Green waste disposalBins, branch collections and tips in Melbourne’s east
Garden waste has three ways out in Melbourne’s east: your food and garden bin, your council’s branch collection, or a tip. Here’s what each takes, what it costs, and what doesn’t count as green waste.
- Every council’s bin and branch rules
- 2026–27 tip prices as published
- What isn’t green waste
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The short answer
Clippings, leaves and small prunings go in your food and garden bin. Bigger branches go out in your council’s bundled branch collection. A load too big for either goes to a transfer station, where green waste costs less to tip than general rubbish. Soil and treated timber are never green waste, and many places also refuse stumps, palms and bamboo.
Food and garden bins by council
| Council | Food and garden bin | Branches in the bin |
|---|---|---|
| Knox | Weekly | Under 10 cm across; no bamboo |
| Monash | Weekly | Up to 40 cm long and 10 cm across |
| Manningham | Weekly | Up to 100 mm across |
| Yarra Ranges | Weekly | See Council’s bin guide |
| Maroondah | Fortnightly | Up to 10 cm across and 40 cm long |
| Whitehorse | Fortnightly, if you order one (it carries a yearly charge) | Up to 7.5 cm across and under 1 m; no stumps or logs |
From each council’s bin pages, checked 2 October 2026.
Branches too big for the bin
Every council collects bundled branches, either on its own schedule or with a hard rubbish collection.
Bundled branch collections by council
| Council | How branches are collected | Bundle limits |
|---|---|---|
| Knox | Every fortnight on your rubbish day; no booking | Up to 30 cm across, 1.5 m long and 30 kg, tied with natural twine |
| Maroondah | Booked; uses your hard rubbish allowance | Up to 1.5 m long and 30 cm wide; single limbs under 20 cm wide |
| Manningham | Booked; uses your hard rubbish allowance | Branches under 75 mm across, in bundles up to 300 mm; single limbs 75–200 mm |
| Whitehorse | With a booked hard waste collection; say so when you book | Branches under 7.5 cm wide and 1.5 m, in bundles under 30 cm; single limbs under 20 cm |
| Yarra Ranges | Once a year in November–December, and with the January–March hard rubbish run | Up to 20 bundles and 3 m³; nothing over 1.5 m long or 200 mm wide |
| Monash | With hard waste: the 2026 run is over, and booked collections start in 2027 | Branches and small logs tied with natural twine |
From each council’s own pages, checked 2 October 2026.
Each council’s full rules are in its hard rubbish guide.
Taking it to a tip: published prices
Green waste is cheaper than general waste at every tip here, so keep it separate. These are each facility’s own figures, not a range.
A car boot of green waste
| Facility and load | Published price | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Monash centre, resident (sedan or hatch boot) | $23.00 | City of Monash (GST not stated) |
| Monash centre, non-resident | $25.30 | City of Monash (GST not stated) |
| Coldstream (sedan car boot) | $33.00 | Yarra Ranges Recycling Services (GST included) |
| Knox Transfer Station (sedan car boot) | $35.00 | Knox Transfer Station operator (GST included) |
| Wesburn (sedan car boot) | $45.00 | Yarra Ranges Recycling Services (GST included) |
Clean green waste in a car boot, as each facility publishes it for 2026–27. Checked 2 October 2026.
A small trailer of green waste
| Facility and load | Published price | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Monash centre, resident (flat-tray 6 ft trailer, up to 25 cm high) | $25.00 | City of Monash (GST not stated) |
| Coldstream (small trailer, level, up to 6x4) | $63.00 | Yarra Ranges Recycling Services (GST included) |
| Knox Transfer Station (small trailer, level, up to 6x4) | $68.50 | Knox Transfer Station operator (GST included) |
| Wesburn (small trailer, level, up to 6x4) | $75.00 | Yarra Ranges Recycling Services (GST included) |
| Montrose (6x4 single axle, clean green waste) | $90 | Montrose Transfer Station (GST and levy included) |
| Whitehorse centre (clean green waste and timber) | $152.00 per tonne, minimum $70.00 (up to 460 kg) | Whitehorse City Council (levy and GST included) |
Clean green waste in a small trailer, as each publishes it for 2026–27. Monash and Whitehorse measure loads differently from the others. Checked 2 October 2026.
Hours, addresses and the rules at each site are in the guide to tips and transfer stations.
