Garden Organics
Report a missed bin collection or a damaged, stolen or abandoned bin.
Ipswich is proud to have moved to a citywide Garden Organics (GO) collection as a part of the three-bin core service.
The green lid GO bin is now included in the regular kerbside collections alongside the red lid general waste and yellow lid recycling bins.
This change will allow Ipswich to make improvements towards a higher recycling rate by diverting valuable organics from landfill.
This initiative received funding from the Queensland Government’s Recycling and Jobs Fund.
Bin Rollout Updates
Multiple-Unit Dwelling Properties
On 1 July 2025, Garden Organics (GO/green waste bins) were included in the ‘core waste service’ as part of a city-wide roll out, transitioning the service from opt-in to mandatory.
Most households, excluding multi-unit dwellings (MUDs), were included in this rollout and now have a core 3 bin kerbside collection service of a general waste (red lid), recycling (yellow lid), and garden organics (light-green lid) waste bin.
Why were MUDs excluded in GO City Wide service from July?
As part of the 2025 GO bin rollout, most MUDs (units, duplexes, townhouses) did not receive a GO bin. This is because, in most cases these properties:
MUDs excluded from the 2025 July GO bin rollout have been undergoing suitability assessments, to determine the next stage of GO bin deliveries.
From 17 November to 30 November 2025 MUD properties that council has deemed suitable will have bins delivered.
For MUDs who receive GO bins in November 2025, their GO bin collection service will commence from 1 December 2025. These residents will also receive an Information Pack in their letterbox when their bin is delivered.
Postcards will be delivered to MUDs residents who are still under assessment or have had their property assessed as not suitable to receive a GO bin service.
In most cases, if properties have been assessed as not suitable for a GO bin service, this is because the property:
These postcards outline the next steps that these residents need to take in regard to contacting council.
Postcards will be delivered to these residents letterboxes between 21 November and 12 December 2025.
Rear Lift Waste Truck Serviced Streets (narrow streets and cul-de-sacs)
On 1 July 2025, Garden Organics (GO/green waste bins) were included in the ‘core waste service’ as part of a city-wide roll out, transitioning the service from opt-in to mandatory.
Most households, excluding rear lift waste truck serviced streets, were included in this rollout and now have a core 3 bin kerbside collection service of a general waste (red lid), recycling (yellow lid), and garden organics (light-green lid) waste bin.
Why were rear lift waste truck serviced streets excluded in GO City Wide service from July?
These streets were excluded in July as they are serviced by rear lift vehicles rather than the side arm fleet that services most residential properties. These streets have different servicing needs because they are narrow streets or cul-de-sacs and the side arm fleet vehicles are not able to turn around for servicing. Additional rear lift trucks needed to be procured and service routes needed to be established.
Next Steps
Residents in rear lift waste truck serviced streets who don’t currently have a GO bin, will have their bin delivered between 17 November to 30 November 2025.
For the properties in these streets who receive GO bins in November 2025, their GO bin collection service will commence from 1 December 2025. These residents will also receive an Information Pack in their letterbox when their bin is delivered.
This means that for all residents in rear lift waste truck serviced streets, from December, a dedicated GO truck will be collecting these bins; this means it is important to use this bin for the correct type of waste. GO bins will still be serviced on your normal day of service on the alternate week to your recycling bin.
Please remember:
- Green lid GO bin – for garden organics only: prunings, cuttings, trimmings, grass clippings, shrubs, weeds and palm fronds, leaves and loose bark.
- Do not place general waste or recycling in this bin.
- Yellow lid recycling bin – for recyclable items only: paper, cardboard, glass bottles, plastic containers, and aluminum cans.
- Keep bagged recycling, food scraps, soft plastics, and garden waste out of this bin.
Contamination of the bins can result in bin collection refusal and service will only re-commence once the wrong items have been removed.
FAQs
Why isn’t my property receiving a GO bin?
MUDS (multiple-unit dwellings) - Your property has been assessed and found to have limited or no need for a Garden Organics (GO) bin. This may be due to factors such as minimal green waste generation or a lack of space to safely store the bin.
Rear-Lift Access Streets – All properties serviced by a rear-lift waste truck will receive a GO bin between 17 and 30 November 2025. If it is after 30 November and you haven’t received a GO bin your property may have been accidentally missed in the delivery. Council will be more than happy to deliver a GO bin. Please contact council on council@ipswich.qld gov.au or (07) 3810 6666.
