Your glass bin
Glass bottles and jars can be placed in your purple lidded bin. Glass bottles and jars can also be taken to the Transfer Station for free.
Your glass bin collection
Your glass bin is collected every four weeks.
Search your address to see your next bin collection
View the yearly Digital Waste Collection Calendar
where you can:
- Add your address and see your yearly waste calendar
- Create a printable pdf
What can go in your glass bin?
Glass bottles and jars should be empty, lightly rinsed and placed loose in the glass recycling bin.
Please remove lids from glass bottles and jars before placing them in your glass recycling bin.
Glass bottles such as:
- Wine and beer
- Spirits
- Medicine
- Vitamins
- Supplements
Glass jars such as:
- Jam
- Pasta sauce
- Pickles
- Coffee
- Condiments
What can’t go in your glass bin?
- Broken crockery and ceramics
- Drinking glasses
- Pyres and heat proof dishes
- Mirrors and broken window glass
- Perfume bottles
- Light globes
Frequently asked questions
Can I opt out of the glass recycling service?
If you currently have a residential waste collection service, you can’t opt out.
A kerbside glass service is mandated by the Victorian Government and it is viewed as an essential service.
It also isn’t feasible to allow some households to opt out as this would lead to greater costs for ratepayers and for Council to subsidise you service removal through a redistribution of costs.
Can I still use Pass on Glass drop-off sites?
Yes, for a period of transition, however, the Pass on Glass drop-off sites will be removed from 30 November.
You can continue to drop-off glass for free at the Transfer Station.
Is broken glass allowed in the glass recycling bin?
Broken jars and bottles can be put in your glass recycling bin. It is also ok if a glass jar or bottle breaks when you place it into the bin. Leave the glass containers whole where possible.
All other types of broken glass or glass materials (e.g. drinking glasses, window or mirror glass, glass cookware) should be placed in your red lid household waste bin.
Do I need to take the caps and lids off glass items?
Loose lids and caps are problematic for glass recycling. Our advice for residents is to remove the lids and caps from glass items before they go into the glass recycling bin.
- Metal lids: Put them into your mixed recycling bin (yellow lid)
- Plastic lids (bigger than credit card): These can go in your mixed recycling bin (yellow lid)
- Small plastic lids: These go in your household waste bin (dark green or red lid bin)
Do glass bottles and jars need to be clean?
Empty and lightly rinse your glass bottles and jars. However, they don’t need to be spotless.
What do I do if my glass bin isn’t full?
It’s okay to put out your glass recycling bin even when it’s not full. Every bit of glass collected helps reduce waste and gets turned into something new. So don’t wait - if it’s collection day and you’ve got glass to recycle, go ahead and pop your bin out.
A monthly glass collection isn’t enough, what other options are there for my glass containers?
A free glass drop of site will be available at the Gillies St Transfer Station, as well and the various reverse vending machines around the municipality for eligible containers in the Container Deposit Scheme.
I don’t have a purple lidded glass recycling bin, what should I do?
If your property does not have a purple lidded glass recycling bin, please let us know:
Call the Customer Service team on 5320 5500 or fill out the form:
Request a new bin for your property
The City of Ballarat supplies bins to each property as part of our waste collection service. Bins are not delivered to a property unless it is occupied to prevent bins being stolen. The bins provided must stay at the property if you move house.