The Christmas festivities are done and dusted for another year, and for many Aussies the end of the silly season comes with piles of rubbish and overflowing bins. While many councils have ‘gifted’ an extra bin pick up for locals in their LGA, residents are being warned that there are common mistakes that could see your bin left uncollected.
Waste management company Veolia told Yahoo News there are several reasons why a bin could be rejected on rubbish day. The main reason comes down to the weight of the bin.
“Kerbside bins have a maximum weight that if exceeded means the bin may not be picked up,” the spokesperson said.
Most bins have a weight limit of 80kg, but to be sure, residents can check their bins for a stamp with the allowable amount.
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“The limit is to make it easy for the householder to manually shift bins and our collectors who may need to reposition a bin before putting the rubbish in a truck.
“Keeping the weight under 80kgs also reduces the chance that a bin is damaged when it is lifted by the mechanical arm.”
Can’t close the lid? Your bin may be rejected
Over the last few years, many households around the country have had been given a smaller general waste bin — which can commonly lead to overflowing bins.
But not being able to close the lid could also result in your bins being left uncollected at the kerb.
“If you can’t close the lid on your bin then it may be refused for safety and environmental reasons. This is because items are more likely to fall out,” the Veolia spokesperson said.
“On a windy day that’s a great way to ruin neighbourhood relationships.”
The company warned that even if your general waste bin is full, “don’t start stuffing things into the other bins” as contamination could send an entire load of recyclable material to landfill.
If a council worker is out doing a spot check on bins, a contaminated bin could get tagged, which tells the garbage collector not to pick it up.
“For the most part, our drivers will do their absolute best to pick up your waste, even during the festive season. That’s why they are truly the quiet heroes of Christmas,” the spokesperson said.
Heavy bins or contaminated rubbish are big no-nos. Source: Yahoo News Australia
Rubbish the biggest issue for Aussies this year
A new report revealing the biggest gripes of Australians in 2025 has revealed dumped rubbish to be the number one problem.
More than 200,000 complaints were made to local councils around the country via the Snap Send Solve app.
Illegally parked cars were also a major concern, with 157,000 complaints, while other issues included pot holes, graffiti, abandoned trolleys and overgrown vegetation.
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