3-Bin Waste Service

Residents in Penrith's urban areas have a 3-bin waste service for organics, recycling and residual garbage.

The 3-bin service was introduced in 2009 to reduce the amount of reusable waste being buried in landfill, which is the most expensive way to dispose of waste. 

The three bin system; 

• reduces the amount of reusable waste going into landfill
• saves our residents money
• offers a greater total bin capacity for each household than under the two bin system
• allows us to meet targets set by the State Government for all local councils to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill

The system is designed so that organic waste is recycled into high-grade compost, recyclables are remade into new products and the small amount of waste leftover is buried in landfill.

Alternative Services

Most properties on the 3-bin service are on a ST140 service (standard service) which includes:

• 1 X 240 Litre weekly organics collection (for food and garden waste) 
• 1 X 240 Litre fortnightly recycling collection (for recycling bottles, cans, cartons, paper and cardboard) 
• 1 X 140 Litre fortnightly residual garbage collection (for leftover household waste that is neither organic nor recyclable)

This service suits most households, however there are many other service options to suit families with different needs. 

The different service options attract different charges as the cost for processing each waste stream is different. The cost of sending waste to landfill is the most expensive and is increasing significantly each year. 

How to change your bin service

To change your service option, or to discuss suitable options for your household, please contact Waste Services on 4732 7615. 

Please note: Only the property owner can change the service being provided to a property. However, if you are are a tenant, you can still contact Waste Services for advise on the different options. 

Kitchen Tidies

Council sells a kitchen organics tidy bin to help collect food scraps from the kitchen. 

It has been specially designed to fit the Council-provided green compostable bags. Please do not use any other bags, even if they are labelled as compostable or biodegradable, as they do not break down quickly enough for composting. 

If you need a new kitchen tidy bin, they can be purchased from the Customer Service Counters at Penrith or St Marys Council Offices for $11.00 including GST. 

Offices

• Penrith Office - 601 High Street PENRITH
• St Marys Office - 207 Queen Street ST MARYS

Libraries

• Penrith Library - 601 High Street PENRITH
• St Marys Library - 207 Queen Street ST MARYS
• ST Clair Library - St Clair Shopping Centre, Corner of Bennett Road & Endeavour Avenue ST CLAIR

Alternatively, you can use a container of your own to collect & transport food scraps. It is important that the container is only used to collect the scraps and is not to be disposed of in the organics bin. 

Green Compostable Bags

Green compostable bags are delivered free of charge to every household on the 3-Bin Waste Service four times a year to collect food waste. 

They are the only bags that can be put into the green lidded organics bin as they are specially designed and have been tested to break down during the 6 week composting process. 

While the bags do not have an expiry date, they should last at least 12 months if stored correctly. Please store the bags in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight to prevent bags from breaking down prematurely. 

If you find the bags are splitting, tearing or breaking apart they are most likely old. If you are having these issues with a packet of bags that you believe are new, please contact Waste Services on 4732 7615 so it can be investigated. 

If your household needs more bags, additional bags can be picked up for free from any of Council's Offices or Libraries. 

Offices

• Penrith Office - 601 High Street PENRITH
• St Marys Office - 207 Queen Street ST MARYS

Libraries

• Penrith Library - 601 High Street PENRITH
• St Marys Library - 207 Queen Street ST MARYS
• ST Clair Library - St Clair Shopping Centre, Corner of Bennett Road & Endeavour Avenue ST CLAIR

Additional Benefits

4 free bulky waste clean-up collections per year

Every household on the 3-bin system has 4 free cleanups per calendar year. These clean-ups are not scheduled per suburb, but are a on-request service. 

You can dispose of items such as old furniture, mattresses, clothing & small items.  Book a cleanup by calling the Waste Hotline on 4732 7777.  For more information see Council Clean-Up Collections or call the Waste Hotline on 4732 7777.

Chemical drop-off days

Council hosts a free chemical drop off day at Jamison Park, Penrith. Pack your old household cleaners & chemicals, pool chemicals, batteries, gas bottles and oils in the boot of your car. The friendly staff will unload for you and the items collected will be disposed of safely and correctly. For more information, including the next drop-off day, see Chemical Drop-Off Days page.

E-Waste drop-off days

Council holds regular free e-waste drop off days at Jamison Park, Penrith.  Pack your old televisions, computers, microwaves, stereos and other electronic waste in your car or trailer. The friendly staff will unload for you and the items collected will be recycled. All items dropped off are disassembled, sorted and recovered for recycling into new products. For more information, including the next drop-off day, see Electronic Waste Drop-Off Days page.

Free bin repair

If your bin is broken, cracked or missing a lid, you can organise a free repair by calling the Waste Hotline on 4732 7777. For the green-lid organics bin or the red-lid residual waste bin, select option 1. For the yellow-lid recycling bin, select option 2.