Waste & Bin FAQs

If your bin was at the kerbside but not emptied, collection staff will place a sticker on the bin explaining why. Once the problem has been fixed, please call the Waste Hotline on 4732 7777 to arrange to have your bin collected. 

Common reasons why bins are not emptied include: 

Bin was too heavy 
Bins often become overweight if they are filled with items such as concrete, gravel or dirt or water. 
For the bin to be collected, some of the weight must be removed. 

If your bin has filled with water due to a broken bin or lid, you can lodge a request to replace this online through Council's Online Services or call the Waste Hotline on 4732 7777 to organise a free repair. 

Not presented at the kerbside the night before collection 
Collection can occur from 5am onwards. If bins are not put out until the morning, there is a chance they may get missed. To ensure your bins are emptied, please place your bins at the kerbside the night before collection, with the lid opening towards the road. 

Too close to trees, parked cars or other obstructions 
Please ensure bins are placed away from parked cars, trees and other obstructions. 
Bins should be placed 1m apart (or more if possible) and the lid closed to prevent spillage. 

Yes. Bins are still collected on public holidays. 

However, bins may be emptied earlier than normal due to changes in facility operating hours. 

To ensure your bins are collected, please place bins at the kerbside the night before your collection day.

Flies lay their eggs in items that will become a food source for the hatched maggots. 
Timely removal of pet excrement from the backyard can reduce the incidence of flies laying eggs and maggots hatching. 

If there are items in your bin that will attract flies (food), it is important to place your bin out for collection when it's due, even if the bin isn't full. 

Keeping the bin lid closed will keep flies out of your bin. If your bin or bin lid is cracked or broken, this can allow flies into the bin. You can lodge a request to replace this online through Council's Online Service or call the Waste Hotline on 4732 7777. 

Flyspray can deter flies from landing on your bin, however it will not kill maggots. If maggots are present in your bin, after collection, leave the bin with the lid open in the sun. This will kill any maggots in the bin. 

All households with a domestic waste service can book up to four free clean up service collections each calendar year to dispose of bulky household waste. 

Before booking a bulky waste collection, look into recycling options and consider donating usable items to charity, selling items or giving them away. For more information, see the A-Z of Waste and Recycling. 

Items may be placed on the kerbside in a tidy and safe manner the day before the scheduled collection. The maximum size of one collection is for 2 cubic metres (roughly the carrying capacity of a standard box trailer).

Please note that a separate truck collects metals for recycling- this could occur on the next working day after your scheduled clean-up collection. Please place any metals to the side of the clean up to allow for faster collection

Booking a Bulky Waste Collection can be done online through Council's Online Service. Online bookings through this portal can be made anytime and anywhere. You must be registered to make a bulky waste collection booking.

Find out more information on the bulky waste collection page.

You have the option of submitting your booking as a registered user or as a guest. We recommend you create an account so you can always see a record of the requests and questions you’ve asked us, and track the progress.

Bins often become overweight if they are filled with items such as concrete, gravel or dirt or water. 70kg max limit for safe collection.

For the bin to be collected, some of the weight must be removed.

The 3 bin system; 

• reduces the amount of reusable waste going into landfill
• saves our residents money
• offers a greater total bin capacity for each household than under the two bin system
• allows us to meet targets set by the State Government for all local councils to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill

Our system is designed so that organic waste is recycled into compost that is used to maintain and improve our community's parks and playgrounds. 

Organic waste, when placed in landfill, produces methane gas which has over 20 times the global warming potential than carbon dioxide.

Find out when your bins are emptied by viewing the Waste Collection Schedules Collection Schedules page.

The green-lidded organics bin can take all organic waste - including food scraps and garden clippings.

Food scraps

• Seafood and meat - including bones, shells, fat and offcuts
• Dairy products
• Egg shells
• Leftovers and scraps
• Fruit and vegetable peelings
• Cereal, pasta, bread, cakes & pastries
• Coffee grounds, tea bags and tea leaves

Garden clippings and trimmings

• Grass clippings
• Weeds (Including noxious)
• Twigs & sticks
• Prunings, cuttings and trimmings
• Palm fronds
• Palm tree nuts

Please DO NOT put plastic bags, nappies, polystyrene foam or medical waste in your organics bin. 

Download the 3-bin waste sorting guide. 

The yellow-lidded recycling bin can take paper & cardboard, plastic bottles, containers and jars, glass bottles, containers and jars, tins and cans. 

