Council has introduced a new organics recycling service called 'Kitchen to Compost' which now allows food scraps to be placed into your green garden bin along with garden organics. This new service will reduce greenhouse emissions as well as help to reduce the amount of waste we are sending to landfill by almost half!

The following links will provide all the information you need to know about how to use the service and the related environmental benefits.

• Kitchen to compost brochure (PDF)
• Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

How does this service work?

We will collect food scraps from your green bin as part of our weekly waste service. All you need to do is place food scraps into your existing green garden wheelie bin along with garden organics for recycling. Food scraps may be wrapped in newspaper if preferred.

Wrapping food scraps in newspaper

What we collect in your green bin

• Grass clippings
• Leaves
• Flowers
• Weeds
• Small prunings and branches
• Fruit and vegetable scraps
• Meat, fish scraps and bones
• Dairy products (cheese, yogurt)
• Egg shells
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Bread, rice, pasta, cereal
• Out of date and spoiled food
• Left overs from your plate and take away food

• DO NOT overfill your bin, make sure the lid is closed to avoid spillages and pests
• Garden materials must be cut into pieces that fit inside your bin
• Consider layering the bottom of your green bin with newspaper or leaves/twigs to absorb liquids from food scraps

What we don’t collect

• Tree stumps or branches thicker than 150mm
• Fence palings, timber and building materials
• Sawdust, soil and rocks
• Plastic plant pots
• Plastic bags full of garden organics
• Plastic bags full of food scraps
• Pizza boxes, nappies, polystyrene, plastic, glass

Kitchen tidy bin

Council will be providing each household with a small kitchen tidy bin to collect food scraps in the kitchen, then transfer from the kitchen to your green wheelie bin. If you have not received one, pick one up from the counter at our Customer Service Centre.

Food scraps being tipped into kitchen tidy bin

Love Food Hate Waste

If you are interested in recycling organics, you may also be interested in how to avoid food waste in the first place. Woollahra Council has joined the Office of Environment and Heritage new education program called Love Food Hate Waste.This program aims to help households and businesses learn more about the impacts of wasteful consumption and how to reduce their own food waste by planning ahead and using simple preparation and storage techniques.

The following links provide all the information you need to know about the Love Food Hate Waste program:

• Love Food Hate Waste website
• Love Food Hate Waste brochure (PDF)
• Factsheet (PDF)
• Menu Planner (PDF)

Composting and worm farming are also great alternatives for managing your organic waste. See our page on composting and worm farming to learn how you can create your own compost at home.

Free bulk garden organics pick up - up to three times per year

We will pick up additional garden refuse, up to three times each calendar year, should you make this request. We will collect this refuse on the same days as the regular garden organics service. The following requirements apply to this additional service.

Garden organics must be:

• Tied in easy to handle bundles
• Tied with compostable twine or string
• No more than 1 metre in length,
• No more than 11 bundles,
• Left neatly on the kerb for collection
• NO plastic bags or cardboard boxes - leaves and smaller items must be presented in a sturdy, weather proof receptacle (plastic crate or container), otherwise cannot be collected.

We must be notified of your request before the collection day - please call our Customer Service Centre on 9391 7000.