• Call the Waste Hotline 1300 369 842

• Check the Waste and Recycling Calendar 2006-07 for details of when your bins will be emptied. The calendar is available on Councils website or check out the Calendar in your Waste and Recycling Services booklet delivered in the mail.

• For more detailed information call the Waste Hotline 1300 369 842.

• All residents are being supplied new bins, to ensure that there is a standard service throughout the Shire, under the old contract people had all different sized bins and colours and it can be quite confusing, especially for the short term rental community.

• Retrofitting the bins is difficult (putting new lids on the old 240L general waste bins to turn them into recycling bins) as there are a huge range of brands and sizes of bins throughout the shire, which the new lids won’t fit.

• It also enables Council to effectively educate the community on which bins are used for each type of waste and reduces the incidence of contamination in the recycling and garden organics bins.

• Many bins throughout the shire are aged and damaged, under the new contract, the contractor must repair/ replace damaged bins, if we were to continue using the old bins, it can be come very expensive sourcing parts for the different bins.

• The new bins are Council property, residents won’t be required to supply their own bins for any of Council’s collection services.

• As residents currently own their bins (all new bins are Council’s property and must not be intentionally defaced/damaged) they can reuse them or dispose of them.

• Residents can take their old bin to any of Council’s Waste and Recycling Depots free of charge, they will then be shipped to Sydney for recycling.

• The bins make for great animal feed storage, they may wish to give it away to someone they know who has animals, if they don’t.

• The base could be cut out, and the bin converted to a compost bin.

• No, residents cannot have a 240 litre general waste bin (unless they are rural, in which case that is what they are supplied).

• Yes, residents can have another 140 litre general waste bin, however, they must pay for the additional service.

• A lot more products can be diverted from the general waste bin into the recycling bin, so give the new system a go before you purchase another service.

• As the bins all have serial numbers on them, and only people paying for a service will be issued with a Council bin, the rural numbers are no longer required.

• Business are able to select any licensed Waste collection Contractor, however, regardless of who they use, they will be charged for a weekly collection of waste and recycling through Council’s rates system.

• MUD Strata Managers are able to contact the Waste Hotline 1300 369 842 to discuss their service requirements, Watts Waste are happy to met with the Strata/ Property managers to discuss and resolve any issues.

• Regardless of use, MUD’s will be charged for waste and recycling, the same as all other domestic residents.

• Council can supply information to assist in educating the tenants, but we also need to be mindful that most of the tourists come from areas that have been using recycling systems identical to that of the Bega Valley Shire for years and are happy to participate.

• Plastic Containers - numbered 1, 2, 3 or 5 make sure it has the around the numbers. (squash to make more room)
• Glass bottles and jars – Green, clear and Amber (brown) (DO NOT BREAK INTENTIONALLY)
• Aluminium Cans (squash to make more room)
• Paper and Cardboard (fold/squash to make more room)
• Milk and Juice Cartons - liquid paper board and tetra packs (squash to make more room)
• Steel Tins and Cans - includes empty aerosol cans

• The recycling is being taken to a MRF – Materials Recovery Facility (pronounced "Murf") that is set up to take ‘commingled’ (mixed together) recycling.
• The recycling will go along a series of conveyor belts and will have machinery that pulls out the metals, or blows the paper into another compartment and some of the recycling will have people hand sorting it into different types of materials.
• It is more cost effective and safer to collect the material commingled and it makes it easier for residents to recycle more materials.
• The paper and plastics help protect and minimise the amount of glass that gets broken.
• The collection vehicle is also set so as to not ‘over-compact’ (squash) the material to ensure not too much glass gets broken.

• Try squashing the paper, cardboard, milk and juice cartons, aluminium cans and plastic containers to make more room. DO NOT SMASH THE GLASS INTENTIONALLY.
• If residents always have too much recycling, they can pay for an additional recycling service.
• Another suggestion is when out shopping, look for products with less packaging to minimise the amount of waste your household generates.
• Take the excess recycling to one of Council’s Waste and Recycling Depots.

• Council has an annual household chemical collection, where residents can dispose of household quantities for free. Details are in the Domestic Waste and Recycling Service Brochure.
• Take it to one of Council’s Waste and Recycling Depots.

• Yes, The depots will be set up to take ‘commingled’ materials, the same as what you can recycle at home.

• The garden organics collection service is being provided to all ‘domestic’ residents in urban area’s and villages (except Wyndham, Towamba, Wonboyn and Bemboka).

• The service hasn’t been provided to large rural properties as they have sufficient room to manage their organics at home.

• All residents in the Bega Valley Shire are still able to take garden organics to the Recycling and Waste Depots, and mulch is available from Bermagui, Eden, Merimbula and Wallagoot, but its best to check how much is in stock before residents go to purchase some.

• Mulch can be purchased from the following Council Waste and Recycling Depots – Bermagui, Eden, Merimbula and Wallagoot.

• Worm Farms can be purchased form Council – Call prior to arriving to collect the worm farm so that it can be collected from storage and to ensure there are some in stock.

• If you need to dispose of asbestos waste click here for more information.

• The NSW Government has developed some practical information specifically for renovators and home owners - Click here to view brochure, Fibro & Asbestos A Renovator and Homeowner's Guide

• If you witness a pollution incident at any of Council's Recycling / Waste Depots please contact Council’s Waste Operations Officer on (02) 6499 2222.

• Merimbula, Eden and Bermagui Recycling / Waste depots are the only place animal carcasses can be disposed of.

• Car bodies are only accepted at Merimbula, Eden, Bermagui and Cobargo Recycling / Waste depots. The fee for each vehicle is $10.00.

Yes. Mulch is $8.00 per cubic metre and is available from

• Bermagui Recycling / Waste Depot

• Eden Recycling / Waste Depot

• Merimbula Recycling / Waste Depot

• Wallagoot Recycling / Waste Depot

At some sites assistance may be available for loading and/or delivery mulch, there may be an additional price for this which is negotiable with the site supervisor.

• Commercial businesses are able to apply for an monthly account for waste disposal fees.  If you would like to apply for an account contact Council's Waste Operations Officer on 6499 2222. Accounts applications may require references to be checked. Account customers will be charged a $5.00 account keeping fee for every month the account is active.