What isn’t green waste
Refused or charged as rubbish
- Soil and rocks, everywhere
- Treated, painted or manufactured timber, MDF and chipboard
- Logs and stumps over 200 mm across at Coldstream and Wesburn
- Palms and bamboo at Whitehorse’s centre, and in Manningham’s and Yarra Ranges’ branch collections
- Plastic bags and weed matting
Where it goes instead
- Soil: some tips take it for a fee; Monash asks you to call first, and Whitehorse doesn’t take it
- Treated timber: general waste at the tip
- Stumps: Knox hard rubbish takes them up to 1.5 m and 30 kg
- Palms and bamboo: ask the tip before you load up
Free garden waste drop-off
Manningham runs free garden waste days at Mullum Mullum Reserve, Donvale, for residents in the bushfire prone area. In 2026 they’re on Sunday 4 October, 8 November and 6 December, 8am to 4pm. Booking is essential, and days are cancelled on Total Fire Ban or extreme fire danger days. What each booking takes free is in the Manningham hard rubbish guide.
We found no free green waste period announced for 2026 by the other five councils (checked 2 October 2026).
Burning off
It’s restricted, or not allowed, on most suburban blocks in the east, and every council’s rule differs.
Burning off by council
| Council | Can you burn off at home? |
|---|---|
| Knox | Only with a Permit to Burn, and never on Total Fire Ban days, during the Fire Danger Period, or in June or July. The permit costs $156 outside the Bushfire Management Overlay. |
| Maroondah | Only on properties over 1 hectare, with a permit, when the weather is safe. Incinerators have been banned since 1995. |
| Manningham | Not on land under 2,501 m². On larger blocks, without a permit but with conditions: a pile up to 2 m³, nothing over 200 mm across, never on a Sunday, and notify Triple Zero Victoria first. West of Mullum Mullum Creek, only in May, October and November. |
| Yarra Ranges | It depends on your property’s category, which Council’s address lookup shows. Urban properties need a permit. Every burn must be registered first, with wind under 19 km/h. |
| Monash and Whitehorse | Check the council’s local law before lighting anything in the open air. |
From each council’s own burning-off pages, checked 2 October 2026. Fire Danger Period dates change each year.
When a skip makes more sense
A big garden clean-up, a hedge removal or a block cleared before summer can take several trailer runs. A green waste skip on your driveway takes the lot. Tell us about stumps or soil first: both are heavy, and soil makes it a mixed load. For soil on its own, a soil and concrete skip suits.
Common questions
What happens if there’s rubbish mixed in with my green waste?
At Whitehorse’s centre, a contaminated load is sent to general waste and charged at the general waste rate. Keep plastic, pots, soil and treated timber out of a green load wherever you take it.
Can weeds go in the food and garden bin?
Knox says weeds treated with pesticide may not go in its bin. In Yarra Ranges, residents can apply for up to four Weed Wipeout tip vouchers a financial year, each covering 1 m³ of listed environmental weeds such as English ivy, agapanthus and privet.
Where this information comes from
The rules and prices on this page come from these published pages, checked on 2 October 2026.
- DEECA: recycling food and garden organics · State page, updated 24 September 2026
- Knox City Council: food and garden bin · Council page
- City of Monash: what goes in your food and garden waste bin · Council page
- Whitehorse City Council: FOGO · Council page on its opt-in food and garden bin
- Manningham Council: FOGO · Council page
- Maroondah City Council: garden waste · Council A to Z entry
- Yarra Ranges Council: collection and burning-off dates · Council page
- Knox City Council: bundled branch collection · Council page on the fortnightly branch collection and its limits
- Maroondah City Council: hard rubbish and bundled prunings · Council page on booked collections and what they exclude
- Manningham Council: bundled branches collection · Council page on what the branch collection takes
- Whitehorse City Council: hard waste · Council page, including its advice for unit and apartment blocks
- Yarra Ranges Council: bundled branch collection · Council rules for the November–December branch collection
- City of Monash: annual hard waste collection · Council page on the 2026 collection and bookings from 2027
- City of Monash: Recycling and Waste Centre accepted items and fees · Council fees, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027
- City of Monash: Recycling and Waste Centre fee sheet · Council prices by vehicle, 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027
- Knox Transfer Station: gate prices · Transfer station gate prices as of 1 July 2026, GST included
- Yarra Ranges Recycling Services: Coldstream gate prices · Transfer station gate prices as of 1 July 2026, GST included
- Yarra Ranges Recycling Services: Wesburn gate prices · Operator prices as of 1 July 2026, GST included
- Montrose Transfer Station: fees and hours · Operator fees as of 1 July 2026, GST and landfill levy included
- Whitehorse Recycling and Waste Centre: items accepted at a charge · Council fees 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, including levy and GST
- Whitehorse City Council: non-acceptable green waste and timber · Council list for its Recycling and Waste Centre
- Manningham Council: garden waste disposal days · Council event page, dates from October to December 2026
- Yarra Ranges Council: Weed Wipeout tip voucher · Council page
- Knox City Council: burning off · Council page
- Maroondah City Council: burning off · Council page
- Manningham Council: lighting fires and open air burning · Council page
- Yarra Ranges Council: burning off · Council page
More guides
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