Your Green Bin is Collected Weekly

Please place only organic waste in your green bin. This includes:

  • Food Scraps: all fruit and vegetable scraps, bones, seafood, shells, coffee grinds, tea bags and tea leaves, eggshells, bread, pasta, cereal and dairy products
  • Garden waste: grass clippings, small branches, sticks, leaves, weeds and flowers
  • Plus: Small UNTREATED and UNPAINTED timber off-cuts

DO NOT put these items in your green bin:

  • Plastic bags including compostable or biodegradable
  • Soil and rocks
  • Large or thick branches, stumps, logs (as a general guide, anything thicker than your arm does not belong in your green bin)
  • Treated or painted timber (some treatments are toxic e.g. treated pine)
  • Timber furniture or toys
  • Plastic of any kind
  • Nappies of any type (including biodegradable or compostable nappies)
  • Plant pots- plastic or ceramic
  • Soiled paper and cardboard

Why can’t I put plastic, biodegradable or compostable bags in my green bin?

Buying or using ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable’ plastic bags is a responsible choice.

However, they CANNOT be put in your green bin. The first stage of the green waste processing involves shredding the contents before it is placed into composting bays. When a plastic bag goes through the shredder, it is ripped into many small pieces, and it is impossible to remove. These plastic pieces can mean an entire load of compost is contaminated and wasted.

Please put all plastic, ‘compostable’ and ‘biodegradable’ bags in your red bin and they will still break down.

Green Bin Tips

  • Place garden clippings in your green bin before anything else. This will line the bottom of the bin and prevent lawn clippings and food waste from getting stuck.
  • Wrap your food scraps in newspaper to reduce mess and odours.
  • Freeze seafood and meat scraps until collection day to reduce odours.
  • You can sprinkle some bicarb soda in the bottom of your green bin after it has been emptied, this will help absorb odours.

What if I have excess organic waste?

If you usually fill up your green bin before its collection day, you do have some options:

  • Get an extra green bin. We can supply an additional 240L bin – annual fees apply.
  • Take your excess green waste to your local waste facility. Fees may apply.

Overweight or Overfull Bins

Our trucks can only lift a maximum of 80kg in wheelie bins. Please avoid placing excessive quantities of heavy materials (e.g. wet lawn clippings) in your bin, as overweight bins cannot be emptied.

Overfull bins can result in spillage and difficulty of collection. Your bin lid must be fully closed with all contents contained inside the bin. We are unable to empty overfull bins.

What happens to my green bin waste?

The organic waste from your green bin is transported to Biomass Solutions at the Coffs Coast Resource Recovery Facility in to be made into high quality compost. By placing your organic waste into the green bin you are contributing to a healthier environment and reducing waste to landfill.

At Biomass Solutions your green waste is placed into a powerful shredder. The shredded material is then passed under a blower and vacuum extraction system to try to remove as much of the plastic bag contamination as possible (including the biodegradable and compostable bags).  The material is then bulldozed into 9 large long concrete bays where a network of roof sprinklers control the moisture content.  Strict temperature and air controls ensure that weed seeds and pathogens are destroyed and allow the right microbes to flourish and breakdown the organic material. At the same time large automated machines mix the material for 12 hours a day to ensure the material remains oxygenated. This system results in high quality compost being produced in just 21 days.

The resulting compost is widely used by home gardeners and commercial landscapers, farmers and gardeners on the Coffs Coast. This compost is available for purchase by contacting 6691 8000.

Coffs Harbour City Council, Bellingen Shire Council and Nambucca Valley Council are currently undertaking an education program, encouraging residents to correctly utilise their green bins. To find out more, please go to https://letsgetcomposting.org.au/