What the four-bin system will mean for you
- Simply Cups
- Jul 3
- 3 min read
By 2030, all Victorian councils will provide households with a four-stream waste and recycling collection system. This statewide initiative will ensure that waste management is standardised and more efficient, supporting better recycling rates and reducing landfill waste. It intends to help divert 80 per cent of all material away from landfill, including 20,000 tonnes of glass, as part of the Labor Government’s waste and recycling reforms(1).
What are the four bins?
The four bins will be colour-coded for easy identification across Victoria:
Purple for glass recycling
Glass bottle and jars including:
Pasta sauce, jam, and condiment jars
Oil and sauce bottles
Beer, wine and spirit bottles
Medicine bottles and jars
Green for food and garden organics (FOGO)
Food waste
Leaves, twigs and other garden waste
Grass clippings and weeds, including noxious weeds
Yellow for mixed recycling
Plastic bottles and containers
Paper and cardboard
Aluminium cans and foil
Steel cans
Red for general rubbish
General household rubbish that can’t go into the other 3 bins
Hazardous materials should not go in any of the household bins.
How will it be implemented?
Some councils have already implemented the system, while other councils are expected to notify residents and distribute all four bins by 2030. Councils will determine bin size and frequency of collections, depending on requirements - therefore each council might have different collection frequencies. For example, the Merri-bek council, which already rolled out the four-bin system in July 2023, follows this schedule:
FOGO: collected weekly
General rubbish: collected weekly
Mixed recycling: collected every 2 weeks
Glass recycling: collected every 4 weeks
Check with your local council to find out when the system will be deployed in your area and what the collection frequency will be.
Why will Victorians have a four-bin system?
The four-bin system will:
Standardise waste management across Victoria for consistency and efficiency. This will also help eliminate confusion when traveling or visiting other households within the state.
Increase resource recovery by diverting more waste from landfills.
Improve recycling rates by reducing contamination and focusing on high-value materials like glass.
Reduce landfill by better managing organics and non-recyclables.
Why do we need a separate glass recycling bin?
Glass is a material that does not degrade through the recycling process, so it’s a precious stream that can be recycled again and again.
By creating a dedicated glass recycling stream, we can recycle more glass into new products, such as bottles and jars. This helps reduce contamination in the other bins (like paper and plastics) and ensures that the materials can be reused effectively.
This new system is a major step forward in improving Victoria’s waste management. If you’re unsure when it will come to your area, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local council for details.
What about other common waste?
For waste that can’t be recycled or processed through your household bins, here are some alternatives:
Soft plastic-
There are multiple soft plastic recycling trials being conducted nationwide, go to our guide to learn more about them and if you have a solution near you.
E-waste and batteries-
Find drop off locations for specific e-waste and batteries in our guide.
Mattresses-
Learn about drop off or pick-up options depending on your location in our guide.
Paper cups such as coffee cups, take-away soft drink cups- Find a drop off location near you and recycle them with Simply Cups.
Clothing- If they are in fit-to-wear or new condition, consider donating them to charity. Alternatively, you can book for a collection with Upparel.
Other hard to recycle items- We have a guide on where you can drop off some hard to recycle items such as coffee pods, clothing, paint, and plastic plant ports.
Alternatively, you may be able to find drop off points near you via Recycle Mate.
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