Green Bin/FOGO Collection Service

Overview

From July 2024, a new green bin collection service was 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 is 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.

Who receives a green bin?

Depending on where you live, you will have received 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

Properties automatically receiving a green bin are marked green. Properties eligible to opt-in are marked orange.

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.

Next steps

Application forms

Apply for a green bin

For residents in the opt-in communities in the Mansfield Shire who would like a green bin, apply using the form below

Apply

Collect 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.

Apply

 

Where to collect your kitchen caddy:-

Mansfield Shire Council Office

* Address: 33 Highett Street, Mansfield

Mansfield Library

* Address: 2 Collopy Street, Mansfield

Mansfield Visitor Information Centre

* Address: 175 High Street, Mansfield

 

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 later in 2024.

Residents who register their interest will be notified of workshop dates as they are finalised.

Register interest

Delivering the service

If you apply for a green bin, you will receive your new 240L bin within the following fortnight.

The 240L 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.

FAQs

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 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 if I haven't received a green bin?

If you would like a green bin and your property is not automatically registered, apply using the form below.

Apply

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.

 

 

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. 

Are my rates affected?

The new green bin service charge is $98.69 per year. This works out to approximately $2 per week for the supply and collection of your new green bin.

Council has worked hard to reduce our existing waste charges, with the average charge to households who are not receiving a green bin reducing by 10% this year (down to $483.24 from $541.46 last financial year). This reduction means the overall increase for those receiving the green bin will only be about $40, or less than $1 per week.

Residents not receiving a green bin will not receive the additional charge and will see a 10% reduction in their waste charges.

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.

Related Information

Back to top