Green bin
Your food and garden organics bin has a lime green lid, and is emptied weekly alongside your general waste (red) bin.
The organics service is contracted to Solo Resource Recovery and Australian Native Landscapes. The material collected in your organics bin is processed at Tea Gardens, where it's made into a high quality compost for use by home gardeners and farmers.
Find my next organics collection date
You can purchase an additional 240-litre garden organics bin by filling out this form.
What to put in your organics bin
DO put these items in your organics bin
All food including kitchen scraps and leftovers, and anything that grows in your garden can go into your organics bin, including:
- Grass clippings and prunings
- Bakery goods
- Citrus and onion
- Dairy products
- Fruit and vegetables
- Leftover food scraps
- Loose leaf tea and coffee grounds
- Meat scraps and bones
- Pasta and rice
- Seafood and shells
- All weeds
- Leaves and bark
- Plants and flowers
- Sticks and small branches (max. diameter 10cm/max. length 30cm)
- Roots (max. diameter 10cm)
- Palm fronds
- Council supplied compostable kitchen caddy bags only
Remember to remove all packaging, wrapping and fruit stickers!
DON'T put these items in your organics bin
- Plastic bags or bin liners (except for council supplied caddy liners)
- Plastic and biodegradable bags (except for council supplied caddy liners)
- Bamboo or compostable packaging/utensils
- Bricks, cement and building materials
- Cardboard and paper
- Electronic waste
- Food scraps in packaging/plastic wrap
- Household garbage
- Nappies
- Pet (dog, cat, etc.) poo and poo bags
- Oyster shells
- Recyclables
- Oils or chemicals
- Pots
- Soil and rocks
- Shade cloth and weed matting
- Treated or painted timber
- Styrofoam and textiles
- Engineered wood products (chipboard, melamine, MDF)
How to ensure your organics bin is collected
- Place materials loosely in your bin – don’t squash your garden organics down
- Put sticks or dry leaves in the bottom of the bin before lawn clippings to prevent sticking
- The maximum weight is 80kg
- Place bins out regularly rather than wait for them to be full and possibly too heavy
- Try to mow your lawn when it's dry or leave the lid ajar to reduce excess moisture
- You can drop off large items that don’t fit into your organics bin at Cessnock Waste Management Centre for a small fee or by using a resource recovery voucher
What if my bin is missed or damaged?
Please contact Solo Resource Recovery to report any issues with your bin or service:
Food and garden organics collection
The NSW Government has mandated the inclusion of food waste into the green bin collection services across all Councils in NSW by 2030.
Cessnock, alongside Maitland and Singleton councils, rolled out food organic recycling from the week commencing 30 June 2025. The expanded food and garden organic service included weekly collection of your green bin from this time.
Council has no plans to change general waste (red bin) services.
Find out more about FOGO here
Frequently asked questions
When did food and garden organics start?
Food and garden organics began in the week commencing 30 June 2025. The NSW EPA has mandated that all Councils transition to a food and garden organics collection by 2030. Cessnock, alongside Maitland and Singleton councils, rolled out food organic recycling from the week commencing 30 June 2025. The expanded service included weekly collection of your green bin from this time.
What goes in my food and garden organics bin?
All raw and cooked food including kitchen scraps and leftovers, and anything that grows in your garden can go into your organics bin. This includes:
- Grass clippings and prunings
- Bakery goods
- Citrus and onion
- Dairy products
- Fruit and vegetables
- Leftover food scraps
- Loose leaf tea and coffee grounds
- Meat scraps and bones
- Pasta and rice
- Seafood and shells
- All weeds
- Leaves and bark
- Plants and flowers
- Sticks and small branches (max. diameter 10cm/max. length 30cm)
- Roots (max. diameter 10cm)
- Palm fronds
- Council supplied compostable kitchen caddy bags only
Remember to remove all packaging, wrapping and fruit stickers!
Residents also receive a kitchen top bin (caddy) and compostable liners to help move food waste from the kitchen to the food and garden organics bin.
What can't go in the food and garden organics bin?
- Plastic bags or bin liners (except for council supplied caddy liners)
- Plastic and biodegradable bags (except for council supplied caddy liners)
- Bamboo or compostable packaging/utensils
- Bricks, cement and building materials
- Cardboard and paper
- Electronic waste
- Food scraps in packaging/plastic wrap
- Household garbage
- Nappies
- Pet (dog, cat, etc.) poo and poo bags
- Oyster shells
- Recyclables
- Oils or chemicals
- Pots
- Soil and rocks
- Shade cloth and weed matting
- Treated or painted timber
- Styrofoam and textiles
- Engineered wood products (chipboard, melamine, MDF)
- Vacuum cleaner dust, washing machine and dryer lint
Who else is doing food and garden organics?
The NSW EPA has mandated that all Councils transition to a food and garden organics collection by 2030. Currently, more than 64 NSW Councils offer a food and garden organics collection.
Maitland and Singleton Councils transitioned to food and garden organics at the same time as us.
Why is Council making these changes?
The NSW Government has mandated the inclusion of food waste into the green bin collection services across all Councils in NSW by 2030.
Will I receive a kitchen caddy & compostable liners?
Yes, all households with a Council waste service receive a kitchen caddy & compostable liners. This will help you move food waste from your kitchen to your food and garden organics bin. Remember to remove any packaging or fruit stickers first!
Can I get an additional organics bin?
You can arrange an extra 240-litre organics service by filling out the form found here.
Since the contents of my green bin produces compost, can I have some?
Yes! Complimentary bags of garden organics compost are available for residents of the Cessnock LGA at Council's Compost Giveaway events throughout the year. Upon supplying proof of residency, you can receive up to two free 25-litre bags of premium compost made from 100% locally produced and processed garden organics waste.
Compost giveaway events are advertised on Council's Facebook page and on the Your Organics Bin website.
Are you dropping to fortnightly red bin collection? I’ve seen other councils doing so.
No, Council has no plans to change general waste (red bin) service. In late 2024, we ran a community survey to understand community preferences on subjects like general waste kerbside collections, bulk waste services and operations at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre. This feedback helped inform our Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2025, which included no changes to the size of red bins nor the frequency of their collection.
How much does this cost me?
The service is included in the cost of your Domestic Waste Service. Fees and charges for FY25/26, including for Domestic Waste Services, can be found here.
Is putting things in the wrong bin really an issue?
Contamination in your bin can be a serious problem for the wellbeing of our staff, impact on the efficiency of the service, and the quality of the final organic compost produced.
How would you know whose bin was contaminated? And are there any consequences?
Solo collection vehicles are equipped with cameras which allow the driver to monitor the contents of bins as they are being emptied. A photographic record is kept of any contamination (such as batteries or plastics in an organics bin) and the address details.
Households with severe or repeated contamination will be contacted by letter with information about how to use the service correctly to avoid future problems and bins will be inspected prior to collection.
Ongoing or severe incidents may result in the service being suspended until an agreement has been provided by the householder to use it correctly.