Rubbish & Recycling Collection Services
Rubbish, Recycling and Food Scraps/Garden Waste Collection
Council manages all kerbside rubbish, recycling and food scraps/garden waste within the Shire.
Find out what you can and can't put in your bins, as well as when your bin is collected - click on a bin picture for more information.
New waste and recycling system
In 2020, the Victorian Government announced major reforms to the waste and recycling system.
It includes a complete overhaul of the household recycling services (introducing a four-bin system) and a container deposit scheme to improve the value captured from the materials we recycle, new investment in industry and the creation of waste management as an essential service.
In 2021, Colac Otway Shire developed the Resource Recovery and Waste Management Strategy, partly in response to the Victorian Government reforms and partly to respond to our own community’s needs.
In October 2021, Colac Otway Shire will be rolling out the new purple glass-only bin to recycle glass.
Find out more about the Victorian Government's recycling transformation.
What’s changing?
The new purple (glass only) bin is the only change to the current kerbside collection service in Colac Otway Shire in 2021.
-
Rubbish - Red bins go out for weekly collection.
-
Recycling - Yellow and Purple bins for recyclable materials go together. Yellow fortnightly, but purple goes out four-weekly.
-
Food scraps/Garden waste - Green bins go out fortnightly for all food scraps and garden waste.
New Purple (Glass-only) bin
Separating glass out from the yellow recycling bin helps to improve the ways glass is recycled. Glass is 100% recyclable and gets made into new glass bottles and is also added to road base for roads and footpaths.
No lids. The purple bin is for glass only. Remove bottle tops, beer caps and aluminium lids from jars so we can recycle glass only.
PURPLE and YELLOW go together. We know it's not fashionable, but your purple bin goes out with your yellow bin, but only once every four-weeks.
Be a Good Sort
We’ve developed a traffic light system to help our community implement the State Government reforms more easily. Colac Otway Shire is encouraging everyone to Be a Good Sort and use the right bin.
STOP our waste going to landfill. Currently 70% of what’s in the red bin could be in the yellow or green bin.
RECYCLE more and take advantage of our recycling systems
FOGO Bin needs to be used more for food scraps, not just garden waste. 30% of food waste is being put in the red bin. Put it in the green bin so it gets composted.
The Colac Otway Shire have produced a range of videos to help you be a good sort. Watch them on Council's YouTube channel. You can also subscribe to the Colac Otway Shire channel.
Technology to help
Now Available! Colac Otway Shire Good Sort App.
Available for iPhone and Android devices, the Good Sort App makes being a good sort easy with bin night reminders, calendar notifications, and service change or delay alerts. Watch the Good Sort App in action.
Download the Good Sort App now! iPhone Android
Type in your address to find out what day your bins are collected. You can also download your 2022-23 Waste Collection Calendar.
If you need to request a new kerbside collection service, please complete this application form(PDF, 129KB).
Get in touch with us by email: inq@colacotway.vic.gov.au
Report if we've missed collecting your bin using our Submit A Request form.