What can go in your green waste bin?

Most garden waste can go in your green or FOGO bin, but not all of it, and the rules differ by council. Here’s what goes where.

Updated 9 October 2026

A wheelbarrow full of garden waste on a lawn (stock photo)

The short answer: leaves, grass clippings, prunings, small branches, flowers and weeds generally go in your green-lid food and garden (FOGO) bin. Soil, rocks, tree stumps, large branches, treated timber and plastic bags generally don’t. Put it in loose and make sure the lid closes. Every council keeps its own list, so check yours. For anything bigger, use a booked branch collection or green waste removal.

Victoria is standardising household bins, with lime-green lids for food and garden organics and a standard list of accepted items. Councils are bringing the changes in over the coming years, so for now your council’s own page is the one that counts.

What usually goes in

Across the five councils we checked, the green bin generally takes:

grass clippings and leaves;
garden prunings, plants, flowers and twigs;
small branches, within your council’s size limit;
weeds.

The same bin also takes food scraps in all five councils. Put garden waste in loose, not in bags, and don’t overfill it: Whittlesea asks that you can close the lid.

Spiky plants vary. Hume’s green bin takes roses, yuccas and vines, but Whittlesea’s bundled branch collection won’t take succulents, agaves, yuccas, palm fronds, ivy or blackberries.

What usually doesn’t

Soil, sand and rocks. Whittlesea says soil and turf are too heavy for the bins and can damage the truck’s lift or crack the bin. That includes old lawn you’ve dug up. If you’re replacing a lawn with artificial grass or a new natural lawn, our quote includes removing the old lawn and soil whenever base preparation is needed.
Tree stumps and large branches. Moonee Valley and Hume both exclude them.
Treated or painted timber. Moonee Valley and Darebin both list it as not accepted.
Plastic bags, including compostable or biodegradable ones. Whittlesea’s approved lime-green caddy liners for food scraps are the exception.
Pet waste, pots, wire and string. Hume sends these to the rubbish bin.

Prefer to talk? Call or text 0415 386 399. We reply within 12 business hours.

Council by council

Melbourne’s north and north-west, from each council’s own page:

Council	Bin and pickup	Branches	Extra garden waste	Council page
Merri-bek	120 L standard or 240 L, weekly	Prunings and twigs; no size given	Larger 240 L bin	FOGO bins
Moonee Valley	Green lid, fortnightly	Up to 8 cm across; no large branches or stumps	Free hard waste collection has a green waste option	FOGO bin
Hume	140 L or 240 L, fortnightly (still being rolled out to some homes)	Up to 10 cm thick	Bundled branch collection using your yearly waste vouchers; extra bins for a fee	What goes in each bin
Darebin	120 L standard, every two weeks	Twigs and small branches	Larger or extra bin for a fee	Food and green waste bins
Whittlesea	240 L, fortnightly	Cut to fit; no stumps	Free bundled branch collection: call 9217 2170	Food and garden waste bin

We checked these pages on 8 and 9 October 2026. Collection days can change, so check your council’s calendar too. Elsewhere in Melbourne? Search your council’s name with “FOGO bin”. Our service areas page lists Melbourne’s councils by region if you’re not sure which one you’re in.

When the bin is too small

Side garden after overgrowth has been cleared

A big prune or a cleanup can fill a green bin many times over. Your options:

Spread it out over a few collections if it can wait. Soft material like leaves and clippings can also go in a home compost.
Book a council collection. Hume and Whittlesea run bundled branch collections (tie the bundles with string or twine), and Moonee Valley’s free hard waste collection has a green waste option.
Get a bigger or extra bin. Hume, Darebin and Merri-bek offer a 240 L bin, and Hume and Darebin also offer extra bins. Fees can apply, so check your council’s page.
Drop it off. Hume suggests taking large branches to a Hume Clean Day or a resource recovery centre.
Have it taken away. That’s our green waste removal in Melbourne: we load it up and take it away, so there’s no trailer or tip run.

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Don’t dump it or burn it

Don’t dump it. EPA Victoria says dumping waste on land that isn’t licensed to accept it is illegal, and garden waste and soil are on its list of waste types to report. You can report dumping to EPA’s 24-hour pollution hotline on 1300 372 842. For waste dumped on residential or council land, EPA says to contact your council.

Don’t burn it without checking first. Burning off depends on your council’s local law, and fire restrictions apply on top. In Hume, for example, you need a council permit to burn in the open on a block under 4,000 square metres. Incinerators aren’t allowed on private property, and nothing can be burned on a total fire ban day. EPA Victoria can also fine people who burn waste such as plastics or treated timber. Check your own council’s rules before you light anything.

Getting a pile taken away

If the pile is more than your bins can handle, or it comes from a bigger job, our green waste removal service takes it away. That can be a standalone collection or part of a garden cleanup, hedge or pruning job.

Before we quote, we check what the material is, roughly how much there is, and how far it is to the vehicle. Soil, rocks, treated timber and general rubbish need to be mentioned up front, because they’re handled and priced differently.

Text wide and close photos, with something in the shot for scale, to 0415 386 399. We reply within 12 business hours. Clearing a whole yard first? Read how to clean up an overgrown garden, and if weeds are the problem, common weeds in Melbourne. Moving out of a rental? See the end-of-lease garden checklist.

From EKO Gardening Solutions. Sources checked on 8 and 9 October 2026.

A few useful answers.

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Tell us what you have in mind.

Can I put weeds in my green bin?

Yes, in all five councils we checked: Merri-bek, Moonee Valley, Hume, Darebin and Whittlesea. Put them in loose. For restricted weeds such as Chilean needle grass, ask your council how to dispose of them.

Can soil or dirt go in the green waste bin?

No. Moonee Valley, Hume, Darebin and Whittlesea all list soil as not accepted, and Merri-bek says its bin is for food scraps and garden waste. Whittlesea explains that soil and turf are too heavy and can damage the truck’s lift or crack the bin. Reuse clean soil in the garden, or ask your council where it can go.

How big can branches be?

It depends on your council. Moonee Valley sets an 8 cm maximum diameter, and Hume takes small branches up to 10 cm thick. Bigger branches can go out for a booked bundled branch or hard waste collection, tied with string or twine where the council asks.

Can I burn garden waste in Melbourne?

Check your council’s local law first. Hume, for example, needs a permit for open-air burning on blocks under 4,000 square metres, doesn’t allow incinerators on private property, and allows no burning at all on total fire ban days.

Will you take green waste on its own, without a cleanup?

Yes. We collect garden-generated green waste as a standalone job or as part of a cleanup or pruning job. Text wide and close photos, with something in the shot for scale, to 0415 386 399.

Sources

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