Supermarkets run the heaviest mixed waste in retail: cardboard, produce culls and packaging. How to set the bins up, and why large NSW stores are now legally required to separate food waste.
A supermarket produces three heavy streams at once: cardboard from every delivery, organic waste from produce and bakery culls, and general waste from everything else. Stores that separate the first two properly run smaller, cheaper general waste setups; stores that do not end up paying to landfill cardboard and food. And in NSW, separation is no longer optional for the biggest stores: the state's FOGO mandate has applied to the largest food businesses, supermarkets included, since 1 July 2026.
Cardboard. The single biggest stream by volume in most grocers. Flatten everything: whole boxes are mostly air and will force you into capacity you do not need. In Adelaide, a dedicated cardboard bin (up to 1100L, weekly) is bookable; very high volumes justify the baler comparison.
Organics. Produce culls, bakery waste and floral stock are dense, wet and quick to smell. In Sydney and Adelaide a food organics bin is bookable alongside general waste, and it takes most of the weight and all of the odour pressure out of the general bin (Perth's organics stream is greens and garden material only). See the organics service guide.
Containers. In container deposit states, 10c-eligible bottles and cans from staff areas and damaged stock are worth separating: the CDS business guide covers how stores handle it.
General waste. What remains after the above: soft plastics, contaminated packaging, floor waste. Most supermarkets land on 1100L bins, collected weekly as standard, with bin count matched to trade.
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Get your exact priceNSW's FOGO mandate (Protection of the Environment Legislation Amendment (FOGO Recycling) Act 2025) requires food businesses to separate food organics from general waste, phased by size. The size test is weekly residual waste capacity, not floor area: businesses with about 3,960 litres or more of general waste a week (roughly six 660L bins) have been captured since 1 July 2026. That first tier is squarely aimed at large supermarkets. The threshold drops to about 1,980L in 2028 and 720L in 2030, which will pull in smaller grocers and convenience stores. The FOGO tiers explainer works through which tier a given store falls into.
If you run a NSW store above the threshold, an organics bin is not a sustainability gesture, it is compliance. Book it, sign the produce team up to use it, and your general waste volume will drop with it.
A small independent grocer typically starts at one 660L or 1100L general waste bin plus flattened cardboard handling. A full-line supermarket runs multiple 1100L general bins plus dedicated cardboard and, where bookable, organics. Size for the busiest normal week and use the first month as the test: lids that will not close two weeks running mean add capacity, half-empty bins mean cut it.
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The largest ones already do. Since 1 July 2026, NSW food businesses with about 3,960 litres or more of weekly general waste, which captures large supermarkets, must separate food organics under the state FOGO mandate. Smaller thresholds phase in during 2028 and 2030.
Multiple 1100L general waste bins collected weekly, disciplined cardboard flattening (with a dedicated cardboard bin in Adelaide), and a food organics bin for produce and bakery culls where the stream is bookable (Sydney, Adelaide). Container deposit stock is worth separating in CDS states.
Flatten all cardboard and pull organics out of general waste. Those two moves remove most of the volume and weight from the general bin, which is where the cost sits. Most stores can then run fewer or smaller general bins.
Enter the store address and business type in the quote flow. The exact per-collection price for your location shows in about two minutes, locked before you book. The local provider services the store weekly and invoices directly.
More resources to help you choose the right bins, schedules, and services.
Adelaide cafes can book a dedicated organics bin alongside general waste, cardboard and recycling. Why food scraps are the expensive part of your bin, and how to size an organics service that pays for itself.
The City of Adelaide asks businesses to keep flattened cardboard out of general waste and runs CBD cardboard collections and laneway hubs. Here is what that guidance means and how a dedicated cardboard bin fits.
Most Adelaide offices need less bin than they pay for. How to size by headcount, when a recycling or cardboard bin earns its place, and what to check before booking in a shared building.
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