Waste Management Glossary

Commercial waste has its own language — and providers rarely explain it. This glossary defines the terms Melbourne and Australian businesses run into most, so you can read an invoice, a contract or a tender with confidence. Definitions reflect Victorian rules under the Environment Protection Act 2017 where relevant.

Bins & collection

Waste broker. An independent specialist who audits your waste invoice, benchmarks the market and renegotiates with providers so you pay less for the same service — without owning trucks or profiting from your bill. (See waste broker Melbourne.)

Front-lift bin (FEL). A front-end-loader bin, typically 1.5–4.5m³, emptied by a truck with front forks. The workhorse of commercial general waste and recycling.

Rear-lift bin. A wheelie bin (240L–1,100L) emptied by a rear-loading truck — common for smaller sites.

Hook-lift / Marrel bin. A large open or enclosed bin loaded onto a truck by a hydraulic hook, used for higher volumes.

Skip bin. An open-top bin (roughly 2–23m³) delivered, filled and swapped out — common for construction, demolition and clean-ups.

Compactor. Equipment that compresses waste on site to cut volume and reduce collection frequency.

MGB (mobile garbage bin). The standard wheelie bin (120–360L).

Lift fee. A per-collection charge to empty a bin, separate from bin rental.

Materials & streams

General (residual) waste. Non-recyclable waste destined for landfill.

Commingled recycling. Mixed dry recyclables — paper, cardboard, plastics, glass and metals — collected together in one bin.

FOGO. Food Organics and Garden Organics collected together and diverted from landfill to composting, under Victoria's organics policy.

Putrescible waste. Organic waste that rots — food and garden matter — with odour and leachate risk.

C&I waste / C&D waste. Commercial and industrial waste; and construction and demolition waste.

E-waste. Electronic waste — banned from Victorian landfill since 2019; it must be recycled.

Contamination. Incorrect material in a recycling stream; it usually triggers a contamination charge.

Liquid, trade & hazardous

Trade waste. Liquid waste a business discharges to sewer; it requires a trade waste agreement with your water authority.

Grease trap (grease arrestor). A device that captures fats, oils and grease (FOG) from a commercial kitchen before sewer, pumped out periodically. (See grease trap cleaning costs.)

Liquid waste. Non-domestic liquids (grease-trap waste, oily water and similar) that must be moved by a licensed transporter.

Clinical / medical waste. Healthcare waste posing an infection risk — for example sharps and infectious waste — with strict handling and disposal rules.

Sharps. Needles, blades and similar items, collected in puncture-proof containers.

Hazardous waste. Waste with hazardous properties (toxic, flammable or corrosive) requiring specialised handling.

EPA Victoria classification (Environment Protection Act 2017)

Industrial waste. Waste from commercial, industrial or trade activities, classified by the risk it poses to people and the environment.

Priority waste. A subset of industrial waste with extra controls under Part 6.5 of the Act.

Reportable priority waste. A subset of priority waste with the highest level of controls, including tracking through the supply chain.

Prescribed industrial waste (PIW). The pre-2021 term, now replaced by "priority waste" under the Environment Protection Act 2017.

Duty of care (waste duties). Obligations on those who generate, transport or receive industrial waste to manage it lawfully.

Costs, levies & contracts

Landfill levy (waste levy). A Victorian Government charge per tonne of waste sent to landfill. The 2025–26 metropolitan rate is $169.79/tonne (municipal and industrial), up about 31% from 1 July 2025 — a key driver of rising waste bills.

Gate fee. The per-tonne price a landfill or transfer station charges to accept waste; it includes the levy.

Transfer station. A facility where collected waste is consolidated before transport to landfill or processing.

Rise-and-fall (CPI) clause. A contract term that lets a provider raise prices, often annually.

Auto-renewal (evergreen) clause. A term that renews a contract automatically unless you cancel within a notice window — a frequent cause of being locked in.

Bin rental / service fee. Recurring charges separate from collection. A fuel or environmental levy is a surcharge added to many waste invoices.

Recovery & sustainability

Resource recovery. Recovering materials or energy from waste instead of landfilling it. The diversion rate is the percentage of waste kept out of landfill.

Waste-to-energy (EfW / WtE). Recovering energy from residual waste that would otherwise be landfilled.

Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic). Victoria's 10-cent refund on eligible drink containers.

Related: what commercial waste costs in Melbourne, hidden waste charges explained, and alternatives to the major providers.