What is considered “little or no green waste”?
Properties with minimal or no gardens, lawns, or vegetation that would generate garden organic waste typically fall into this category.
What if I still want a GO bin for my property?
If you believe your property would benefit from a GO bin, you can contact council to request an assessment by a Waste Officer. They will review your individual situation and determine if a bin can be provided and arrange delivery if suitable.
Can I share a GO bin with my neighbours?
Yes, in some cases, neighbours in multi-unit dwellings and complexes may choose to share a GO bin. This should be coordinated with relevant parties, such as your property manager or body corporate to ensure there is a suitable space where the bin can be stored safely and securely.
What if my property’s circumstances change in the future?
If your property begins to generate more green waste or if storage arrangements change, you can contact council to reassess your suitability for a GO bin.
Where can I dispose of green waste if I don’t have a GO bin?
You can take your green waste to a local Resource Recovery Centre or compost it at home if space allows. Council may also offer green waste drop-off days - check the website or contact us for details.
What are the safety concerns with storing a GO bin?
Bins require a secure, storage location that does not obstruct pathways, create hazards or increase the risk of theft and misuse. If your property lacks such space to store additional bins, it may not be suitable for a GO bin.
GO bin collection
The service is offered on a fortnightly basis using 240L GO bins with a lime green lid. Collection days are the same day as the residents’ normal general waste service, and on the alternate week to the recycling service. The GO bin must be correctly placed on the kerbside in the same manner as the general waste and recycling bins.
What goes in GO bins?
Acceptable Items
- prunings, cuttings, trimmings
- grass clippings
- shrubs
- weeds
- palm fronds
- leaves and loose bark.
Note: materials must be placed loose in the bin and NOT in plastic bags or boxes.
Unacceptable items
- plastic bags
- general waste or recycling
- stones, concrete or masonry
- soil
- large logs, branches and stumps that that may make the bin too heavy to service.
GO resources
Click to view the GO Garden Organics flyer(PDF, 339KB)
Garden Organics FAQs
If you can't find the answer to your questions on this page, contact council on (07) 3810 6666.
What is GO?
GO stands for Garden Organics material. GO bins are designed for all of your garden waste. This organic waste is collected fortnightly and then turned into compost, soil improvers and mulch at a local composting facility. These all allow nutrients to be returned to the environment in parks, gardens and farms.
What do I do if my property does not have a GO bin?
Residents across Ipswich that do not have a garden organics bin at their property (and are considered eligible), can contact council on (07) 3810 6666.
What type of properties are eligible to receive a GO bin?
Standalone houses (single-unit dwellings) are eligible to receive a GO bin.
Apartments, units and some townhouses (multiple-unit dwellings) will not automatically receive a GO bin.
However, you may be eligible for the GO bin service. Council will happily assess requests on a case-by-case basis. (Refer to Multiple-Unit Dwelling Properties section above for more information)
I have recently built a new house. Do I need to order a GO bin?
If you have recently finished building your new residential property, you can request all kerbside bins (general waste, recycling and garden organics) online.
Learn more about ordering bins for newly built houses here.
What happens to the garden organics waste collected by council?
Garden organic waste is taken to our processing contractor at Swanbank. It is then shredded and processed into mulch or compost, ready for reuse in a variety of ways.
The finished product is sold by the contractor.
What are the benefits of moving to a kerbside GO collection?
- Reduce landfill: by separating garden waste, more organic material can be composted rather than ending up in landfill
- Reduce costs: diverting organics effectively reduces costs associated with landfill disposal fees and the Queensland Waste Levy, which helps to keep waste charges lower
- Environmental benefits: composting organic waste reduces emissions and returns nutrients to the soil through compost and mulch.
What if I don’t want a GO bin?
The GO bin is part of the standard kerbside collection service for all customers and included in your existing waste management utility charge similar to the recycling bin.
What are the fees and charges that come with this new service?
The GO bin is part of the standard waste collection service, included in the waste management utility charge that customers pay. The GO bin service doesn’t cost customers more, as there will be cost savings from diverting organics from landfill.
The waste management utility charge increases each financial year for various reasons, one being that the State Waste Levy increases. Effective use of the GO bin means that the waste utility charge increase is minimised due to the reduction of waste going to landfill.
