Your bins
Most households in our city have three bins with different coloured lids.
| Bin lid colour | What goes in | How often it's picked up |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Food organics and garden organics, also know as FOGO. | Every week |
| Yellow | Recycling, like paper, cardboard, hard plastics, glass bottles and jars, and steel and tin cans. | Every second week |
| Red | General waste, or non-organic material that can't be recycled. | Every week |
If you live in a large unit complex, you may have different arrangements for your bins. Check with your building manager or real estate agent if you're not sure.
You can also visit the Wollongong Waste website and enter your address to check what day your bins are collected.
If you have any problems with your bins, visit the Wollongong Waste website or call the Waste Hotline 1300 362 360.
Order bins for a new home
If you've built a new home and need to arrange bins, you can complete the online form on the Wollongong Waste website or call 1300 362 360.
On-Call Household Cleanups
Each household gets two free clean-ups every financial year.
- If you live in a stand-alone home, or a complex with 8 or less units, you can book your cleanups online any time.
- If you live in a complex with 9 or more units, you will need to contact your managing body (Body Corporate, Strata Manager or Department of Housing NSW Officer) to arrange a cleanup.
Remember, it's illegal to dump items on the kerb if you haven't booked a clean up.
Our waste depot
Our city's waste goes to Wollongong Waste and Resource Recovery Park – also known as Whytes Gully – at Kembla Grange.
For hours, location details, and fees, see the Our Waste Depot page.
Recycle problem household items
The Community Recycling Centre at our waste depot lets you drop off lots of household items for free to be recycled. This includes excess recycling that won't fit in your yellow bin, plus many common types of problem waste, like paint, oils, batteries, old computers and TVs, and more.
We also have Community Recycling Stations at some library locations. These accept batteries, mobile phones, smoke alarms and x-rays.
What to do with your moving boxes?
If you've got lots of cardboard boxes from moving, and they won't fit in your yellow recycling bin, drop them off for free to be recycled at our waste depot's Community Recycling Centre.