Useful Information

Waste and Recycling

Living offshore means managing household waste a little differently. Northern Beaches Council provides regular garbage and recycling services, together with two scheduled garden organics collections and two bulky goods collections each year.

Below is a practical guide to the Western Foreshore waste service, including what is collected and how garden organics and bulky goods should be prepared.

Western Foreshore waste collection

Council has produced a short video explaining how the Western Foreshore waste collection service operates.

Western Foreshore Waste Collection Overview

Garbage collection

Garbage is collected every Monday and Friday.

An additional Wednesday collection operates from mid-December until the first week of February.

Garbage is collected from:

  • public wharves
  • waterfront properties with year-round tidal access

Public wharves have skip bins and 240-litre red garbage bins.

Waterfront properties with year-round tidal access have a Council bin and hoop stand fixed to their private jetty or wharf.

Recycling

Recycling is collected every Monday and Friday from:

  • public wharves
  • private wharves with year-round tidal access

Public wharves have:

  • blue-lidded bins for paper and cardboard
  • yellow-lidded bins for plastic containers, glass bottles and jars, aluminium and steel cans

Residents receiving a private-wharf waste service should place recycling in the appropriate Council-provided recycling crates.

Place recyclable items directly into the correct bin or crate. Do not put recycling into plastic bags.

Flatten cardboard boxes and remove any plastic packaging before placing them with the paper and cardboard recycling.

New or replacement recycling crates are available from Council free of charge. Contact Northern Beaches Council on 1300 434 434 to request one.

For clear guidance on what belongs in the paper and container recycling, what should never be placed in household bins, and what happens to collected waste, visit Council’s Bin It Right guide.

Help keep our wharves tidy

Public wharves are shared community spaces. A little care helps keep them clean, safe and pleasant for everyone.

  • Place household garbage in securely tied bags.
  • Do not leave garbage bags on the ground, beside the bins or on top of an overflowing bin.
  • Avoid overfilling bins and skips.
  • Place recycling in the correct bin and never in plastic bags.
  • Flatten cardboard boxes before placing them in the recycling bin.
  • Do not place vegetation, building materials or bulky items in the regular garbage skips.
  • Pick up anything that may have fallen or spilled while disposing of your rubbish.
  • Consider composting or using a worm farm to reduce household waste.

Wildlife is remarkably good at finding the one bag that was not tied properly.

Garden organics collection

Council provides two scheduled garden organics collections each year. Refer to your current waste calendar for the exact collection dates and instructions for your location.

Each household may put out a maximum of two cubic metres per collection.

Garden material must be prepared as follows:

  • Place leaf litter, prunings and cuttings in hard-sided containers.
  • Cut branches to no more than 1.2 metres long and 75 millimetres thick.
  • Tie branches into manageable bundles using twine.
  • Place the material at the collection point specified for your location.

Do not place vegetation in the regular garbage skips.

Bulky goods collection

Council provides two scheduled bulky goods collections each year. Refer to your current waste calendar for the exact collection dates and instructions for your location.

Before putting something out, consider whether it could be reused, repaired, donated or recycled.

A maximum of three cubic metres may be presented for each collection, approximately three metres long by one metre wide by one metre high.

Items must generally:

  • be no longer than 1.8 metres
  • weigh no more than 40 kilograms, except for whitegoods
  • be safe for two people to move
  • have all removable batteries taken out

Items that can be collected

Commonly accepted items include:

  • furniture
  • mattresses and bed bases
  • whitegoods with the doors removed
  • metal items, placed in a separate pile
  • limited quantities of timber
  • electric lawnmowers, e-scooters and e-bikes with the batteries removed
  • one built-in household item, such as a cabinet, sink, toilet or door
  • rolled and tied carpets up to 1.8 metres long, with a maximum of three rolls
  • non-recyclable household items
  • empty hot water systems
  • empty beanbags
  • up to two unbranded pallets
  • up to three sheets of metal roofing, no larger than one metre by 1.5 metres

Items that cannot be collected

Do not put out:

  • household garbage
  • items smaller than a toaster
  • items longer than 1.8 metres
  • items weighing more than 40 kilograms, except for whitegoods
  • items that cannot be moved safely by two people
  • sheet glass, mirrors, windows or glass tables
  • smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, gas bottles or cylinders
  • chemicals, paint, oils, batteries or other hazardous waste
  • items containing a battery that cannot be removed
  • televisions, computers or computer equipment
  • building and renovation materials
  • insulation, bricks, rubble or asbestos
  • recyclable cardboard or other recyclable materials
  • vegetation
  • liquid or business waste
  • car parts, tyres or oils
  • petrol-powered lawnmowers or tools, even when drained
  • oil heaters
  • polystyrene, including beanbag filling
  • pianos

Batteries, gas bottles and other hazardous items can cause fires in collection vehicles and must never be placed in household bins or bulky goods piles.

Items that are not accepted will be left behind and must be removed from the collection point by the resident.

For the current bulky goods size and weight limits, battery requirements, and detailed lists of items Council will and will not accept, visit What We Can and Can’t Collect:

 

Not sure where something goes?

For an item-by-item guide to reusing, donating, recycling or safely disposing of things that cannot go into household bins or bulky goods, including local drop-off options, visit Council’s A to Z Guide to Reuse, Recycling and Disposal:

 

Current information and collection dates

Collection dates and service arrangements can change.

For Council’s official overview of Western Foreshore garbage, recycling, garden organics and bulky goods services, including any changes to collection arrangements, visit the Western Foreshore Waste Service page.

To check the scheduled collection dates for your property and download the current waste calendar, enter your address on Council’s Bin Collection Days page.

For missed collections or other waste service enquiries, contact Northern Beaches Council on 1300 434 434.

Additional Information