By the Bin Night Tonight team · Updated July 2026
Not all wheelie bins are the same size, and the size you have is not necessarily the size you are stuck with. Councils run a quiet menu of upgrades, extra bins, medical concessions and downsize discounts that most residents never hear about. Here is how the sizing game works.
Australian kerbside bins come in a handful of standard sizes: 80 litres (the small general waste bin some councils use to push waste reduction), 120 or 140 litres (the common general waste size), and 240 litres (the standard recycling and garden bin, and the general waste size in some areas). A few councils offer 360 litre recycling bins for big households.
Which sizes your council uses, and what the defaults are, varies more than people expect, which is why the neighbour who moved from two councils over keeps being surprised by the small red bin.
Every council has an upgrade path, generally with an annual fee added to rates, since bigger general waste bins mean more landfill cost. The usual menu:
A number of councils run the incentive in reverse: choose a smaller general waste bin and pay a lower waste charge on your rates. For a low waste household, a couple, or anyone whose red bin goes out half empty, the 80 litre bin can quietly save 30 to 100 dollars a year. Councils rolling out FOGO push this hardest, since food waste leaving the red bin is what makes the small bin liveable. If your bin is never full, the option is worth one search of your council site.
The bins belong to the council and stay with the property, which cuts both ways: you cannot take a bin when you move, and you also do not pay when one breaks in normal use. Cracked lids, broken wheels, split bodies and bins damaged by the collection truck are repaired or replaced free through a council request, usually within a week or two. Stolen or burnt out bins are replaced through the same channel, free in most councils, sometimes with a fee for repeat replacements.
One practical note: mark your address on the bin (councils often supply stickers). On a street where every bin is identical, bins wander, and the address is what brings them home.
Request it through your council, usually under waste services or additional bins. Expect an annual fee of roughly 50 to 150 dollars, waived or discounted if the need is medical or nappies in many councils.
Often free or nearly free, because councils prefer material in the yellow bin over the red one. Many councils also upsize the recycling bin to 360 litres on request at no charge. Ask your council rather than assuming.
The council, in almost all cases. Bins are council property attached to the address, and normal wear, truck damage and theft are covered. Report it online and a repair or replacement typically arrives within a couple of weeks.