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What can I put in my bins?

The following items CAN go in the red lid garbage bin:

  • Plastic bags and soft plastic packaging
  • Disposable coffee cups and lids
  • Non-recyclable packaging, eg meat trays and polystyrene
  • Food scraps, bones and meats
  • Nappies
  • Shredded paper
  • Small household items
  • Old clothes
  • Old toys and teddies
  • Small electrical appliances
 The following items MUST NOT be put in the red lid garbage bin:
The following items CAN go in the yellow lid recycling bin:
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Newspapers, books, magazines, junk mail and cardboard
  • Milk and juice cartons including tetra packs
  • Aluminium cans and clean foil
  • Steel cans, aerosol cans
  • All disposable plastic containers and bottles used in the kitchen, bathroom or laundry including food, beverage, shampoo and detergent containers, household cleaners
  • Used pizza boxes that don’t have any food in them
  • Rinsed takeaway containers
 The following items MUST NOT be put in the yellow lid recycling bin:
The following items CAN go in the green lid green waste bin:
  • Grass clippings
  • Flowers and weeds
  • Prunings
  • Leaf litter
  • Twigs and small branches (up to 75mm in diameter)
 The following items MUST NOT be put in the green lid green waste bin:

Compost bins

  • food scraps and garden waste

Worm farms

  • food scraps

For more detailed information please see the guides on Composting and worm farming

A warning about plastics
Hornsby Shire residents are keen to reduce their waste and recycle.  One of the most important things to remember is that plastic bags and soft packaging cannot be placed in your yellow recycling bin. These soft plastics get caught in machinery at the sorting facility.

Items that should not go in any bin

Batteries, light globes, mobile phones and ink cartridges contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment and should not be placed in any of your bins. Instead they should be dropped off to:

Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre
29 Sefton Rd, Thornleigh
Tuesday to Fridays, 8.30am-4pm
Saturdays, 8.30am-12pm

List of battery collection points

Council Administration Building
(small houseshold batteries only) 
296 Pacific Highway, Hornsby
Phone (02) 9847 6666
Monday to Friday, 8.30am-4.30pm

Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre
29 Sefton Road Thornleigh
Phone (02) 9847 4856
Tuesday to Friday, 8.30am-4pm; Saturday 8.30am-12pm Closed Public Holidays.

Hornsby Library
28-44 George Street (Entrance in Hunter Lane), Hornsby
Phone (02) 9847 6813
Normal Library operating hours

Berowra Branch Library
Community Centre,The Gully Road, Berowra
Phone (02) 9847 6140
Normal Library operating hours

Galston Branch Library
357 Galston Road, Galston
Phone (02) 9847 6160
Normal Library operating hours

Pennant Hills Branch Library
Corner Ramsay and Yarrara Roads, Pennant Hills
Phone (02) 9847 6100
Normal Library operating hours

Battery World Hornsby
Shop 3, 86 George Street, Hornsby
Phone (02) 9987 1877
Monday to Friday, 8am-5.30pm, Saturday 8am-5pm

All ALDI supermarket locations

For more information visit cleanup.org.au

These can be flammable and should not be placed in any of your garbage bins. Instead they should be taken to the EPA Chemical CleanOut Day

Your nearest Waste Management Centre may accept chemicals for a fee. For more information visit the SUEZ or phone 1300 651 116

Find Out More

E-waste includes televisions, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, PC monitors, loose hard drives, keyboards, plastic computer speakers, motherboards, video and sound cards, printers (with toners removed), scanners, network devices, set top boxes, mice, other computer parts, cables, IT accessories, gaming equipment, web cameras, DVD and VCR players, CD and DVD discs (discs only not the covers).

Hornsby Shire Council accepts e-waste at our Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre.

Find Out More

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Place your bin out the night before your collection day.
  • Do not overfill your bin and ensure that the lid is completely closed, or the truck may not be able to empty it. The bin should not weigh more than 70kg.
  • Do not place extra bags or bundles next to or on top of your bin, as they will not be collected.
  • Make sure the truck will be able to access your bins. Line them up along the kerb, facing the road, and space them about 30 centimetres apart. Avoid overhanging trees and parked cars.
  • Ensure your bin is Council-issued, with a Hornsby Shire Council logo on the front, and that the correct bin type is placed by the kerb for that week's collection.

Hornsby Shire Council carries out regular Bulky Waste Collections, when residents can place large items on their front lawn to be picked up. .Find out more

If your garbage, recycling or green waste bin hasn’t been collected please leave it out and our collection contractor will come back and collect it today or tomorrow.

Please make sure you report any missed bin collections to our Waste Hotline on 9847 4856 to ensure we are aware of the missed service and can advise the Contractor.

For more information on why your bin may not have been collected visit My bin was not collected. Why?

Waste Management Centres

Hornsby Shire Council does not own or operate any waste management centres, transfer stations, tips or landfills. However, there are a number of nearby facilities that can help you dispose of your waste. We recommend direct contact be made with the centre to check opening times, costs and accepted materials.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Waste & Recycling Enquiries
Please call the Waste Hotline on
9847 4856
Monday – Friday 8.30am - 5pm

Find your bin collection dates
Waste Fees and Charges
Workshops, Tours and Events

Waste Matters Strategy

Waste Matters

Council has adopted the Waste Matters Strategy, to guide the future direction of how we manage our Shire’s waste and increase our current landfill diversion rate.

Find Out More