Can I use my own compost bin instead of the GO bin?
Residents are always encouraged to compost at home, this is highly efficient and creates a useful product for reuse at home.
The GO service can be seen as complimentary to home composting, if you are already doing that, and provides additional capacity if not everything can be dealt with at home, such as large volumes of grass clippings or weeds.
What is the size of the GO bin?
Only 240L bins will be delivered. Existing 360L bins will be phased out and replaced with 240L bins when they become broken, non-functional, or stolen.
Does council sell the green waste at a profit?
Council pays to manage, transport and process organic materials, it does not sell the material. Processing Garden Organics will become significantly cheaper than managing general waste in coming years.
Does the GO bin get picked up by a separate truck? What happens with the green waste?
Yes, dedicated trucks collect green waste and deliver it to certified composters to be turned into mulch and soil improvers.
Can I have more than one GO bin?
Yes, a second or subsequent GO bin can be ordered, charges apply. However, residents will need to ensure that there is enough space to store the additional bin at their property and that there is room at the front of their property for the additional bin to be placed at kerbside for servicing. Residents who wish to order additional GO bins can contact council on (07) 3810 6666.
What if I have too much garden material for my GO bin?
If your GO bin is too full or too heavy, it may not be serviced. You can continue to take garden waste to the Riverview and Rosewood Resource Recovery Centres, where it will be mulched and turned into compost. Alternatively, you can apply for an additional GO bin.
Why has my GO bin not been serviced?
Your GO bin will not be serviced if it is too heavy or has the wrong materials inside. It is essential that only accepted materials go into the GO bin. Items such as plastic bags, boxes, general waste, soil, etc. will contaminate garden organic waste making it unsuitable for composting purposes. If GO bins continue to be contaminated, the bin maybe removed from the property.
Whatever happened to FOGO?
What happened to FOGO?
In 2019/2020, council found that 15,500 tonnes of compostable organics were being lost to landfill. This is enough to fertilise all the land in Ipswich!
To change this, we explored the introduction of FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) through a successful trial period at Bellbird Park and Raceview. Since the trial, almost one third of the Ipswich community have opted in for the service.
Interestingly, we have found that Ipswich households are much more likely to use the bins for garden organics, rather than food organics. In addition to this, the Queensland Government is responding to community concerns around waste odours, and are looking to change environmental standards for composting. With these changes, food organics will be considered highly odorous, and will require significant infrastructure upgrades to process.
Based on this, Ipswich City Council’s FOGO service is transitioning away from the collection of food organics (meat, dairy, food scraps and eggshells). The FOGO bins will remain at households and continue as GO bins (grass clippings, leaves, small branches and weeds).
Why did council make this change?
Ipswich has been a leader in food organics as part of the opt-in green waste household waste collection.
Participating residents have demonstrated positive behaviours in diverting their food scraps from landfill through the FOGO service. However, there have been recent significant developments in the waste industry as well as proposed legislative changes by the State Government that would classify food organics as ‘highly odorous’.
The council and our community have been strong advocates for substantial changes in organic composting processes to address the odour issues faced by our residents. As a result, council has decided to cease food organics as part of the green lid bin service until such time as these external issues are resolved.
With this decision finalised your green lid FOGO bins will now be known as a Garden Organic (GO) bin.
When was the FOGO to GO change completed?
From 30 September 2024, the now known as GO service no longer accepted food organics in the green lid bin.
Why did we transition from FOGO to GO?
When the council initiated the FOGO program, we were doing so in line with the Queensland Government's Organics Strategy. However, the issues with odour, contamination, and the lack of compliant organic processors in the market have proven more significant than expected.
Queensland’s environmental regulator, the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI), has identified Food Organics (FO) as a source of odour at organic processing facilities. As such, Ipswich City Council has decided to temporarily pause the collection of household Food Organics.
This pause will remain in effect until we can ensure that the processing of these materials is safe, compliant, and financially sustainable.
What happens if we continue to put food organics in the GO bin?
We encourage residents to follow the guidelines that the council has provided to ensure efficient waste management that benefits all the community.
Like any other material we don’t want in a bin, high volumes of that material may end up in landfill.
Alternate food organics recovery programs
Council is considering and investigating potential food recovery programs. To review the feedback council received visit Shapeyouripswich.com.au/organics
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