Domestic Waste Services
Households in the Dubbo Regional Council will have waste services for their property, which may include a FOGO (green-lid) bin, recycling (yellow-lid) bin or residual (red-lid) bin depending on whether the household is identified as a three-bin service or two-bin service area.
For details about which domestic waste services are available for your address, please locate your address on our interactive map. Download and print the latest recycling collection calendar for our region; Waste Collection Services Fortnightly Recycling Calendar 2024/2025 (PDF 5.1MB).
THREE-BIN SERVICE
A three-bin waste collection service is provided to all residential properties in the urban areas of Brocklehurst, Dubbo, Geurie, Wellington and Wongarbon.
The three-bin service provides weekly collection for the FOGO green-lid bin, fortnightly collection for the recycling yellow-lid bin and weekly collection for the residual red-lid bin.
To see what can go into each bin, download our three-bin service guide; DRC Kerbside Guide (PDF 994.4KB)
FOGO Green-Lid Bin
The FOGO (food organics and garden organics) green-lid bin is for disposal of any kind of food scraps or garden waste. Contents can be placed loosely in this bin, or in Council provided green caddy liners. No other bags should be placed in this bin. FOGO bins are 240 litres and collected weekly in a three-bin service area.
The following items can be placed in your FOGO green-lid bin:
- Fruit and vegetables
- Meat, fish and eggs
- Dairy
- Tea leaves and coffee grounds
- Bread, rice and pasta
- Left-overs, expired food and bones
- Grass clippings, flowers, weeds, prunings and branches up to 15cm diameter
- Council provided caddy liners
The content from your FOGO bin is turned into compost. Changes by NSW EPA in September 2022 mandated that fibre-based food contact items such as pizza boxes and carboard could no longer be disposed of in a FOGO green-lid bin due to potential PFAS contamination. View our fact sheet for more information on FOGO green-lid bin exclusions; FOGO Exclusion Fact Sheet (PDF 421.3KB).
Have you run out of caddy liners for your FOGO green-lid bin? We provide approved compostable liners delivered to your home address, requested through DRC&ME. It is prohibited to use non-Council supplied bags including plastic bags, degradable bags or biodegradable bags; these bags do not breakdown in the composting process and will create contamination.
Please note that only one (1) roll will delivered at a time, up to three (3) times a year for free. Liners are not to be used for other purposes, only for disposal of permitted items in a FOGO green-lid bin.
Recycling Yellow-Lid Bin
The recycling yellow-lid bin is for disposal of any kind of household recyclable material. Contents are to be placed loosely in this bin, no bags should be placed in this bin. Recycling bins are 240 litres and collected fortnightly in a three-bin service area.
The following items can be placed in your recycling yellow-lid bin:
- Cardboard, packing boxes, pizza boxes
- Gable top milk cartons and juice cartons
- Plastic and glass bottles and jars
- Empty plastic containers where the Australasian Recycling Label specifies recyclable
- Newspaper, magazines, paper, junk mail and window envelopes
Find out more about recycling of different materials in our region at Council's dedicated webpage; A-Z Recycling
Residual Red-Lid Bin
The residual red-lid bin is for disposal of leftover household material that is non-organic and non-hazardous. Residual bins are 140 litres and collected weekly in a three-bin service area.
The following items can be placed in your residual red-lid bin:
- Non-hazardous household rubbish
- Soft plastics, toys and nappies
- Glass including mirrors, crockery, glasses and windows
- Pet waste and kitty litter
TWO-BIN SERVICE
A two-bin waste collection service is provided to all residential properties in the urban fringe and outer areas of Brocklehurst, Dubbo, Geurie, Wellington and Wongarbon, the villages of Ballimore, Bodangora, Dripstone, Elong Elong, Euchareena, Eumungerie, Mogriguy, Mumbil, Nanima, North Yeoval and Stuart Town, and the areas of Cadonia Estate, Firgrove Estate, Richmond Estate, Ponto Falls and Wellington Caves.
The two-bin service provides fortnightly collection for the recycling yellow-lid bin and weekly collection for the residual red-lid bin.
Recycling Yellow-Lid Bin
The recycling yellow-lid bin is for disposal of any kind of household recyclable material. Contents are to be placed loosely in this bin, no bags should be placed in this bin. Recycling bins are 240 litres and collected fortnightly in a two-bin service area.
