From July 2024, a new green bin collection service will be introduced in urban areas in Mansfield Shire.
Separately processing Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) waste allows it to be diverted from landfill and instead creates a compost product that can be reused for agriculture and landscaping.
The existing red and yellow bin collection frequency will remain unchanged.
The new green bin will be collected fortnightly, alternating with the yellow bin. It can be used for items such as food scraps, bones, grass clippings, branches and other plant matter.
Introducing the green bin is something we heard from our community engagement that is needed in townships. It helps make our shire cleaner, healthier and more environmentally friendly.
Depending on where you live, you will either receive a green bin automatically or you may be able to opt in to the service.
This approach was developed based on community feedback, with consideration for the many properties that may not need a green bin.
View roll-out areas
Use the map for your township below to check whether you need to apply.
Properties automatically receiving a green bin are marked green. Properties eligible to opt in are marked orange.
- Bonnie Doon(PDF, 644KB)
- Bonnie Doon (south)(PDF, 535KB)
- Goughs Bay(PDF, 1MB)
- Jamieson(PDF, 818KB)
- Macs Cove(PDF, 465KB)
- Maindample(PDF, 460KB)
- Mansfield (east)(PDF, 3MB)
- Mansfield (north-east)(PDF, 1MB)
- Mansfield (north-west)(PDF, 2MB)
- Mansfield (south-east)(PDF, 2MB)
- Mansfield (south-west)(PDF, 2MB)
- Merrijig(PDF, 625KB)
- Sawmill Settlement(PDF, 1MB)
If you're still not sure how your property is affected or you have other questions, please contact Council by phone or email. See contact details below.
Application forms
Apply for the FOGO service
If you would like a green bin and your property is not automatically registered, apply using the form below.
Residents who apply by 10 May 2024 will receive a green bin before the new collection service commences.
Apply
Request a kitchen caddy
Residents can also request a complimentary kitchen caddy.
A kitchen caddy allows you to collect waste in your kitchen before taking it to the larger kerbside bin.
If you have requested a caddy, you will be notified when it is ready for collection from Council.
Request
Register your interest in composting workshop
Residents can participate in a composting workshop and receive a complimentary composting bucket for use on their property.
The workshops will be held in September 2024.
Residents who register their interest will be notified of workshop dates as they are finalised.
Register interest
Apply for an exemption
In exceptional circumstances such as financial hardship, you may be eligible for an exemption from the green bin service. Apply using the form below.
If your property is not automatically registered, there is no need to apply for an exemption.
Apply
Delivering the service
If you have applied or been automatically registered for a green bin, you will receive your new 240L bin in June 2024.
Green bins will be collected fortnightly from July 2024, alternating with the yellow bin.
The existing red and yellow bin collection service will continue unchanged.
What is FOGO?
FOGO stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics. It includes food scraps from your kitchen and plant matter from your garden.
The new green bin collection service separates your FOGO waste and turns it into compost.
Why a separate green bin service?
All Victorian local councils are required to provide a FOGO service by 2030.
Separately processing FOGO waste using the green bin allows us to:
- Reduce the amount and cost of waste sent to landfill.
- Create compost products from recycled FOGO waste.
- Reduce climate change.
It is part of creating a circular economy, where we recycle as many resources as possible back into new products.
What can and can't go in my green bin?
What CAN go in the green bin:
Food waste, including:
- coffee grounds
- dairy products
- eggs
- grains, including bread, pasta, rice & cereal
- vegetables
- fruit
- meat & bones
Garden waste, including:
- grass clippings
- leaves
- plants, weeds & flowers
- twigs, branches and bark
- feathers
Paper products, including:
- cardboard
- newspaper
- pizza boxes
- paper towels
- tea bags (not including pyramid-types or staples)
Specific bin liners:
- Only certified compostable plastic liners are acceptable.
- Fiber-based materials such as newspaper can also be used.
What CAN'T go in the green bin:
Non-organic material, which doesn't rot or decompose, can't go in the green bin.
"If it didn't live or grow, it's not FOGO."
Examples:
- plastics
- nappies
- fabric & clothing
- washer or dryer lint
- vacuum cleaner waste
- hard waste
- broken furniture, plates or cups
Bin liners:
Most bin liners can't go in the green bin, even those which are advertised as biodegradeable liners. These are different from certified compostable liners.
What happens after the green bin is collected?
Waste from green bins will be transported to the Biomix processing facility near Stanhope.
On arriving, it is checked for contamination and transferred to a composting unit. Over six weeks it is processed into nutrient-rich compost.
Biomix produces various compost products which are then supplied to the agricultural and industrial market.
What if I already compost my food scraps?
That's great to hear!
We encourage all residents to continue using existing home composting systems for their food scraps or reach out to us if they'd like to start. You can do this whether or not you receive a green bin.
Some items, like meat, dairy, rice, and grains, are best not composted at home. We recommend using your green bin to keep them out of landfill.
What if I'm not getting a green bin?
If you would like a green bin and your property is not automatically registered, apply using the form below.
Otherwise, your red and yellow bin collection will continue unchanged.
Even if you're not getting a green bin, composting your food waste and keeping a worm farm are excellent ways to keep organic waste out of landfill and create nutrient-rich compost for your garden or pot plants.
Apply
What if I don't want a green bin?
Properties in the rural living zone and most townships will not automatically receive a green bin.
If your property is automatically registered, it's up to you whether or not you use your green bin.
In exceptional circumstances such as financial hardship, you may be eligible for an exemption from the service. Apply using the form below.
Apply
Are my rates affected?
The anticipated cost to receive the green bin service is up to $40 per year.
Residents not receiving a green bin will not be charged.
Why is the process different for some townships?
Council has chosen this approach based on extensive community consultation.
Feedback from temporary residents and visitors showed that they were less likely to require a regular collection service. As a result, the green bin is being offered as an option in townships with high numbers of temporary residents.
For townships with high numbers of permanent residents, the green bin will be rolled out to all households.
Community feedback also showed that farms and larger rural properties have distinct waste management practices, with many already composting their FOGO waste independently. Because of this, collection services for properties in rural living zones will continue unchanged.
What community consultation has been done?
Council conducted the "GROW4Mansfield" community engagement campaign in 2022, which included a total of eleven online and face-to-face workshops, and received around 300 survey submissions.
The campaign sought feedback on bin size, collection frequency and start date in addition to other issues.
Based on this feedback, it was decided that the green bin would only be provided in urban areas.
A follow-up engagement was conducted for the roll-out of the green bin. Two deliberative panel workshops and an online survey were conducted. The collection zones and roll-out plan were finalised based on the results from the follow-up engagement.