Waste, recycle and green waste bins

Waste and recycling bins

Property owners pay a utility charge for Council's waste services - this covers the cost of collection, disposal and processing. The annual charge for waste and recycling collection service is included on property owners' rates notices. 

The standard bin set on Redlands Coast is a 240L general waste bin and a 240L recycle bin. 

Get a better bin bundle

Swap to a better bin bundle today:

1. Get a green waste bin at no extra cost. Swap your standard 240L general waste bin for a 140L general waste bin and a 240L green waste bin^ and pay no establishment fee and offset the annual costs, effectively getting it for free. In fact, you'll be saving approximately $19 a year*. 

2. Upsize your recycling bin for just $30 and no additional ongoing costs. If you get a green waste bin, downsize your general waste and upsize your recycling bin from a 240L recycling to a 340L recycling at the same time, you'll pay no establishment fee. 

3. Be rewarded for reducing your waste to landfill by downsizing from a 240L general waste bin to a 140L general waste bin by saving on the annual charges. A one-off $30 establishment fee applies.

To find out the savings, request a green waste bin or upsize/downsize online form or call customer service for a full quote.

* Applicable for 2024/2025 financial year and is subject to change.

+ Additional general waste bins have a $30 establishment fee and annual charges on the rates notice. 

# When downsizing to a 140L recycle bin the waste bin must also be downsized at the same time

^ Green waste bins available to existing mainland properties. New properties have an establishment fee of $30*. An annual fee of $72* applies for a green waste service if you retain your 240L general waste bin. If down-sizing to a 140L general waste bin separate to ordering a green waste bin, a bin establishment fee is applicable. 

For a list of Council's waste and recycling fees, refer to our waste and recycling utility charges 

How do I sign up for a green waste bin or change the size of my general waste or recycle bins?

Property owners can submit a request to change bin sizes via phone or online:

• Request a green waste bin;
• Complete the request to upsize/downsize your bin; or
• Contact Customer Service

Can I cancel my general waste and recycle bin service?

It is not possible for residents to cancel their general waste or recycling bin services.

In Queensland, waste and recycling bins are required by law as part of the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act, 2011.  To meet the requirements of this act, Redland City Council must have a minimum service of one waste and one recycle bin for a domestic residence.

This Act contains a suite of measures to reduce waste generation and landfill disposal and to encourage recycling.

If you have signed up for the optional green waste bin service or an extra green waste, general waste or recycle bin, you can cancel the service at any time by contacting Customer Service. Cancellation fees may apply.

Get it sorted

Sorting your waste correctly means making sure you have the right bin combination for your household's needs.

Recycling bins

Did you know that approximately 17 per cent of household items put in your general waste bin is made up of items that can be recycled? If you need more space for recycling, you can:

• Upsize your recycling from a 240L to a 340L bin for a $30 establishment fee and no additional ongoing costs.
• Get an additional 240L recycling bin for a $30 establishment fee and a small annual increase in the annual charges

Recycle bins have yellow lids. Recycle bins are available in 140-litre, 240-litre and 340-litre sizes.

General waste bins

General waste bins either have a dark green lid (older bins) or a red lid (newer bins).  Waste bins are available in 140-litre and 240-litre sizes. 

If you're not generating enough waste to fill your general waste bin, you can downsize from a 240L to a 140L bin and save on the quarterly and annual charges.

Green waste bins

Approximately 30 per cent of what goes in our general waste bins is garden waste. You can save your garden waste from ending up in landfill by ordering a green waste bin*. 

Green waste bins* have a lime-green lid and are available in a 240L size. Order a green waste bin today.

Frequency of collection

• Waste bins are collected every week
• Recycling bins are collected every two weeks
• Green waste bins* are collected every two weeks on alternative fortnights to the recycling bin collection day

*Available to mainland residents. Annual fees apply and are subject to change.

What's my bin day?

Redland City Council now has an online tool to help remind you of your collection day. Simply click on the link below; enter your suburb, street and house number and presto - you now have details of your waste and recycle collections for your property.

