An offer campers can’t refuse: Carry In, Carry out numbers surge
Published on 08 January 2026
Mansfield Shire Council would like to pass on its sincere thanks to all the campers who were mindful of our Carry In, Carry Out policy this Christmas. Conscientious tourists played their part in keeping the shire looking its best by taking their waste to the Mansfield Resource Recover Centre (MRRC) in record numbers.
Campers swarmed to take advantage of Council free camping waste drop off initiative, with 1827 bags of camping waste (roughly 36.5 cubic metres) dropped off as of 2 January. This represents a steep increase from the 1250 bags (roughly 25 cubic metres) disposed at the MRRC during the same period 12 months earlier. The free camping waste drop-off initiative is set to run until 31 January 2026.
Mayor Cr Steve Rabie is delighted that campers have done their bit to keep the best little shire in Australia looking pristine.
“It’s no secret that Mansfield Shire is amongst the most idyllic shires in all of Australia,” he said.
“The shire has traditionally drawn large numbers of tourists year-round and we expect that to continue well into the future. How could you not want to spend your holiday surrounded by lakes and mountains, fields and forests and one of the most welcoming communities in Victoria?”
“But large numbers of tourists, as great as they are for local economies, can place significant strain on a small shire’s infrastructure and systems. We all need to play our part to keep the best little shire looking its best. We are delighted to see a record number of rubbish bags dropped off at the Mansfield Resource Recovery Centre over the Christmas period.”
Council is delighted to see campers respond to a communications campaign designed to drive visitors towards the Carry In, Carry Out scheme. Signage upon entering Mansfield township, Council’s social media channels, paid advertising in the Mansfield Courier and posters placed in locations including Mansfield’s supermarkets and service stations, the hunting and fishing shop, camping stores, Bonnie Doon service station and Goughs Bay general store amongst others.
Ensuring Mansfield Shire looks its very best over the busy tourist period and year-round remains a priority for Council. To that end, Council has been undertaking work to upgrade our stock of public bins to improve capacity. Each bin upgraded represents an 100% increase in capacity from 120L to 240L. This is a continuing program and work will be carried out to replace the remaining bins in the coming months.
Public bin collections are scheduled daily for Mansfield township over the busy period. This is a twofold increase from the standard pick up schedule. Some bins have been picked up twice in one day if a report had been received from either a resident or staff member on call during the period.
Additional bins and pickups were provided in other townships including Bonnie Doon (3 additional bins picked up 3 times per week), Goughs Bay (20 additional bins picked up 3 times per week) and Jamieson (13 additional bins picked up 3 times per week).
“Thank you to all the campers who did the right thing and made their way to the Resource Recover Centre to drop off their refuse. Thank you to the Goughs Bay Progress Association for playing a vital role in spreading word of our Carry In, Carry Out scheme.”
“And thank you to the staff from the Resource Recovery Centre and our Waste Management partners Cleanaway who worked diligently over the busy Christmas period to keep up with demand.”