Vic police work to identify body in bin

A bloodied body found in a wheelie bin by a Melbourne garbage collector is yet to be identified.

The garbage truck driver picked up a wheelie bin in in Butler Street in Preston about 8am on Saturday and watched on his TV monitor as a body dropped into the truck.

Aerial TV news shots showed the bloodied body on top of rubbish in the back of the truck and the lid of the recycling bin splattered with blood.

Detective Sergeant Mark Butterworth said the driver was "quite distressed".

"The bin isn't from the immediate area where the pick-up was made," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"I'm not in a position to describe the condition of the body until such time as a post-mortem examination has been made."

Residents noticed the bin on Thursday and called the council to have it picked up, looking inside but not seeing the body, which was under piles of rubbish, the Nine Network reported.

Forensic police removed the body from the truck about 4pm but police are yet to identify the man or how he died.

The death is being treating as suspicious and detectives spent Saturday speaking with nearby residents and are canvassing the neighbourhood for CCTV footage.