each household will receive the following;

• x1 240L Green Lid Bin for Organics (Garden Waste, Food Waste and other compost goods)
• x 1 240L Yellow Lid Bin for Recycling
• x1 240L Red Lid Bin for General Waste
• x1 Kitchen Caddy and Compostable Caddy Liners

What will happen with your old bins?

You have two options with your old bins;

Option 1 – I no longer want my old bins.

If you do not want to keep your old bins, please leave them outside on your nature strip in your normal spot, upside down for collection from 1 July 2024, and they will be picked up and taken away for recycling. 

Option 2 – I want to keep my old bins!

If you would like to keep your old bins for private use, do not put them out for collection after 1 July 2024. 

No, the new bins will be delivered to each eligible household with clear instructions and directions for use.

The three new bins and the kitchen caddy will be delivered prior to 30 June 2024. Keep an eye out for the Information Pack that will be delivered with your bins and caddies for further information about our new 3 Bin Collection System!  

What happens once you receive your new bins?

The new 3 Bin Collection service will commence from Monday, 1 July 2024.

You will need to continue to use your old bins up until 1 July 2024.

From 1 July 2024, you will begin using your new bins. 

What will happen with your old bins?

You have two options with your old bins;

Option 1 – I no longer want my old bins.

If you do not want to keep your old bins, please leave them outside on your nature strip in your normal spot, upside down for collection from 1 July 2024, and they will be picked up and taken away for recycling. 

Option 2 – I want to keep my old bins!

If you would like to keep your old bins for private use, do not put them out for collection after 1 July 2024. 

You can put in all your food scraps including fish, meat and bones, coffee grounds and cooked foods. Garden waste such as prunings, grass clippings, sticks, weeds and flowers can also be included.

However, you cannot include things like plastic bin liners, general household waste, treated or laminated timber or old clothing. These need to go in your general waste bin.

Click here for a list of what can be placed in your Green Lidded Bin(PDF, 259KB). 

You will receive a new red lid rubbish bin for general waste and it will be emptied fortnightly instead of weekly. Data from other councils in our region shows that about half of what is currently being put into the red bin could be composted through the organics service, reducing the need to collect the bin every week.

There are some great resources about what you can place in the Red Lidded bin and about reducing odours, please see some linked below.

• 'What goes in the Red Lidded Bin'(PDF, 243KB) fact sheet
• 'Oh Baby' fact sheet(PDF, 704KB)

Each household will receive a kitchen tidy bin and compostable liners especially to hold food waste. These liners can then be placed in your new organics bin.

There are some great resources on the Halve Waste website that outline what can go in your Organics bin and what can go in your General Waste bin. You can find those resources here.

Six councils in the Murray and Riverina regions – Berrigan, Edward River, Leeton, Greater Hume, Federation and Murrumbidgee - are introducing the organics bin. These six councils all obtained funding to introduce the organics bin through the NSW EPA, Go FOGO Round 1 grant program. They will join Murray River and Albury City in delivering a consistent waste and recycling message across the Murray and Riverina regions.

The new green lid organics bin can be seen as an extension to the great work you’re already doing. And, the new service can accept things that your compost heap or pet may not like – things such as citrus, onions, bones, weeds and diseased and infected fruit or vegetables.

Only those within the non-compulsory service area will not recieve an organics bin. As per Local Government Act 1993, Section 496;

(1) A Council must make and levy an annual charge for the provision of domestic waste management services for each parcel of rateable land for which the service is available.

(2) A Council may make an annual charge for the provision of a domestic waste management service for a parcel of land that is exempt from rating if;

(a) the service is available for that land; and 

(b) the owner of that land requests or agrees to the provision of the service to that land; and

(c) the amount of the annual charge is limited to recovering the cost of providing the service to that land.

As a community we pay for many services as part of our rates that benefit the community, even if every individual resident may not utilise them. Reducing the pressure on landfill and generating a valuable resource for our region’s agricultural industries helps Council to reduce the cost of landfill space into the future.

There are additional resources on the Halve Waste website that can provide further information.

You can also view the 'Already Composting' guide below for more information.

• 'Already Composting Guide'(PDF, 487KB)

You will be provided with detailed information about the new 3 bin system in the lead-up to its introduction.

In the meantime, you can find further information by visiting Halve Waste www.halvewaste.com.au for information about recycling and waste services in our region.

All business who currently have a bin collection service will be required to have an organics bin.

However, you will only be receiving one organics bin. You can request additional organics bins by contacting Council on T: 02 6036 0100.