Find out when bins are collected on your street

Important tips for collection day

• Place your bin on the kerbside before 6.00am on your collection day
  • Keep a 50cm gap between your bins so the collection truck can pick them up
  • Position your bins away from obstructions such as cars, power poles and trees
• Ensure your bin is not too heavy - our trucks are unable to collect bins heavier than 70kg
• Only put permitted items in your bins - see what goes in each bin
• Try not to over-fill your bin, the lid must be fully closed
• Don't compact the waste in your bin as it may not empty into the truck
• Grass clippings in the waste bin should be bagged otherwise they will swell and get stuck - do not bag grass clippings in your green waste bin.

New and additional waste and recycle bins

Property owners pay a utility charge for Council's waste services - this covers the cost of collection, disposal and processing. The annual charge for a waste and recycling collection service is included on property owners' rates notices. 

The standard bin set is a 240-litre waste bin and a 240-litre recycle bin. The bin establishment fee for a new bin set (waste and recycle) is $30 and is charged on the rates notice. 

• Council's waste and recycling utility charges 

Property owners can submit a request to change bin sizes via telephone or online:

• Complete the new bin request form or
• Call Customer Service on (07) 3829 8999

Households can choose different combinations* of bin sizes, and can have more than one waste and recycling bin.

• Waste bins are available in 140-litre and 240-litre sizes
• Recycle bins are available in 140, 240 and 340-litre sizes
• Additional waste bins are available in 140-litre and 240-litre sizes
• Additional recycle bins are available in 240-litre and 340-litre sizes

*  Each extra bin(s) has an establishment fee and an annual charge. Recycle bin size must be greater than or equal to the size of the waste bin.

Bin exchanges

Households have the option of exchanging their waste bin to a smaller size, or to upsize or downsize their recycling bin. Green waste bins are only available in the 240L size. Alternative options for residents to choose from include:

• Waste bins - available in 140 litres
• Recycle bins* - available in 140 litres and 340 litres

* Recycle bin size must be greater than or equal to the size of the waste bin.

Redland City Council charges a $30 fee to upsize recycle bin to 340L, additional 240L/340L recycle bin or downsize waste bin of $30. 

Residents can submit a request to change bin sizes via telephone or online:

• Submit your details on the change bin request form or
• Call Customer Service on (07) 3829 8999

What goes in each bin

General waste bin

• General household items
• Broken ceramics and bric-a-brac 
• Food scraps
• Grass clippings and vegetation (must be bagged)
• Nappies
• Plastic bags
• Non-recyclable plastic items, e.g. plastic wrap
• Polystyrene or styrofoam (small amounts)
• Small branches or soft wood (no larger than 75cm in length or 10cm in diameter)

Recycle bin 

Please do not put plastic bags or food waste into the recycle bin.

• Aluminium and steel cans
• Aluminium kitchen foil (clean)
• Cardboard
• Glass bottles and jars
• Lids from jars and containers
• Newspapers and magazines
• Phone books
• Pizza boxes (remove food scraps)
• Plastic bottles
• Plastic containers, e.g. biscuit trays and take away food containers
• Shampoo and conditioner bottles
• Aerosol containers (empty)

Green waste bin

Acceptable bin items:

• Garden prunings
• Grass clippings (do not bag if using a green waste bin)
• Shrubs
• Weeds and flowers
• Leaves and loose bark
• Sawdust
• Small branches or soft wood (no larger than 75cm in length or 10cm in diameter)

Bin scavenging / bin diving

Containers for Change is a great initiative to help increase recycling in Queensland and be rewarded at the same time. With the introduction of the Container Refund Scheme, Council has seen an increase in the number of instances where kerbside recycling bins and park bins are being raided for eligible containers.

Under the Environmental Protection Regulation (2019) Chapter 6, Part 2, Division 1, s 102 (2), people are not permitted to disturb or otherwise interfere with the contents of a waste container.

This means that commercial bins, community bins or household wheelie bins (even once they are on the kerbside) must not be disturbed unless it's your own rubbish and may only be handled by Council's recycling collection contractor.

Keep up the great work recycling your containers, but please be considerate of your neighbours and don't disturb waste bins.

Care and cleaning of bins

Council owns the bins, however, cleaning and care for bins is the responsibility of households using them.

You should not paint or deface bins in any way.

Getting help with your bins

Council provides a manual service for residents who are unable to put their bin(s) out due to a disability or impairment. For more information on this service, see Getting help with your bins.

Moving house

We allocate bins to each property, not to the resident. When moving house, please leave bins at the property.