240L, 660L or 1100L: the general waste bin is the one every business needs, and the one most businesses size wrong. A plain guide to choosing well the first time.
Every commercial premises in Australia needs a general waste bin, because councils do not collect from businesses the way they do from houses. The choice comes down to three wheelie bin sizes, 240L, 660L and 1100L, collected weekly by a local provider, plus front-lift bins for high-volume sites in South East Queensland. This guide covers what goes in, what stays out, and the sizing logic that stops you paying to collect air or living with an overflowing bin.
| Size | Holds roughly | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| 240L | 3 to 4 household-size bins' worth per week | Small office, small shop, solo practice |
| 660L | Nearly 3x a 240L | Cafes, restaurants, busy retail, workshops |
| 1100L | Nearly 5x a 240L | Warehouses, large venues, shared tenancies |
The counterintuitive part: the bigger bin is almost always better value per litre. The truck stop is a large share of the collection cost, and the stop costs the same whether the truck empties a 240L or a 660L. If you fill a 240L before the week is out, one 660L usually beats two 240s on both price and bin-bay space.
In Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, front-lift bins in 1.5, 3 and 4.5 cubic metres are also bookable for sites that outgrow wheelie bins. The front-lift guide covers when that switch makes sense.
General waste is the catch-all for non-recyclable, non-hazardous commercial waste: food-soiled packaging, non-recyclable plastics, broken crockery and small broken items, kitchen and lunchroom waste where no organics stream exists, sweep-up waste, non-contaminated PPE.
What never goes in: liquids and oils, batteries, chemicals, paint and solvents, asbestos, clinical or sanitary waste, gas bottles, and hot ashes. These are regulated in every state and need licensed handling. Contamination is the fastest way to turn a routine collection into a problem.
What should not go in, even though it could: flattened cardboard and clean recyclables where you have a recycling stream, and food scraps where you have organics. Every litre you divert is general-bin capacity you do not have to pay for. The guide to cutting your general waste bin in half shows how far that goes.
Need bins sorted for your business?
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 priceThe single most common mistake is sizing for a typical week and overflowing every time trade picks up. Bins are binary: the lid either closes or it does not. Size for your busiest regular week, then check the bin on collection day for a fortnight:
Weekly collection is the standard cadence everywhere on the platform, and your exact schedule is confirmed in the quote.
No rate table here, because there is no honest national number: your price depends on bin size, your suburb's route density, and what your business puts in the bin. The pricing guide explains the cost drivers. For the actual number, enter your address and business type in the quote flow: you see your exact per-collection price in about two minutes, locked before you book, with no markup added. A vetted local provider delivers the bin, runs the weekly collections and invoices you directly.
Bin Hire Australia
Free commercial bin booking across Australia. We match your business with a vetted local provider who services and invoices you directly.
Wheelie bins come in 240L, 660L and 1100L, collected weekly. In Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, front-lift bins in 1.5, 3 and 4.5 cubic metres are also available for high-volume sites.
Per litre, almost always. The truck stop is a large share of the collection cost and it is the same stop either way. If you fill a 240L before the week ends, one 660L usually costs less than adding a second 240L and takes less bin-bay space.
Liquids, oils, batteries, chemicals, paint, asbestos, clinical and sanitary waste, gas bottles and hot ashes. These are regulated and need licensed handling. Recyclables and food organics are allowed but waste money where a separate stream exists.
Enter your address and business type in the quote flow. You get the exact per-collection price for your setup in about two minutes, locked before you book. The local provider who services your area invoices you directly, with no markup added by Bin Hire Australia.
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 has the widest choice of commercial bin streams in the country: general waste, cardboard, commingled recycling, and food organics, all on weekly collection. Here is what you can book, where coverage runs, and how the price is actually set.
General waste wheelie bins in 240L, 660L and 1100L sizes, collected weekly across every ACT town centre and Queanbeyan. How booking works and what Canberra sites need to think about.
View coverage and availability for these cities.