Paper & cardboard

• Newspapers & magazines
• Leaflets & pamphlets
• Envelopes (including window-faced)
• Toilet rolls (no toilet paper)
• Cardboard boxes & cartons
• Tetrapaks (Long-life milk/juice cartons)
• Wrapping paper

Plastic bottles, containers and jars

• Milk bottles
• Jucie & softdrink bottles
• Butter & margarine tubs
• Shampoo, conditioner and soap bottles
• Ice cream containers

Glass bottles, containers and jars

• Beer bottles
• Wine bottles
• Cider, pre-mix and spirit bottles
• Sauce bottles
• Glass jars
• Please NO window glass, fishtank glass, broken cups, glasses or mirrors

Tins and cans

• Soup tins
• Softdrink cans
• Aeresol cans (empty)
• Paint tins (empty)
• Coffee & milo tins

Please DO NOT put plastic bags, nappies, paint, polystyrene foam or medical waste in your organics bin

Download the 3-bin waste sorting guide. 

Any household waste that is neither organic nor recyclable. 

Please DO NOT place building waste, commercial waste, hot ashes, paint, batteries, needles or hazardous waste in your bin. 

For household rubbish too large for the recycling bin (such as old furniture and whitegoods) you may wish to book a clean up collection service by calling the Waste Hotline on 4732 7777. 

• Plastic bags
• Plastic wrappers and packets
• Plastic film & wrap (cling wrap, glad wrap & cellophane)
• Polystyrene foam
• Disposable nappies
• Personal hygiene waste
• Broken crockery, glassware and pyrex
• Cigarette butts
• Clothing & fabric
• Broken toys, small items

Download the 3-bin waste sorting guide. 

The majority of households are currently on a standard service which includes: 

• 1 Large (240L) recycling bin - collected fortnightly
• 1 Large (240L) organics bin - collected weekly
• 1 Small (140L) residual waste bin - collected fortnightly

When waste is being properly sorted into the 3 bins, most households find the standard service is adequate for their needs.Download a 3-bin waste sorting guide 

Some larger households or households with special needs may need more capacity for their red bin, or an additional recycling bin. Some smaller properties may not have much garden clippings, and can downsize their organics bin.

If you find that you need additional capacity for any of the bins please contact the Waste Services team on 4732 7615 to discuss different service options or see the 3-bin waste service page for further information.

Replacement kitchen tidy bins are available for purchase from Penrith City Council offices in Penrith or St Marys at a cost of $11* 

• Penrith Office - 601 High Street PENRITH
• St Marys Office - 207 Queen Street ST MARYS

The kitchen tidy is a 7.5 L bucket-style bin, specifically designed to collect food waste in the kitchen. 

Keep it handy to collect your food scraps when preparing meals. 

It has a wide opening so it is easy to scrape off food and bones from chopping boards and plates. 

The tidy can be lined with the Council-supplied green compostable bags or newspaper. 

Please do not use any other bags in your kitchen tidy or organics bin. 

Alternatively, you can use a container of your own choosing. 

It is recommended to use a container with a lid to keep flies and other pests out. 

It is important that the container is not disposed of in the organics bin and only used to collect and transport the food waste to the organics bin. 

Green compostable bags are delivered free of charge to every household on the 3-Bin Waste Service four times a year for residents to collect their food waste. 
They are the only bags that can be put into the green lidded organics bin as they are specially designed and have been tested to break down during the six week composting process. 

The bags are designed to fit Council's Kitchen Tidy bin and can be used to line the kitchen bin. 
Food waste can be collected in the bag, tied off and put into the organics bin. 

Please store the bags in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight to prevent bags from breaking down prematurely.

Council delivers bags free to residents every 3 months. 

If your household needs more bags, additional bags can be picked up from any of Council's offices or libraries. 
Alternatively, bulkier or excess food waste can also be wrapped in newspaper or placed loosely in the organics bin. 

The council-supplied green compostable bags are made from cornstarch and are designed to break down quickly in the composting process. 
As bags get older, they become less stable and are more likely to split. 

Bags are delivered every 3 months and should be rotated to make sure the oldest bags are being used first. 
Older packets can be identified by having the old Penrith Council logo, the "Rivers Mountains Lakes" logo. 
Newer packets will have their delivery date written on the back of the brochure. 

If you do have a large number of packets, it is best to use the freshest bags. Old packets of bags can be placed into the organics bin to be composted. The entire packet is compostable. 

If you do have bags that are breaking that you believe to be a new delivery, please contact Waste Services on 4732 7615 so they can be investigated.