Waste FAQs
From July 2023, the townships of Coleambally, Darlington Point and Jerilderie will move to a three-bin system for kerbside waste collection. This follows a Council resolution in May 2022. The three streams of kerbside waste collection will be:- General waste - now has a dark green lid - will be replaced with the standard red lid
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Recycling - yellow lid
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Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) - bright green lid
- Reduce the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 30%
- Increase the overall amount of recycling by 18%
- Reduce the amount of general waste by 52%
- Reduce and where possible, eliminate, single-use plastic items within Council (Murrumbidgee Council Single Use Plastics Policy adopted October 2022)
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What type of waste will each wheelie bin hold?
- General waste – red lid
- Mixed recycling (also called ‘co-mingled’) – yellow lid
- Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) – green lid
The new system will start on 4 July 2023. We will provide a weekly schedule when these details are finalised.
3. What are the benefits to our community?
The introduction of three bins for kerbside collection will allow us all to manage our waste more effectively. It is part of an overall strategy by the NSW Government based around the concept of a circular economy, which works on the principle of using our resources more efficiently and making them more productive. We extend the lifeline of our products by reusing or recycling them. This, in turn, reduces the amount of waste going to landfill or ending up as litter. It ensures our waste does not become a problem for future generations to deal with and allows us to live sustainably in our beautiful natural environment.
4. Why are we moving to a three-bin system?
The decision to introduce a kerbside recycling service in Jerilderie township is in response to extensive community feedback. The FOGO bins are a requirement of the NSW Government that local Councils have until 2030 to implement a household bin service to collect food organics and garden organics (FOGO) from the kerb.
We are aiming to:
- Reduce the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 30%
- Increase the overall amount of recycling by 18%
- Reduce the amount of general waste by 52%
- Reduce plastic litter reduction by 30% by 2025 (NSW Government target)
- Reduce, and where possible eliminate, single-use plastic items within Council (draft Single Use Plastics Policy July 2023)
No, there will be no charge for new FOGO bins. We have received a grant from the NSW Government to cover the cost of the FOGO bins.
6. Will the lid change on my general waste bin?
Yes, our Council area currently has a dark green lid on general waste bins. This will be replaced with a red lid.
7. How will I know what goes in each bin?
We will be distributing lots of other information so we can all sort our waste properly. It’s important that we put the correct things in the correct bin so the contents are not contaminated. The requirements for what can go into a FOGO bin are set by the NSW Government.
8. Can I choose the size of bins I would like?
The FOGO and Recycling bins are 240 litres. Ratepayers have the opportunity to nominate the general waste bin size they would like. We currently have 240 litre bins in our Council area. The options with the new three stream system are:
| Type of bin | Bin sizes |
| FOGO | 240 litre |
| General waste | 120 litre or 240 litre |
| Recycling | 240 litre |
The default size for a general waste bin is 240 litres. Ratepayers currently own their bins, so if you choose to get a smaller 120 litre general waste bin and keep your currently 240 litre general waste bin, only the 120 litre bin will be collected from the kerbside.
9. When do my bins get collected?
| Type of bin | Collection frequency |
| FOGO | Weekly |
| General waste | Fortnightly |
| Recycling | Fortnightly |
10. Do I have to have a green bin if I don’t want one?
Yes, it is a NSW Government requirement that all NSW households must have a FOGO bin for kerbside collection by 2030.
11. Do I have to have a yellow recycling bin if I don’t want one?
At Council, we support the NSW Government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy. Increasing the amount of material that is recycled instead of going to landfill is an important part of this strategy. The kerbside collection service is a simple, convenient way of recycling. Your property will be charged for a yellow bin as part of Council’s fee structure.
12. Where does my recycling go?
Our recycling goes to Kurrajong Waratah in Wagga Wagga. Two trips will be made to Wagga Wagga each collection week. The other news is that Hay Shire Council is proposing to build a Materials Recovery Centre. When this facility is completed, we will send our recycling to Hay, instead of Wagga Wagga.
13. Where does my organics waste go?
The contents of the FOGO bins will be driven to Worm Tech’s Composting Facility (located in our Council area). Council staff will carry out this role. It is likely two trips will be made to the facility each collection week. We will purchase a new larger side load garbage truck to make the process more efficient.
14. Do we have other recycling options in our Council area?
Community Recycling Centres (CRC) are drop-off centres where we can drop off common household problem waste that can’t be collected via Council kerbside waste and recycling collection services (free of charge). Coleambally and Jerilderie Waste Depots have CRC sheds, where you can drop off household quantities of paint, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, motor oils, other oils, car batteries, household batteries, smoke detectors and fluorescent tubes and globes. The car batteries at Coleambally are utilised by the Men’s Shed as a fundraising activity.
Mini stations are located at the Coleambally, Jerilderie and Darlington Point offices household batteries, smoke alarms, light globes, mobile phones and accessories and toner cartridges.
We also take part in the national DrumMUSTER and ChemClear programs.
15. Will rural properties have access to this service?
We are very interested to hear from rural landholders who are interested in any of the services. We will look at its feasibility and if people are supportive of it.
