The body of Annette Brennan, 67, was allegedly stuffed inside a wheelie bin at her home Coolaroo and discovered by staff sorting green waste at a tip in Epping, about eight kilometres away, on July 3.
A 45-year-old man was taken into custody yesterday morning and charged with murder overnight.
Police will allege the pair were known to each other.
Brennan’s students today gathered to pay tribute to her following the shock discovery.
“She was amazing, I’m really shocked,” former student Simona Croce told 9News.
“She was beautiful, loving and a kind woman.”
Brennan moved into her Hilgay Street home just two months ago, telling neighbours she was looking for a housemate.
Over the weekend, detectives used a locksmith to access that same address where they would spend 10 hours combing through it and the bins in the backyard.
The news of Brennan’s death has rocked the Coolaroo community.
Croce described the English teacher as being like “a second mum”.
“No one deserves to be treated this way, no one,” she said.
Investigators believe Brennan’s body was inside a bin that was picked up outside a property on Hilgay Street in Coolaroo on Tuesday.
Repurpose It chief executive George Hatzimanolis released a statement yesterday, saying staff members were left “shaken” by the incident.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a body was discovered in the FOGO delivery shed at our facility last Wednesday,” he said.
“Our staff members who made this tragic discovery are understandably shaken, and we are ensuring they receive the support and counselling they need.”