Apartment bins and waste collections

Find out how to contact us about bins and services for apartments. The services are different from houses.

Waste and Recycling in apartment buildings

More than 90 per cent of City of Port Phillip residents live in medium or high density apartments.

Depending on the size and era of your apartment building your waste and recycling may be in a bin room, you may have chutes, or a combination of both.

Some buildings in Port Phillip are on a full council waste & recycling service, some are on full private contract service, and some are on a hybrid service combining council and private contractor arrangements. 

Talk to your building manager, owners committee, or strata provider to find out more. 

Buildings on a Full Council Service will automatically have a Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) bin service at no extra charge as part of the mandatory State Government roll out of FOGO. You can find out more here - Dispose of your Food and Garden Organics (FOGO) - City of Port Phillip

If you are on council service you can use this link to Check your area’s bin day. 

Eligible buildings can also book hard and green waste collections.

Bin sizes for multi-unit buildings

Residents in apartments share bins. We work out the number of bins your building gets based on permit conditions or the waste management plan.

Buildings with more than 50 apartments can ask for 660-litre and 1,100-litre bins. Building managers or owners’ corporations can ask us if the building is eligible on My Port Phillip or by phoning ASSIST on 03 9209 6777.

Request bin repairs, replacements or a different size

If a bin at your building is damaged, lost, too large or small, we can help.

Any resident can request bin repairs on My Port Phillip or phone ASSIST on 03 9209 6777 during business hours.

The property manager or owners’ corporation representative can request a new, extra or change to your bin on My Port Phillip.

What goes in the bin

If you are not sure how to dispose of something, find out what can go in the recycling bin at home (yellow lid).

General waste bin

Use your general waste bin (red or dark green lid) to dispose of items you can’t reuse, recycle or compost:

  • broken crockery and ceramics
  • broken window glass, drinking glass and Pyrex
  • food scraps and garden scraps (if you can’t compost)
  • cling wrap
  • lids/caps (from plastic bottles)
  • meat and bones
  • nappies
  • sanitary items
  • soiled paper
  • used paper towel and tissues.

Education for residents

We work with building managers, owners corporations, real estate agents and strata providers to improve waste management services in the buildings they manage.

To reduce waste and help everyone to understand what waste goes where, we offer:

  • waste and recycling education
  • signage installation on your site
  • posters and brochures.

We have created info posters that you can print and display in your apartment bin bay:

You can also collect these posters at the St Kilda Town Hall Assist counter. 

Find out about waste education resources by sending us a message on My Port Phillip or call us on 03 9209 6777 during business hours.

New Development Waste management plans

Developers must submit a waste management plan with when they apply for a planning permit for a multi-unit development.

For help preparing a waste management plan read our Waste Management Plan Guidelines (the guidelines) and submit your waste management plan through My Port Phillip. These plans are reviewed for compliance with the guidelines.

For existing buildings, owners corporations can apply for council bin services by submitting a new waste management plan.

All waste management plans must be prepared by a suitably qualified professional. 

Waste management plans are part of our requirements for sustainable design for developments.

Submit a waste management plan