Waste charge
At a glance
- When: From July 2026 (on your 2026/27 rates notice).
- What’s changing: Waste costs will be listed separately.
- If Council collects your bins: Your rates will go down, and a separate waste charge will be added.
- If you have a private waste service: Your rates will go down, and you won’t pay the separate waste charge.
- Support is available for: Eligible concession card holders and households with lower property values.
What’s changing
From July 2026, your rates notice will list waste costs separately.
For most households this will mean:
- your rates will go down, because waste costs are no longer included
- a separate waste charge will be added (if you receive a Council waste service)
- a Public Waste Service Rate will also be added (applies to all properties).
The separate waste charge covers the costs of collecting and disposing waste from your home or business.
The Public Waste Service Rate covers the cost of collecting illegally dumped waste and servicing bins in public spaces.
Your rates will continue to pay for services such as roads, footpaths, drains, parks, libraries, sporting facilities and early childhood services.
How much will it be?
The waste charge for 2026/27 is expected to be $375 for residential properties and $425 for commercial properties (final amounts will be confirmed in late May).
The waste charge will be reviewed every year and may change in line with the costs of providing waste services (including factors such as contract costs, fuel and transport prices, and the Victorian Government’s waste levy that is charged for all waste received at landfill).
Who does this effect?
All properties that receive Council’s waste service will have the waste charge added.
If your property has a private waste service and doesn't use Council’s waste service, you will not pay the waste charge.
Waste services are not opt-in. All properties must have either Council’s waste service or a private waste service. Private waste services are most common in large residential complexes such as apartment buildings.
Commercial properties can choose between either Council’s waste service or a private waste service.
Financial support and concessions
Concession card holders
Pensioner Concession Card holders will receive a 40% discount on the waste charge. This includes anyone who holds one of the following eligible cards:
Your rates notice will explain how you can claim this discount. You do not need to do anything right now.
Safety net concession
If you own and live in a property with a Capital Improved Value (the property value on your rates notice) of less than $600,000, you will be eligible for a safety net concession of $150. This is only for a resident’s primary place of residence and will not apply to investment properties.
Our May Monash Bulletin incorrectly stated that this concession only applied in the first two years of the waste charge. The $150 safety net concession is ongoing and will continue to apply each year for eligible properties.
Your rates notice will automatically include this concession if it applies to your property.
What will the waste charge cover?
The waste charge will recover the full cost of providing kerbside waste collection service across Monash, including:
- Collection of bins
- Running and maintaining collection trucks
- Waste disposal and processing fees
- The waste levy charged by the Victorian Government
- New and replacement bins
- Hard waste collection
- Employee costs for our waste team
The waste charge can only be used by Council to recover the costs of these services. It cannot be used to create additional revenue. The amount we charge will be audited every year by the Essential Services Commission on behalf of the Victorian Government.
Public Waste Service Rate
A Public Waste Service Rate will be included on everyone’s rates notices to cover the costs of:
- Collecting illegally dumped waste
- Collecting bins in public spaces (including transport, storage, processing and disposal)
This will be calculated based on property value. In 2026/27 this rate will be offset by an identical reduction in general rates, so it won’t increase the amount you pay.
Commercial properties
Earlier this year we wrote to all commercial properties who receive our waste services to let them know about a change in our commercial waste services from 1 July 2026.
The waste charge for commercial properties who receive Council waste services is expected to be $425 (final amount to be confirmed in late May). Commercial properties that do not receive a Council waste service will not be charged the waste charge.
Frequently asked questions
Why are you making this change?
Waste costs are increasing much more than rates are allowed, putting pressure on other services Council provides. The Victorian Government system of capping rates allows councils to charge a separate waste charge to recover the actual costs of providing waste services.
Waste service delivery costs have risen by 32% over the past 5 years, while Victorian Government rate caps have limited rate increases to 12.5% over the same period.
Why is the cost of waste increasing so much?
Victorian Government fees to dispose of waste have increased and councils are being required to invest in and introduce new services to recycle more waste. Changes in global markets for recyclable items and stricter regulations are also contributing to higher waste costs.
As landfills in eastern Melbourne reach capacity, Monash will need to explore alternative waste disposal methods, such as waste to energy or transporting waste to options further away, both of which are likely to incur higher costs.
What is Council doing to reduce costs?
The best way to reduce costs is to reduce our waste. It is much cheaper to reduce or reuse our waste than dispose of it.
Changing to a weekly food and organics collection and fortnightly landfill service in 2022 has reduced what we send to landfill by 37%.
Our team gets out in the community to help people and businesses understand what goes in which bin. From time to time, we inspect bins which helps inform our waste education programs.
Are you changing waste services?
No - there will be no change to our residential recycling, food and organics and landfill bin services in 2026/27.
The Victorian Government has directed councils to introduce a separate collection bin for glass recycling by July 2027. Monash has joined other councils in delaying the introduction of this additional service until after the Victorian Government releases its statewide standards for the service.
Waiting for the final standards ensures we deliver a compliant glass service without creating unnecessary costs or changes for residents.
We are also advocating for the Victorian Government to consider the need for a separate glass bin following the success of their Container Deposit Scheme program.
Can I opt out of receiving a waste service?
No, all residential properties need to have a waste service.
Some residential properties (generally larger apartment buildings) in Monash have a private waste service, but most residential properties use Council’s waste services.
Most commercial properties receive a private waste service. We wrote to the businesses who receive a Council waste service earlier this year to let them know their options.
Will the waste charge increase every year?
Both the separate waste charge and Public Waste Service Rate will be reviewed every year and may change in line with the costs of providing waste services (including factors such as contract costs, fuel and transport prices, and the Victorian Government’s waste levy that is charged for all waste received at landfill).
The waste charge has been designed to be compliant with the Victorian Government’s Minister’s Good Practice Guidelines and can only be used by Council to recover the costs of these services.
The amount we charge will be audited every year by the Essential Services Commission on behalf of the Victorian Government.
What is the difference between the waste charge and Public Waste Service Rate?
The Public Waste Service Rate covers the costs of:
- Collecting illegally dumped waste
- Collecting bins in public spaces (including transport, storage, processing and disposal)
These services keep our streets, parks and shared spaces clean, that’s why everyone pays the Public Waste Service Rate.
In comparison, the separate waste charge covers the costs of collecting and disposing materials from your home or business.