A working bin plan for cafes: the right general waste size, what to do with food scraps and cardboard, and how to keep a laneway pickup running smoothly.
A cafe produces three awkward things at once: wet food scraps that turn fast, a constant stream of cardboard, and coffee cups that contaminate recycling. Most cafes run well on one 660L general waste bin collected weekly, with extra streams added only where they earn their keep. Here is the setup, step by step.
Kitchen waste is dense. A 240L bin at a working cafe is usually full by day four and unpleasant by day five, which is why the 660L is the standard cafe bin. Collections run weekly as standard, with your exact schedule confirmed when you book. If your 660L is overflowing every week, add a second bin rather than letting the lid stand open: open bins mean odour, pests and spillage complaints from neighbours.
In Sydney and Wollongong, and Adelaide, you can book a dedicated food organics bin alongside general waste. Pulling scraps, grounds and spoiled stock out of the general bin removes most of its weight and nearly all of its smell. In NSW this is becoming law in stages: the state's FOGO mandate already requires the largest food businesses to separate food organics, with smaller thresholds phasing in through 2030. The organics service guide covers sizes and what goes in.
In Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart and Canberra, no commercial organics stream is currently bookable through the platform, and Perth's bookable organics stream takes greens and garden material rather than food scraps, so in those cities focus on steps 3 to 5 to keep the general bin under control.
Boxes thrown in whole fill a bin with air. Flattened, the same cardboard takes about a quarter of the space. In Adelaide you can book a dedicated cardboard bin; Adelaide CBD cafes are also asked by the council to keep flattened cardboard out of general waste. Everywhere else, flattening still buys you days of bin capacity each week.
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Tell us your address and what your business does, and get your exact price in about 2 minutes. Free to book; a vetted local provider services and invoices you directly.
Get your exact priceStandard takeaway cups are plastic-lined and are not accepted in commingled recycling. One bag of cups in a recycling bin can get the whole lift rejected as contaminated. Send cups to general waste unless you have a dedicated cup collection scheme, and put a sign on the recycling bin saying exactly that. The contamination guide explains the other common offenders.
If you sell a lot of bottled drinks, a commingled recycling bin (bookable in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth) keeps heavy glass out of general waste. In every state with a container deposit scheme, 10c-eligible containers are worth collecting separately: see the container deposit guide for businesses.
Collection trucks need to reach the bin. If your bins live in a laneway or shared dock: keep the path clear on collection day, mark your bins with your shop name, and bring them back in promptly. Publicly accessible bins collect other people's rubbish fast. In Perth, a lockable bin option (chain and coded padlock) can be added when you book.
Two weeks of a half-empty bin means you can size down. Two weeks of an overfull bin means add capacity. Make the change once, based on your busiest normal week, and stop paying attention to it. That is the point of a setup that fits.
Enter your address and business type in the quote flow: it prices the right setup for your cafe in about two minutes, free to book, with a vetted local provider handling delivery, weekly collections and invoicing directly. For the full food-business picture, read the restaurant and cafe food waste guide.
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Most working cafes need a 660L general waste bin collected weekly. Kitchen waste is dense and a 240L is usually full by day four. Busy venues add a second 660L or step up to 1100L rather than letting bins overflow.
No. Standard takeaway cups are plastic-lined and contaminate commingled recycling; a bag of cups can get a whole lift rejected. Send them to general waste unless you run a dedicated cup collection scheme.
Through Bin Hire Australia, food organics bins are currently bookable in Sydney, Wollongong and Adelaide. Perth's organics stream takes greens and garden material, not food scraps. In NSW, separating food organics is already mandatory for the largest food businesses under the state FOGO rollout, with smaller businesses phasing in by 2030.
Keep the laneway clear on collection day, label your bins, and bring them in promptly after the lift. If public dumping is a problem, bins can be kept back of house and wheeled out on collection day, and in Perth a lockable bin option can be added at booking.
More resources to help you choose the right bins, schedules, and services.
The jump from 660L to 1100L is about access width, weight and fill rate, not just capacity. When the bigger bin wins, and when two 660s beat one 1100.
Adelaide cafes can book a dedicated organics bin alongside general waste, cardboard and recycling. Why food scraps are the expensive part of your bin, and how to size an organics service that pays for itself.
Most Adelaide offices need less bin than they pay for. How to size by headcount, when a recycling or cardboard bin earns its place, and what to check before booking in a shared building.
View coverage and availability for these cities.
