Recycling food waste in your green bin is one of the easiest ways to live more sustainably. By simply putting scraps in the green bin, you're reducing emissions and creating compost instead of landfill.
Recycling your food waste
How to recycle food waste
- Keep any scraps or food waste separate from your general waste by using a food collection container in the kitchen. Glen Eira households can collect a free kitchen caddy or simply repurpose a container you already have at home, such as an ice cream tub or takeaway food container.
- Empty the collection container into your green bin regularly. We recommend emptying the container into your outside green bin every 2-3 days.
- Put your green bin out for collection every week, even if it is not full. Green food and garden waste bins are emptied every week to help make it easier to recycle food waste.
How do I get a kitchen caddy?
You can collect a free kitchen caddy from our service desk at Glen Eira Town Hall (located corner Hawthorn and Glen Eira Roads, Caulfield). There is no requirement to call or email in advance.
Our kitchen caddies are dishwasher safe.
There is one kitchen caddy available for each household. If your kitchen caddy breaks and needs replacing, please bring it into Town Hall and we can swap it over for a new one.
What can I put in the green bin?
See What goes in my bins webpage for a detailed list of accepted and unaccepted items. A good rule of thumb is that if it’s part of something edible, it should go in your green bin! This includes:
- fruit and vegetables scraps (including citrus, onion and pips)
- dairy products and egg shells
- processed and cooked foods
- meat and seafood scraps (including bones and shells)
- rice, pasta and bread
- coffee grounds and loose leaf tea
- spoiled or rotten food.
Then there’s also a few non-edible items that can go in your green bin too, such as:
- newspaper
- paper towel
- small paper bags
- napkins and tissues
- garden waste
- pea straw or hay.
Any other non-edible items should be kept out of your green bin, even if they are labelled compostable or biodegradable. This includes food packaging, plastic or compostable bags, nappies, pet waste or kitty litter.
Resources to help with recycling right
Posters to help you and your household recycle are available to download and print:
If you don't have a printer and would like a copy, please get in touch with us at recyclingandwaste@gleneira.vic.gov.au
Online information
See What goes in my bins webpage for a detailed list of accepted and unaccepted items
Search items using our A-Z Rubbish or recyclable guide.
What compostable bags can I use?
Bioplastic compostable liners are not currently accepted
Bioplastic compostable liners cannot be used in Glen Eira’s green bins because they're not compatible with the rapid composting process which turns food and garden waste into compost in 6-10 days. The liners do not break down fast enough and can degrade the quality of the compost produced.
We understand that other Councils and composting facilities do accept these types of liners. In future, the State Government has proposed that all facilities will need to accept these types of bags to help make recycling guidelines the same for all Victorians.
Paper kitchen caddy liners are accepted
Using paper bags can help keep food contained. Simply put food leftovers inside a paper bag and then scrunch it closed. The bag of food can then go into your kitchen caddy or straight into your green bin. There are also paper liner products available that are made to fit a kitchen caddy, including:
- Maze 7L compostable paper bags (available from Bunnings and online).
- Bin caddies bags (available from local store Astoria Paper Products in Balaclava).
Other paper bags and materials can be used to wrap up scraps, including:
- Mushroom produce bags
- Paper bags from the bakery
- Brown paper lunch bags or sandwich bags
- Newspaper (reuse old editions of Glen Eira News)
- Paper towel
Paper bag guidelines
Paper bags can go in the green bin if they:
- are made of thin paper,
- are no bigger than a kitchen caddy,
- have no waxy or plastic coating, and
- have no handles.
Examples of accepted bags are:
- brown paper lunch bags
- paper kitchen caddy liners
- mushroom produce bags.
Supermarket shopping bags and food delivery service bags cannot go in your green bin because they are too large and are made of thick paper. These large paper bags can be reused or recycled in your yellow bin.
Not sure if your paper bag is acceptable? We can help you! Send us a message on Facebook or email us at recyclingandwaste@gleneira.vic.gov.au
Tips for using your green bin
- Put your green bin out for collection every week so it can be emptied. Even if it is not full, put your green bin out each week to help avoid odours.
- Use layers of dry materials between food waste. Place an initial layer of garden waste such as dry leaves, grass clippings or garden prunings in the bin to prevent food sticking to the bottom. If you don’t have a garden, you can use layers of newspaper, pea straw or hay. Add more layers of dry material as the bin fills up to act as moisture buffers and contain smells.
- Keep the bin closed and in a shady spot. Where possible always keep your green bin in the shade and make sure the lid stays completely closed.
- Freeze smelly food scraps. Put particularly smelly foods such as meat, dairy and seafood in a container in the fridge or freezer until the night before collection.
FAQs
I don't have a green bin — how do I order one?
If you don't have a green bin for food and garden waste recycling (lime green lid) please contact our customer service team:
- Live chat is available on our website Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. The link is at the bottom right of this page.
- Email us at mail@gleneira.vic.gov.au
- Call us on 03 9524 3333, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5.30pm
Free kitchen caddies are available to pick up from Glen Eira Town Hall — there’s no requirement to call or email in advance. So, if your household doesn’t have one, you can collect one anytime during opening hours.
If I live in an apartment, can I use the green bin for food waste?
Yes, if your apartment block uses our waste service and has Glen Eira wheelie bins. If you don't have a green bin please contact us on recyclingandwaste@gleneira.vic.gov.au
We can’t offer the service if a private contractor collects your waste.
If you live in an apartment that does not have Glen Eira bins but would like to keep food out of landfill, you can drop off scraps to someone who wants them for their home compost or chickens through the ShareWaste app.
What happens to my food and garden waste?
Food and garden waste is turned into compost at a commercial facility in Dandenong South. It is then used on farms, parks and gardens to improve soil.
Watch this video to see what happens to your food waste and hear from local farmers.
What if I already compost at home?
We encourage you to continue with your own composting. Our service complements home composting, as our commercial facility accepts animal bones, meat, citrus peel and dairy, which aren't recommended for most home composting.
If you want to set up your own compost system, visit our home composting page or Sustainability Victoria’s composting at home guide.
How often will you collect food waste?
The green waste bin is collected every week. See our rubbish and recycling calendar for bin collection days.
Why use a kitchen caddy?
A kitchen caddy makes it easier to collect scraps as you prepare food. You can use your own container if you prefer.
Will my kitchen caddy or green bin smell?
To reduce any smells:
- wrap food waste in newspaper or paper towel
- empty your caddy into your green bin every two or three days
- wash the caddy at least once a week – it’s dishwasher-safe
- sprinkle bicarbonate of soda in your kitchen caddy
- layer lawn clippings, garden prunings, newspaper or hay in your green bin
- keep your caddy and green bin closed and don’t overfill them
- keep your green bin in the shade
- keep seafood and meat scraps in the freezer until collection day.
Where can I collect my kitchen caddy?
You can collect a free kitchen caddy from our service desk at Glen Eira Town Hall (located corner Hawthorn and Glen Eira Roads, Caulfield). There is no requirement to call or email in advance. Our kitchen caddies are dishwasher safe.
There is one kitchen caddy available for each household. If your kitchen caddy breaks and needs replacing, please bring it into Town Hall and we can swap it over for a new one.
Can businesses have their food waste collected and composted?
No. Our food recycling service doesn’t cater for commercial quantities of food waste.
We’re reviewing the long-term waste service needs of our higher density population and activity centres.
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Recycle food waste in your green bin
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McKinnon resident Diane Shonberg on Food Waste Recycling
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The Back to Earth Initiative
