Changes to commercial waste and recycling
As part of our draft Budget 25-26 we proposed to make changes to commercial waste and recycling in the central city. The proposed changes were to:
- introduce fees for waste collector permits
- introduce fees for waste bin permits for bins stored in the public realm
- introduce fees for the collection and processing of food organics waste
- increase our waste compactor service fees by 2.5 per cent (once we make the required upgrades to the compactor service, we will remove the compactor fee and instead charge by weight. This is expected to occur by mid-2025).
Community consultation on the draft Budget 2025-26 closed on 2 June 2025, and Council endorsed these proposed changes as part of the final Budget 2025-26 on 30 June 2025.
We wanted to make sure one of these changes – the new annual fee of $5,500 per truck for commercial operators collecting waste from businesses in the CBD – was implemented in a way which balances the needs of the community, ratepayers and the waste sector.
That's why we consulted on the implementation of the new waste collector permit fee. Consultation closed on Friday 12 September 2025 and the implementation recommendations were endorsed at the Council meeting on 25 November 2025. You can find out more on Participate Melbourne External link.
Explore
A–Z guide to recycling and waste
Find ways to recycle or dispose of common items.
Waste management plans
Guidelines for developers and planning permit applicants.
Plans and strategies
Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030
Our strategy which guides how the city collects and process waste.
Waste charge
Find out about the Waste Charge listed on your rates notice.
