Garbage

Inner West Council provides a kerbside collection service for household waste that cannot be recycled. Now that households can recycle food scraps through the weekly green lid food organics garden organics (FOGO) service, garbage is collected every fortnight.

  • Houses are provided with a red lid bin, collected fortnightly.
  • Apartment buildings are provided with shared bins. Those with five or more units have their garbage collected weekly. Those with four or less have their garbage collected fortnightly, but can opt-in for weekly garbage by calling the Customer Service Team on (02) 9392 5000 (more info below).
  • Rates for waste and recycling services can be found in Council's fees and charges.
  • Collection day depends on your address. Enter your address below to find your collection day in our online waste calendar.
  • If your garbage bin has been missed, you can lodge a 'Missed Collection' online.

Opt-in weekly garbage collection

For households that struggle with fortnightly collections, extra red lid garbage bin collections can be booked below for the alternate week to their scheduled collection.

Book an extra red-lid bin collection

This service might only need to be used occasionally, or while households get used to separating their food scraps.

  • Soft plastics that can be scrunched e.g. bread bags, pasta bags, cling wrap

  • Nappies and wipes

  • Paper towel, serviettes and tissues  

  • Take-away coffee cups

  • Foil-lined tetra packs e.g. juice poppers, long-life milk

  • Bamboo and wooden cutlery

  • Polystyrene foam and bubble wrap    

  • Cat litter, dog poo and pet waste

  • Vacuum cleaner dust

  • Broken ceramics, crockery, Pyrex, and mirrors – ensure broken items are wrapped

  • Food scraps

  • Recyclable products e.g. plastic take-away containers, cardboard packaging

  • Garden organics and soil

  • Oils and liquids

  • Building materials

  • Large items e.g. furniture

  • Batteries

  • Electronic devices e.g. phones, computers

  • Paints, solvents and chemicals

  • Syringes

    • Call on our 'Waste Busters' team to assist via phone call or home visit. This team provides helpful tips and suggestions on reducing general waste in the red lid bin and can answer any waste or recycling questions.

    Council's A-Z waste guide provides ideas on how a wide range of items can be recycled, reused, donated or sold, instead of being thrown in the red lid bin.

    Nappy and sanitary products rebate - Inner West Council will provide a 50% rebate for reusable nappies (up to $150 per household) and for sanitary products (up to $100 per household) purchased after 1 July 2023.

    Book a council clean-up for bulky items that cannot be re-used, donated or sold.

    If you have a larger household, children in nappies or a medical condition, you may require a larger bin. Upsize to a 240L red lid bin or opt-in for weekly red lid garbage collections. 

    There will be no additional charge for households requesting a larger red lid bin for 2 years from 20 February 2024. Fees and charges are set annually on a cost­ recovery basis whereby the charges are determined by the total cost of providing the service and costs recovered of the equivalent amount through domestic waste charges. The fees residents pay for domestic waste updated on l July each year following adoption by Council. Council will review and advise the fees and charges for the new financial year.

    Did you know that up to 60% of your red lid waste bin can be recovered, recycled or composted?

    51% of the red lid bin can be recycled through the green lid bin - food scraps (47%) and garden organics (4%) should go into the green lid FOGO bin. Remember to remove food from packaging. 

    7% of the red lid bin can be recycled through the yellow lid bin - pizza boxes, aerosol containers, cardboard and paper packaging can be recycled through the yellow lid bin.

    Hazardous wastes like household batteries, paints and motor oils should never be placed in household bins. Check out the full list of hazardous wastes that can be dropped off for free at one of our Community Recycling Centres, located at Leichhardt and St Peters.

    Note: This data pertains to red bins prior to the start of FOGO collection in October 2023.

    Graphic of a bin with waste statistics

    Check these pages for tips on how to reduce what goes in your red bin:

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    Page last updated: 09 Jan 2025