The following items can be placed in your recycling yellow-lid bin:
- Cardboard, packing boxes, pizza boxes
- Gable top milk cartons and juice cartons
- Plastic and glass bottles and jars
- Empty plastic containers where the Australasian Recycling Label specifies recyclable
- Newspaper, magazines, paper, junk mail and window envelopes
Find out more about recycling of different materials in our region at Council's dedicated webpage; A-Z Recycling
Residual Red-Lid Bin
The residual red-lid bin is for disposal of leftover household material that is non-organic and non-hazardous. Residual bins are 240 litres and collected weekly in a two-bin service area.
The following items can be placed in your residual red-lid bin:
- Non-hazardous household rubbish
- Soft plastics, toys and nappies
- Glass including mirrors, crockery, glasses and windows
- Pet waste and kitty litter
- Fruit and vegetables
- Meat, fish and eggs
- Dairy
- Tea leaves and coffee grounds
- Bread, rice and pasta
- Left-overs, expired food and bones
- Grass clippings, flowers, weeds, prunings and branches up to 15cm diameter
Frequently asked questions
How do I present my bins for collection?
Please be aware the following guidelines have to be followed at all times to allow collection vehicles to service your bins:
- Bins need to be placed outside the night before or before 5am on the collection day.
- Lids must fully close, bins can't be overfilled.
- Bins need to be kept clear of vehicles, trees or other objects.
- Bins cannot individually be heavier than 65 kg.
- The front of each bin must face the road and be placed within one metre from the edge of the road.
- Space must be left between bins, 50cm is ideal.
What if my collection is missed?
You can submit a request through Council's DRC&ME Portal for your bin to be serviced if your service was missed, you will be required to create an account and log in. Council will not arrange for re-collection if it was in breach of the domestic bin presentation requirements listed above.
You will need to make other arrangements to transport your materials to the closest Waste Facility or wait for the next collection day.
What if my bin is damaged or stolen?
If you have a damaged or stolen netwaste bin, provided by Dubbo Regional Council, Council will provide you with a replacement. Requests can be made through DRC&ME, you will be required to create an account and log in.
What do I need to do if I am moving into a new property?
When you move into a new property, you may need to order your bins for your waste service if your builder has not already done this. Dependent on your location, you may be eligible for a three-bin or two-bin service. Ordering your bins for the first time has never been easier. Simply visit DRC&ME, enter your property address and details and your request will be reviewed and actioned for delivery.
Why has a sticker been placed on my bin?
A sticker has been placed on your bin because the collection driver identified a problem with servicing the bin, due to presentation or contamination that has been identified. Contamination means that the wrong items have been disposed into the incorrect bin.
The sticker and any subsequent notice letters intend to inform and educate you about what are and aren't acceptable items for collection.
Why has a Contamination Notice been sent to me?
Notice letters intend to provide details of a contamination incident, to inform and educate you on acceptable and unacceptable items for collection.
Contamination Notices also provide information about further actions that may be taken if bins continue to be contaminated. Council will issue you with a series of four contamination letters if you repeatedly contaminate your bins. After the fourth letter has been issued, Council may decide to cease collection of your recycling yellow-lid bin or FOGO green-lid bin.
Regular contamination is expensive and affects the safety and efficiency of sorting processes at the recycling and organics processing centres. Contamination also harms the environment through increased greenhouse gas emissions and lost resources.
Because of these effects of contamination, Council may cease the bin collection after four contamination incidents at an address occur over a short time frame.
How do I start having my bin emptied again following Contamination Notices?
If Council has ceased collection of your recycling yellow-lid or FOGO green-lid bin/s you must move your bins from the kerbside back onto your property. Once all contamination is removed you can contact Council’s Waste Contract and Collection Coordinator on (02) 6801 4000 to discuss how to have your service reinstated.
Please note that if a bin remains on the kerbside after the scheduled collection day it may be investigated as obstructing a roadway or causing nuisance, in which case penalties may apply.
Why does contamination of my bin matter?
When recycling yellow-lid or FOGO green-lid bin/s are contaminated their contents may end up in landfill, wasting valuable materials that could otherwise be used to create new products. While a large number of residents in the Dubbo Region are proud household bin users, some households continue to contaminate their recycling and organics undoing the hard work of others. One heavily contaminated bin load can effectively contaminate a whole truck load once it becomes mixed in. At the Materials Recovery Facility (for recyclables) or at Dubbo’s Regional Organics Processing Plant (DROPP) staff hand pick the garbage and contamination. This is not a pleasant task.
Therefore, issuing Contamination Notices and ceasing service to addresses with regular contamination incidents is required as part of a suite of actions to reduce contamination and optimise the volume of resources recovered through the collection service.
Contaminated bin materials may end up in landfill. This prematurely fills our limited landfill space, adds to greenhouse gas emissions and is an extra cost to council and its residents.
Last Edited: 11 Mar 2025