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                    Reducing litter

                    The City of Melbourne is committed to maintaining beautiful clean streets and getting everyone involved with recycling their waste. We’ve introduced smarter, more innovative ways of managing waste and recycling, helping to keep streets clean and reduce litter in busy city locations.

                    ​​Find out about:

                    ​Public recycling and litter bins

                    There are almost 450 solar smart bins, 230 public recycling bins, 2000 public litter bins and 500 cigarette butt bins around the City of Melbourne. These bins are provided in strategic locations for the general public to dispose of litter and recycling items. These bins should not be used for the disposal of household and commercial waste and recycling. Residents and businesses should use their own bins to dispose of waste and recycling material.

                    Residents can contact City of Melbourne to access our residential waste and recycling services. Businesses can visit commercial waste and recycling services to find out more. 

                    You’ll find recycling bins where people buy and consume drinks including food outlets in Bourke Street, Swanston Street and Southbank. Recycling bins are easily recognised - the new solar smart recycling bins are yellow and the standard public place recycling bins feature the distinctive yellow recycling symbol painted onto a blue background. To make it easy for you to correctly dispose of your items general waste and recycling bins are located next to each other.

                    The recycling bins can all take:

                    • glass bottles and jars
                    • plastic bottles
                    • aluminium and steel cans
                    • hard plastic containers, including take-away containers
                    • paper and cardboard
                    • take-away coffee cup lids.

                    Please do not put in the recycling bins:

                    • soft plastics, plastic bags, plastic wrap
                    • straws
                    • wooden cutlery, chopsticks
                    • polystyrene foam, foam cups, foam take-away containers 
                    • take away coffee cup bases
                    • food scraps
                    • household and business recycling - residents and businesses are to use their own bins.

                    ​Solar smart bins

                    In high use areas of the central city we've introduced public solar smart recycling and litter bins. The new bins incorporate smart technology and will help us deliver a more sustainable long term service to city residents, workers, students and visitors. Look out for the twin solar bins placed in high use areas around the city – the yellow bin for recycling and the red bin for litter. Any solar bin that’s on its own is just for litter.

                    Benefits of solar smart bins

                    • Each bin is solar-powered and contains a sensor that alerts our contractors when it needs to be emptied (before the bin is full).
                    • The solar bins use a gentle compaction system which keeps waste in the bin and maximises bin capacity.
                    • The bins will take up less space on footpaths, reducing clutter and making it easier for people to move around the city.
                    • Significantly fewer waste trucks will be needed to empty the bins.
                    • Reducing the number of trucks in the city will substantially reduce carbon emissions and help reduce traffic congestion.

                    ​Cigarette butt litter

                    After smoking was banned in public areas (Tobacco Act 1987) and smoke-free buildings were introduced, the number of cigarette butts dropped on our streets increased. 

                    We’ve installed more than 500 wall-mounted butt bins so smokers can dispose of their butts. Cigarette butts collected from these bins are recycled into practical items such as shipping pallets and plastic furniture. Many of our street litter bins also have an integrated butt bin. We offer incentives for businesses to install butt bins on their property. Read more about cigarette butt disposal for businesses.

                    Litter Hotspots Project – Recycling cigarette butts

                    City of Melbourne received funding under the Cleaner Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay Litter Hotspots Project Round Two. As part of this project, we:

                    • installed 60 new butt bins at four locations – Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne University, RMIT and the old Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
                    • initiated a butt recycling program for collected butts 
                    • incorporated new signage, community engagement activities, butt litter audits and community attitudinal surveys.

                    The butt bins have been successful in capturing butts, with a total of 1,129,946 cigarette butts captured in butt bins for recycling between June 2014 and April 2017. 

                    Since the conclusion of the Litter Hotspots Project, City of Melbourne has continued to increase the total number of butt bins within public space, with a total of 16,120,602 cigarette butts captured in butt bins for recycling between September 2018 and August 2019.

                    Fines for cigarette litter

                    It’s against the law to drop a cigarette butt and if you’re caught, you could receive an on-the-spot fine. 

                    Businesses can also be fined for improper disposal of cigarette butts. Businesses must provide enough tobacco waste containers for staff and customers.

                    Tips for smokers

                    • Look for a wall-mounted butt bin outside shops and offices, butt bins or butt out plates on street litter bins. 
                    • Carry a portable ashtray. 
                    • Always butt out your cigarette before you put it in the bin to avoid a fire. 
                    • When you use the butt-out plate on street litter bins, make sure the butt is out and then put it in the bin. If you leave the butt on the plate, it could blow away and become litter. 
                    • Encourage your workplace and the businesses you visit to supply ashtrays. 

                    Commercial waste

                    We are also using new technologies to manage waste and increase recycling for businesses throughout the city. 

                    • At the Degraves Street Recycling Facility we collect recyclables and use a food ‘digester’ that converts food waste into environmentally safe water that flows into the sewerage system. 
                    • We use a dehydrator to transform food waste into a soil conditioner which is used in our parks. 
                    • Shared garbage compactors and recycling hubs have also been introduced at key locations throughout the central city.

                    Reporting litter from a vehicle

                    If you see someone littering cigarette butts or other items from a vehicle or near a vehicle they are using, you can report it to the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) via web form at reporting litter from a vehicle.

                    Following a report, littering fines may be issued by the EPA:

                    • to an individual – $385 for a small piece of litter or $769 for a lit cigarette or burning litter
                    • to a corporation – $1923 for a small piece of litter or $3846 for a lit cigarette or burning litter.

                    Report an issue

                    Please report any issues with bins, litter and waste in public spaces. This includes damaged and overflowing bins, litter and cleaning issues, and illegally dumped rubbish for removal.

                    If there is any danger to the public or public space, please call us immediately on 03 9658 9658.

                    Track the progress of an existing reported issue.
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