Seeing red? It's just your rubbish bin

Residents across the City of Moreton Bay will soon notice a change to one of the most familiar household items on the kerbside: the lid of their general waste bin.  

Council is replacing the remaining pale green lids on general waste bins with new red lids as part of the Bin Lid Changeover program. The rollout is scheduled to take place from now through to October 2026.  

The change brings Moreton Bay into line with the Australian Standard for kerbside bin colours, which designates red lids for general waste, yellow lids for recycling and lime green lids for garden organics. While many homes in the region already have red-lidded rubbish bins, others still use older pale green lids. Once the program is complete, all general waste bins across the city will have a consistent red lid.  

The colour change is designed to make waste sorting easier for residents. With three different kerbside services operating across much of the city, general waste, recycling and garden organics, clear colour coding helps households quickly identify which bin is which. Better identification can reduce contamination, improve recycling outcomes and support more efficient waste management.  

Only the lid is being replaced on bins. Residents will keep the same wheelie bin body and there is no action required from households. Council contractors will carry out the lid swap during the scheduled rollout period.  

There is also an operational benefit. According to council, the red lids help waste truck drivers identify general waste bins more easily during collections, improving servicing efficiency. The change does not affect collection days, bin sizes or the type of material that can be placed in each bin. General waste will continue to be collected weekly, while recycling and organic waste services will continue on their existing schedules.  

For anyone wondering if the new red lid changes what belongs in the bin, the answer is no. The red-lidded bin remains the general waste bin, used for items that cannot be recycled or placed in the garden organics service.  

By the end of the program, Moreton Bay’s kerbside bins will have a simpler, standardised colour system:  

• Red for rubbish  

• Yellow for recycling  

• Lime green for garden organics 

For more information, visit www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Waste-Recycling/Collections/Bin-Lid-Changeover