It’s a 'lifesaver’: This simple app is changing bin night forever
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Remembering which bin to put out each week might seem simple, but for many households, it’s a surprisingly frustrating task.
What should be a straightforward routine often turns into a guessing game, with some relying on their neighbours for clues—only to find that not everyone gets it right.
With confusion mounting and schedules getting busier, one council has introduced a solution that could finally put an end to the bin night uncertainty.
The night before bin collection follows a familiar pattern in most neighbourhoods, with one household setting the trend by rolling out their bin—red, yellow or both—before others follow suit.
For those who struggle to remember the schedule, it often becomes a matter of watching and waiting, relying on early movers to determine which bins should go out.
However, this method isn’t always reliable.
Some residents, like Betty, occasionally put out the wrong bin, unintentionally misleading the entire street.
Johnno is known for getting it right, but his habit of setting out his bins late at night makes him an unreliable reference for those who prefer to be organised earlier.
While some frequently forget to take their bins out at all, the household at number 22 only adds to the confusion with their two red bins and unwavering belief that the green bin is collected weekly.
With so many mixed signals, bin night becomes yet another mental burden for busy households.
Recognising this, Blacktown Council introduced a solution to eliminate the weekly uncertainty.
Sydney mum Liz praised her local council after seeing numerous 'hacks' on social media from people struggling to keep track of bin collection schedules.
'Usually we pop our bins out a little earlier as we have after-school sports, so we are often the first on the street to do so, so it can be a battle trying to remember which bins need to go out in the scramble as we head out the door,' she shared.
To address the problem, Blacktown City Council implemented the ‘B informed’ feature in its app around two years ago, making bin night easier to manage for local families.
A new app feature is taking the stress out of bin night by reminding residents exactly when to put their bins out and which colour lid is due for collection.
The system allows users to enter their postcode or address and opt in for notifications.
‘You just download the app, tell it your postcode or address and it will ask if you want to be notified on bin night,’ Liz explained.
‘You can choose morning or afternoon notifications and if you only want to be reminded when it's yellow bin you can do that, or you can choose both bins.’
Waste management company Veolia acknowledged the app’s success, noting that bin night has always been a community-driven effort.
‘While it's not unusual in the early morning to see someone in their dressing gown rushing to the kerb dragging a bin behind them, most of us are surprisingly good at getting the right bin out at the right time. Usually, all it takes is for one person to put their bins out and then the rest of the street follows their cue,’ a spokesperson mentioned.
Veolia praised the initiative, highlighting the importance of tools that encourage better waste management.
‘We always welcome innovations by councils that help accelerate the cultural shift that gets the right bins out at the right time to improve recycling, separation of green waste, and ensure we collect waste from every bin.’
‘We applaud Blacktown Council for setting up this helpful system and I'm sure those few forgetful Blacktown residents hoping to steal a few more minutes in bed before the alarm goes off are much happier too.’
Liz described the feature as a ‘lifesaver’ for busy households trying to keep up with collection schedules.
‘It's a great resource to have. We used to get the calendar that we could pop on the fridge that told us whether it was red bin or yellow and red bin night, but they stopped that several years ago,’ she said.
‘Having the app just saves you relying on your neighbours and checking out the street late at night once everyone has popped their bins out to check.’
With more councils looking for ways to streamline waste collection, similar systems may become more widely available—though some households might still need to keep an eye on certain neighbours for last-minute confirmation.
In a previous story, we uncovered how a simple bin mistake could leave residents with a hefty $312 fine.
Want to make sure you’re not caught out?
Read more to avoid this costly error!
With bin night confusion finally getting a fix, could this app feature be the future of waste collection across all councils?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
What should be a straightforward routine often turns into a guessing game, with some relying on their neighbours for clues—only to find that not everyone gets it right.
With confusion mounting and schedules getting busier, one council has introduced a solution that could finally put an end to the bin night uncertainty.
The night before bin collection follows a familiar pattern in most neighbourhoods, with one household setting the trend by rolling out their bin—red, yellow or both—before others follow suit.
For those who struggle to remember the schedule, it often becomes a matter of watching and waiting, relying on early movers to determine which bins should go out.
However, this method isn’t always reliable.
Residents feel the struggle of remembering bin night. Image source: B Informed/Pexel/cottonbro studio
Some residents, like Betty, occasionally put out the wrong bin, unintentionally misleading the entire street.
Johnno is known for getting it right, but his habit of setting out his bins late at night makes him an unreliable reference for those who prefer to be organised earlier.
While some frequently forget to take their bins out at all, the household at number 22 only adds to the confusion with their two red bins and unwavering belief that the green bin is collected weekly.
With so many mixed signals, bin night becomes yet another mental burden for busy households.
Recognising this, Blacktown Council introduced a solution to eliminate the weekly uncertainty.
Sydney mum Liz praised her local council after seeing numerous 'hacks' on social media from people struggling to keep track of bin collection schedules.
'Usually we pop our bins out a little earlier as we have after-school sports, so we are often the first on the street to do so, so it can be a battle trying to remember which bins need to go out in the scramble as we head out the door,' she shared.
To address the problem, Blacktown City Council implemented the ‘B informed’ feature in its app around two years ago, making bin night easier to manage for local families.
A new app feature is taking the stress out of bin night by reminding residents exactly when to put their bins out and which colour lid is due for collection.
The system allows users to enter their postcode or address and opt in for notifications.
‘You just download the app, tell it your postcode or address and it will ask if you want to be notified on bin night,’ Liz explained.
‘You can choose morning or afternoon notifications and if you only want to be reminded when it's yellow bin you can do that, or you can choose both bins.’
Waste management company Veolia acknowledged the app’s success, noting that bin night has always been a community-driven effort.
‘While it's not unusual in the early morning to see someone in their dressing gown rushing to the kerb dragging a bin behind them, most of us are surprisingly good at getting the right bin out at the right time. Usually, all it takes is for one person to put their bins out and then the rest of the street follows their cue,’ a spokesperson mentioned.
Veolia praised the initiative, highlighting the importance of tools that encourage better waste management.
‘We always welcome innovations by councils that help accelerate the cultural shift that gets the right bins out at the right time to improve recycling, separation of green waste, and ensure we collect waste from every bin.’
‘We applaud Blacktown Council for setting up this helpful system and I'm sure those few forgetful Blacktown residents hoping to steal a few more minutes in bed before the alarm goes off are much happier too.’
Liz described the feature as a ‘lifesaver’ for busy households trying to keep up with collection schedules.
‘It's a great resource to have. We used to get the calendar that we could pop on the fridge that told us whether it was red bin or yellow and red bin night, but they stopped that several years ago,’ she said.
‘Having the app just saves you relying on your neighbours and checking out the street late at night once everyone has popped their bins out to check.’
With more councils looking for ways to streamline waste collection, similar systems may become more widely available—though some households might still need to keep an eye on certain neighbours for last-minute confirmation.
In a previous story, we uncovered how a simple bin mistake could leave residents with a hefty $312 fine.
Want to make sure you’re not caught out?
Read more to avoid this costly error!
With bin night confusion finally getting a fix, could this app feature be the future of waste collection across all councils?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
