Bin times to vary as city shares the early wake-up call

VARIATION in rubbish collection routes are helping Geelong residents get a welcome sleep in.

With 250,000 bins to collect across more than 130,000 properties, the logistics of getting rubbish from homes and into trucks is immense.

Despite the scale, the City of Greater Geelong is working to minimise the impact on residents, particularly those with early-morning collections.

Amanda Locke, the city’s executive director of city infrastructure, said rotating where rubbish trucks begin their routes has several benefits.

“Our collection days haven’t changed, but the point where a truck begins its run can vary from week to week.

“In residential areas, we rotate starting points in line with EPA Victoria’s noise control guidelines.

“This helps share any early morning noise across neighbourhoods, rather than affecting the same households each week.”

Alongside minimising noise, Locke said the routes are carefully planned to consider community safety, traffic conditions, school zones and streets where parked cars can limit truck access.

Due to these factors, some streets may be serviced at a consistent time each week, while others will notice collection times changing more frequently.

Regardless of where a property is located within a route, residents are encouraged to place their bin in an accessible position the night before their collection day.

Correctly sorting and filling bins is also essential to keep Geelong’s bin services running smoothly.

An often-unseen work group, Locke said the crews working these routes are essential members of the Geelong community.

“Rubbish collection crews work in all conditions, every weekday of the year, playing a vital role in keeping our community clean, safe and healthy.”

Households within Geelong have general waste bins collected weekly, with recycling and green waste bins collected on alternating weeks.

The city is in the process of transitioning to the Victorian Government’s new four-bin system.

Under the system all government areas in the state will operate with the same rubbish system to reduce confusion, improve recycling and reduce organic waste in landfill.

Geelong households can anticipate the delivery of a purple-lidded glass bin by 2027, and a combined lime green food and garden organics bin from 2027/28.

The city has joined with 31 other Victorian councils seeking an exemption from the glass-only bin program, advocating instead for an expansion of the existing container deposit scheme to accept glass bottles.