1100L vs 3m³ Cardboard Bin: Which Size Does Your Business Need?

Short answer: An 1100L wheelie bin suits businesses with limited space and a steady, moderate flow of boxes — cafés, shops, offices and small workshops. A 3m³ front-lift bin holds roughly 2.7 times as much (3,000 litres versus 1,100) and suits warehouses, manufacturers and distributors that break down stock every day, as long as a collection truck can drive right up to it. If you’re unsure, pick the bin that fits your site, then adjust the size or pickup frequency after the first few collections.

Both bins are supplied as part of our cardboard recycling bin service, and both take exactly the same material. The choice comes down to three things: how much cardboard you produce, how much room you have, and whether a truck can reach the spot where the bin needs to live. This guide works through each one.

What’s the difference between an 1100L and a 3m³ bin?

How much cardboard fits in an 1100L bin?

An 1100L bin holds 1,100 litres, but how many boxes that equals depends almost entirely on how well they’re flattened. Whole boxes are mostly air. A bin filled with unbroken cartons can look full after a couple of deliveries, while the same cardboard broken down flat takes a fraction of the space.

The easiest way to size your bin is to measure your own cardboard. For one normal trading week, flatten every box and stack it in one spot instead of throwing it out. If the stack would fit inside a space of about 1.4m × 1.1m × 1.3m, a single 1100L bin collected weekly will cope. If it’s two or three times that, look at a 3m³ bin or more than one 1100L bin.

How much space does an 1100L bin need?

A standard 1100L bin is roughly 1.4m wide, 1.1m deep and 1.3m high. Allow extra room in front so staff can open the lid fully, and a clear, level path so the bin can be wheeled out on pickup day. Common spots include a rear laneway, a corner of the loading dock, a car park bay or a storeroom near the back door.

Because it’s on wheels, an 1100L bin suits sites where the bin can’t stay where the truck stops — for example a shop in a strip with rear-lane access only, or a café that keeps its bins in an enclosure.

When does a 3m³ bin make sense?

A 3m³ bin is the right call when cardboard arrives faster than a wheelie bin can absorb it. Typical signs include:

• You break down pallets of inbound stock most days.
• You already run two or three 1100L bins, and they’re full before pickup day.
• Cardboard piles up beside the bins, on the dock or in the aisles between collections.
• Staff spend time squashing cardboard down so the lid will close.

Because it holds roughly 2.7 times as much as an 1100L bin, one 3m³ bin can replace two or three wheelie bins in a single footprint, and it often means fewer truck visits for the same amount of cardboard. That’s why it’s the usual choice for warehouses and logistics sites in industrial areas such as Dandenong South, Braeside and Carrum Downs.

What access does a 3m³ bin need?

A 3m³ bin is emptied by a front-lift truck, which drives straight up to the bin, picks it up on its forks and lifts it over the cab to tip it. That makes the bin’s location just as important as its size. Before choosing one, check that:

• The truck can approach the front of the bin head-on, with room to manoeuvre in and back out.
• The bin sits on firm, level hardstand such as concrete or asphalt — not grass or loose gravel.
• There’s nothing overhead: no awnings, roof overhangs, cables or tree branches.
• The approach won’t be blocked on pickup day by parked cars, trucks being loaded, forklifts or stacked pallets.
• Gates are open, or there’s an agreed way in, at the scheduled pickup time.

If the only practical spot can’t meet those conditions, 1100L bins are usually the better answer, even for a busy site. We check access when setting up the service, so you won’t end up with a bin the truck can’t reach.

How often should cardboard be collected?

We offer weekly, fortnightly, monthly and on-demand pickups for every bin size. The right frequency is the one where the bin is close to full — but not overflowing — on collection day.

• Weekly suits most warehouses, retailers and hospitality venues receiving regular deliveries.
• Fortnightly suits offices, clinics and smaller shops with steady but lighter volumes.
• Monthly suits low-volume sites where cardboard builds up slowly.
• On demand suits irregular or seasonal volumes — you call when the bin is full. See on-demand cardboard removal.

For the first month, check the bin a day or two before each pickup. If it’s overflowing, move up a frequency or a size. If it’s regularly less than half full, drop back a frequency.

Is it better to get a bigger bin or more frequent pickups?

Both solve the same problem, so the deciding factor is usually space. If you have the room and the truck access, a larger bin collected less often keeps cardboard contained and cuts the number of truck visits. If space is tight, a smaller bin collected more often is the practical option.

What you want to avoid is a bin that overflows every week. Cardboard stacked beside a bin gets rained on, blows around the yard and ends up mixed with general rubbish — all of which makes it harder to recycle. For short peaks, such as end-of-year stock or a store fit-out, an extra on-demand pickup is usually simpler than changing your regular bin.

What can go in either bin?

The rules are the same whichever size you choose:

• Yes: flattened corrugated boxes, shipping cartons, cardboard sheets and dividers, and clean product packaging.
• No: wax-coated produce boxes, food-soaked or greasy cardboard, plastic film, shrink wrap, strapping, polystyrene and general rubbish.
• Keep it dry: keep the lid closed. Wet cardboard is heavy, breaks down and is harder to recycle.

Which bin do different businesses usually choose?

• Warehouses, 3PLs and distributors: one or more 3m³ bins near the dock where pallets are broken down, usually collected weekly.
• Manufacturers: a 3m³ bin near goods inwards, with pickups timed around shifts.
• Retailers: retail sites range from a single 1100L bin for a small shop to a 3m³ bin for a supermarket with a loading dock, with pickups timed after delivery days.
• Cafés and restaurants: hospitality venues nearly always use 1100L bins, which fit in rear lanes and bin enclosures.
• Offices and clinics: an 1100L bin collected fortnightly or monthly.

We collect across 85+ suburbs in Greater Dandenong, Kingston, Monash, Casey, Frankston, Knox and the Mornington Peninsula — check yours on the service area page.

Next step

Tell us roughly how much cardboard you produce, where the bin would go and how often you’d like it emptied, and we’ll recommend a bin size and schedule. Request a free quote — we usually reply within 4 hours — or call 1300 410 095. Most sites are set up within a week. You can also read more about our commercial cardboard collection.