Bin collections

The City provides a standard two-bin system for residential properties, which includes:

• A 240-litre general waste bin (dark green lid), collected weekly
• A 240-litre recycling bin (yellow lid), collected fortnightly

Collection Schedule:

• General waste bins are collected weekly.
• General waste collections on public holidays will proceed as normal, except for Christmas Day (bins will be collected a day later).

For specific details, including bin collections and verge collections, use the Near Me tool to search your property.

General Waste Bin Handy Tips:

• Keep the weight of the bin under 70kg.
• Ensure the lid can be fully closed.
• Clean the bin regularly.
• Freeze seafood and odorous waste and take to your bin the day of collection.
• Place the bin by 6:00 AM on collection day (most will place their bins out the night before).
• Position the bin as close to the road/kerb as possible (within 1 meter), with the wheels facing your house.
• Return your bin to your property within 24 hours of collection.

What Goes in Your General Waste Bin:

• Food scraps
• Nappies, wipes, and sanitary products
• Garden waste
• Animal waste and kitty litter
• Ceramics/Pyrex
• Plastic plant pots (can be recycled at Bunnings)
• Treated timber
• Bottled cooking oil
• Polystyrene
• Plumbing/reticulation pipe and fittings

What to Keep Out of Your Waste Bin:

• Household and car batteries**
• Recyclable materials*
• E-Waste (electrical and electronic items)*
• Household chemicals*
• Light globes*
• Soil, sand, and rocks
• Building materials
• Hazardous waste*
• Gas bottles
• Hot ash
• Motor oil
• Syringes and medical waste
• Asbestos

*These items are free to dispose at the Waste Management Centre or a via Recycling Hubs
**Car batteries should be placed on top of or beside your kerbside bin on collection days or taken to the Waste Management Centre for free disposal.

FAQs:

What should I do if my bin wasn’t emptied?

Contact the Waste Alliance Customer Service Centre at 9587 4660 or email: MHwaste@cleanaway.com.au.

I missed the collection and need my bin emptied, what should I do?

If you contact the Waste Alliance Customer Service Centre on the same day as your scheduled collection, they may be able to arrange for the truck to return. If you contact them the day after your scheduled collection, it may only be possible under special circumstances. Be sure to place your bins out by 6:00 AM on your collection day.

What if my general waste or recycling bin is broken and needs replacing?

Bins are typically repaired or replaced within 3 working days of your request. Contact the Waste Alliance Customer Service Centre at 9587 4660 or MHwaste@cleanaway.com.au. 

What can I do if my bin is full and I have more waste to dispose of?

You can either wait until your next scheduled collection day or take the excess waste to the City’s Waste Management Centre at 80 Corsican Place, Parklands. Disposal fees apply if you do not have a valid waste voucher.

Why doesn’t the City of Mandurah offer a third bin?

The City of Mandurah reviewed the possibility of introducing a third bin for food and organic waste (FOGO) on 26 April 2017. The proposal was not pursued for several reasons:

• The significant cost to ratepayers (including additional bins, trucks, collection, and waste processing costs), which would add approximately $80 per household annually.
• A third bin could lead to increased household waste, contradicting the principles of reducing and avoiding waste.
• Contamination could affect the quality of the compost produced.
• There is limited space for storing additional bins on properties.

The City of Mandurah is a member of the Rivers Regional Council (RRC), which includes several other councils. The RRC has signed a 20-year contract with Acciona to process the region's waste through an Energy Recovery Facility in Kwinana. This plant, currently under construction, will divert over 90% of the City’s waste from landfill, significantly exceeding the State Government’s Waste Strategy 2030 diversion targets. The facility will convert waste into energy, which will be supplied back to Western Power.

Recycling is a simple and effective way for everyone to help protect the environment. Residents are provided with a separate bin for recycling, clearly identified by its yellow lid. The contents of these bins are transported to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in South Guildford, where they are sorted and then sold for reprocessing.

Recycling bins (yellow lidded) are collected fortnightly. For specific bin collection information, including verge collections, use the Near Me tool to search your property.

Recycling Bin Tips (Yellow Lid):

• Empty and rinse all containers before placing them in the bin.
• Flatten cardboard boxes to save space.
• Remove all lids from containers before placing them in the bin. Lids should go in the general waste bin.*
• The film lids on plastic pots, tubs, and trays cannot be recycled. Please remove and dispose of them.
• There's no need to remove labels from jars and bottles.
• Place your bin out by 6:00 AM on collection day.
• Position your bin as close as possible to the road/kerb (within 1 metre) in an upright position, with the wheels facing your house.

*Lids from eligible containers can be taken to Containers For Change collection points.

What You Can Place in Your Recycling Bin:

• Newspapers, magazines, and junk mail
• Flattened cardboard boxes, tubes, and egg cartons
• Clean paper (not shredded)
• Tins
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic bottles/containers (lids removed)
• Milk and juice cartons (non-foil lined)
• Steel and aluminum cans, pots, and pans

What You Cannot Place in Your Recycling Bin:

• Polystyrene (meat trays, cups, beads)
• Green waste
• Liquids
• Clothing/textiles
• Liquids
• Clothing/textiles
• Aerosol containers*
• Soft plastics
• Food scraps
• Contaminated food containers (e.g., greasy pizza boxes)

*These can be recycled free at either the Waste Management Centre or City's Recycling Hubs.

Recycling FAQs:

Can I bag my recyclables before putting them in the recycling bin?

No, bagged recyclables will be removed from the recycling stream and sent to landfill. Bagged recyclables cannot be opened as it poses a safety risk to workers. Plastic bags themselves cannot be recycled through the kerbside system.

