Kerbside Rubbish Collection
Your garbage bin with the red lid is collected on the same day each week. You should place your bin on the kerb the night before your collection day to ensure it gets emptied. Check when your bin is to be collected so you don’t miss rubbish night.

Please call Colac Otway Shire Council on 5232 9400 if:
- Your garbage bin is missing or broken
- Your garbage bin is not collected by 4pm on collection day
What can I put in my garbage bin?
- Household garbage
- Food waste, meat, fish, poultry, scraps and bones
- Nappies (wrapped)
- Polystyrene and foam meat trays
- Plastic packaging, food wrappers and cling wrap
- Window glass, glassware, mirrors and Pyrex
What can’t I put in my garbage bin?
- Green waste
- Recyclables
- Renovation material or hot ashes
- Syringes
- Liquids, acids, hazardous or chemical waste
- Paints, pesticides, oil or solvents
- Timber, bricks or rubble
For more information on what can and can’t go in your bins see the A-Z waste guide(PDF, 105KB). You can also find information on what goes in your recycling and what goes in your green waste?
Kerbside Waste, Recycling & Organics brochure
To find out more about Colac Otway kerbside waste collection service please see ColacOtway_12pp-A5-Waste-Brochure.pdf(PDF, 1MB)
Kerbside Collection Charges
The Council charges a kerbside waste and recycling collection fee which appears on your rates notice. Our charges are for the following bins:
- 120 litre red lid garbage bin
- 240 litre yellow lid recycle bin
- 240 litre green lid organics bin
The current annual charge for weekly kerbside collection is $300.00 per annum and the fortnight kerbside collection is $205.00 per annum. You can request an exemption from kerbside waste collection charges and the Council will review your request.
Need a new bin or your waste collected?
Council can provide additional or replacement bins if necessary and your circumstances meet requirements. You can request a new bin or apply for waste collection from your property.
Red-General waste
All general waste goes to a landfill, all material is bulked hauled which increases costs of disposal at the transfer stations.
Reduce landfill waste by placing all food scraps into your GREEN organics bin and placing recycling in your recycle bin.
Additional Waste Information and Website links
Barwon South West Waste and Resource Recovery Group
The Barwon South West Waste and Resource Recovery Group (Barwon South West WRRG) carries out waste and resource recovery planning to meet our community’s future needs.
Colac Otway Shire is a part of this group. To find out more information please visit their website https://www.bswwrrg.vic.gov.au/
Responsible cafes
Australians love their coffee. Did you know that three billion takeaway cups and lids are wasted every year? Most are never recycled. As featured on the ABC's War on Waste, Responsible Cafes connects thoughtful cafes with conscious consumers through one simple idea. Cafes can reduce or eliminate disposable coffee cups by offering a discount to customers with reusable takeaway cups. To find out more please visit their website www.responsiblecafes.org
War on Waste
The ABC’s three-part series War on Waste follows Craig Reucassel as he sets off on a mission to see if we, as a nation, can reduce our waste. He explores the impact that coffee cups and fast fashion have on our environment. To find out more please go to www.abc.net.au/ourfocus/waronwaste
Boomerang Bags
Boomerang Bags works to reduce the use of plastic bags by engaging local communities in the making of Boomerang Bags. Community made using recycled materials; Boomerang Bags provide a free, fun, sustainable alternative to plastic bags.
By getting involved, you are participating in a national movement that celebrates a local grassroots initiative, community building and sustainability. So let’s join Apollo Bay, Birregurra and Forrest communities and start making Boomerang Bags.
To find out more please check out their website www.boomerangbags.org
Sustainability Victoria
Sustainability Victoria empowers Victorians to live sustainable by taking action on climate change, using our precious resources wisely and helping create a sustainable future for us all.
You and your home
Sustainability starts at home with you and your family. The daily choices you make – both big and small – have a huge impact on the environment. To find out more please click website link below:
https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/en