Bin services and collection
Council provides bin collection services for:
Council contracts waste collection services to Solo Resource Recovery. Find out about booking a kerbside collection.
Bin sizes/types Contaminated bins Fees & charges Towards zero waste
We need to divert 70% of household waste from landfill by 2025.
With your help we can reach our target!
Damaged, stolen or missing bins
Your waste collection fee includes bin repairs and replacements. To request a replacement report it online or call 02 6670 2400
Bin service on public holidays
Bin collections happen all year round
(no change on public holidays)
Have you just moved to the Tweed?
Council has a free kitchen caddy for residents that have just bought a property
Bin collection
- Put your bin out before 5 am on collection day, or the night before.
- Make sure lid is closed (or rubbish may spill out when emptied).
- Place rubbish bins 50 cm apart.
- Provide clear access, away from cars and trees.
- Wheels away from the kerb.
Maximum bin weight is 60 kg.
If your bin is difficult to wheel to the kerb, it may be too heavy. Overfull, overweight and contaminated bins will not be collected.
Bins sizes and type
Household bins (urban areas)
If you live in a house or duplex in an urban area there are 3 kerbside bin collection services:
Red lid - goes to landfill
- Collected every 2 weeks
- 80 L, 140 L and 240 L sizes
What goes in a red bin?
Yellow lid - recycling
- Collected every 2 weeks
- 140L, 240L and 360L sizes
What goes in a yellow bin?
Green lid - green waste organics
- Collected every week (if available in your area)
- Extra green bins can be requested (additional cost)
- 140L and 240L sizes
What goes in a green bin?
Just moved into a new place? Check that your bins are the best size for your needs. You could save money by ordering smaller bins.
Bins for units and rural areas
If you live in a unit or rural area there are 2 kerbside bin collection services: yellow and red. However, green bins can be requested if available in your area.
Call us to find out if there’s a green bin service in your area on 02 6670 2400.
Bins for businesses
See business waste
Tagged bins and contamination
(PNG, 76KB)Orange sticker on your bin? Bins may be tagged by the truck driver or Council’s bin inspector.
If your bin has been tagged you need to fix the problem. Then call the phone number on the sticker to arrange for the bin to be picked up (when it can be arranged).
Why is your bin tagged?
- Over filled (lid must be able to shut).
- Too heavy (must be less than 60 kg).
- Contaminated (for example, plastic bags in yellow or green bins).
- Too damaged to lift.
- In the wrong place (too close to other bins, trees or cars, or not placed in a service collection area).
Bin contamination
Collection trucks have cameras that take photos of bin contents as they’re lifted into the truck.
Contamination in our green bins can cost up to $200,000 a year to sort out:
- Plastic bags in green and yellow bins are the biggest issue.
- Plastic bags cause sorting machinery to break down.
- Truckloads of recycling or organics have to be sent to landfill if there’s a high level of contamination.
- Contamination does affect your bin costs. This is due to the additional processes involved and means more waste going into landfill.
Waste fees and charges
Council must recover all costs for waste management. Costs are increasing due to changes in the waste industry and government levies.
The cost for the collection of your household bins is included in your rates.
Different charges apply depending on your bin size and service, see fees and charges.
Recycle more so you can get a smaller red bin and save money.
Towards zero waste
Council’s target is to divert 70% of household waste from landfill by 2025. Our 3 bin system is now diverting around 61% of household waste from landfill.
We’re working towards a zero waste Tweed:
- managing products to reduce the amount of waste
- conserving and recovering as much reusable material as possible
- only sending waste to landfill as a last resort.
See Council’s Towards Zero Waste policy(PDF, 163KB)
See Council's Towards Zero Waste strategy(PDF, 272KB)
We’re reducing our waste, are you?
- Bollards used in Council’s parks and gardens are made from recycled plastic.
- Glass sand made from recycled glass bottles is in stormwater drainage upgrades.
- Recycled plastic is used for boardwalks and park benches.
- 90% of material excavated from worksites is repurposed.
- Recycled asphalt pavement is used for stabilisation work on our roads.
Lost something in a bin?
It is next to impossible to locate lost items once bins have been emptied by the garbage truck. Most trucks collect 500 bins before going to a facility.
For items lost in locked street or park bins - if the bin hasn’t been emptied call us to see if the bin can be unlocked for you.
Call Customer Service with time, date and location of bin and details of the lost item on 02 6670 2400.