Which plastics can I recycle?

Most hard plastics are recyclable, but some types cannot go in your recycling bin, including polystyrene and foam, plastic bags, soft scrunchable plastics, and bottle lids.

What types of glass cannot be recycled?

Ceramics, such as broken plates and mugs, and Pyrex glass materials cannot be recycled and should be placed in the general waste bin.

What happens to the recycling materials in my household recycling bin?

The contents from your yellow-lidded recycling bin are collected by Cleanaway and transported to the Cleanaway Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in South Guildford. The MRF uses a combination of sorting equipment and manual sorting to separate recyclables into different materials. The sorted materials are then baled and generally sent overseas for reprocessing, where they are made into new products. The only product processed locally is glass, which is crushed and used in civil construction and the building industry. Although the necessary manufacturing plants to process recyclables into new products are not yet available in Australia, the Federal Government is working with industry to build this infrastructure, so recyclable materials can be processed locally in the future.

Bins are collected on all public holidays except Christmas Day. In 2025, Christmas Day will fall on a Thursday, therefore the bin collection schedule will be delayed by one day.

Changes to the bin collection schedule:

All services will resume as normal on your usual collection day from Monday, 29 December 2025.

Click on the Near Me tool and search your property to find information on bin collections, verge collections and more.

The Christmas period is an extremely busy period and it is important that residents place their bins (refuse and recycling) on the verge for collection by 6.00 am on the designated collection day. Bins presented late may not be collected.

Please also note that the City’s Waste Management Centre located at 80 Corsican Place, Parklands will be closed Christmas Day but will return to normal operating hours on Friday, 26 December 2025.

Cleanaway is the City of Mandurah’s official contractor for all waste management services, including those in public spaces.

These services include:

• Collection of public bins in parks, reserves, and foreshores (including dog poo bag dispensers)
• Provision of bins at special events
• Addressing illegal dumping and littering

The City has installed a network of bins throughout public areas such as parks, reserves, foreshores, and pathways, with a total of 850 public bins and 250 dog poo bag dispensers currently in place.
Bins are strategically located in public spaces where waste is generated and where infrastructure is needed to manage waste effectively.

FAQs

Can I dump my household waste in a nearby public bin?

No, placing domestic waste in a public bin is an offence under the City’s Waste Management Local Laws, and offenders may be subject to a $400 infringement. If you have smelly household waste, it’s recommended that you bag it and freeze it until you can dispose of it in your rubbish bin the night before collection.

Why aren’t public bins collected more frequently during busy seasons, like at fishing beaches?

Each public bin within the City follows a set collection schedule, which is adjusted seasonally. During winter, when public bin usage is lower, collections are less frequent. In high-traffic areas, particularly during summer, the City places additional bins and adjusts collection schedules to manage increased waste generation. Bin truck drivers monitor bin usage closely and work with their supervisor to make any necessary adjustments.

Can I report someone dumping waste in a public bin?

Yes, it is illegal to dump domestic waste in a public bin under the City’s Waste Management Local Laws, with fines of up to $400. To investigate an alleged waste dumping incident, the City requires either a witness or sufficient evidence to support the claim. Please send any relevant details to council@mandurah.wa.gov.au.

Why aren’t there recycling bins at every public bin location?

Recycling bins in public areas are often underused and prone to contamination when people mistakenly place general waste inside. Research by WARRRL has shown that while 86% of people recycle at home, only 48% do so in public. Waste produced in public spaces typically isn’t recyclable (e.g. takeaway food packaging).  

Gopher Service - Assisted Bin Collection

Residents who are unable to move their bins to and from the kerbside due to a disability or illness can apply for the Gopher or Assisted Bin Collection service.

Once approved, the driver will collect the bins from an agreed location on the resident's property, wheel them to the truck for collection, and return them to the original spot. This service is provided at no extra cost to residents.

To apply for the Gopher service, residents must submit a written request to the City, accompanied by a letter of support from a medical professional. Once the service is approved, a representative from Cleanaway, the City’s waste contractor, will contact the resident to confirm the agreed bin collection location.

For inquiries about this service, please call 9587 4660.

Additional Bin Services

The standard rubbish service charge includes a 240-litre waste bin, collected weekly, and a 240-litre recycling bin, collected fortnightly. The City does not offer a weekly collection for recycling bins.

Residents can request additional rubbish or recycling bins for an additional annual charge:

• Additional Rubbish Bin: $152.00
• Additional Recycling Bin: $146.00

Requests for additional bins must be made by the ratepayer or managing agent, as the charges will be applied through an Interim Rates Notice. Each additional bin will feature a sticker from the City indicating that it has been authorised for collection by Cleanaway.

Bins presented without the authorised sticker will not be collected.

New Bin Service

All rateable properties in Mandurah are provided with a 240-litre green rubbish bin and a 240-litre yellow-lidded recycling bin. The rubbish bin is collected weekly, while the recycling bin is collected fortnightly.

Requests for new bin services must be made by the ratepayer or managing agent, as the service will incur the standard rubbish service charge. Once the bins are provided, the property owner will receive an Interim Rates Notice.

To request a new bin service, please contact the Waste Alliance Customer Service Centre at (08) 9587 4660 or email MHwaste@cleanaway.com.au. Cleanaway will deliver the bins within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Rubbish and recycling bins are owned by the City, and repairs or replacements are covered under the standard rubbish service charge. Bin repairs or replacements are typically processed within 3 working days of the request.

If your bin is damaged or stolen, please contact the Waste Alliance Customer Service Centre at (08) 9587 4660 or email MHwaste@cleanaway.com.au.