Residents are desperate to fight a major coastal council on its decision to move red-lidded bin collections from weekly to fortnightly. They say “the stink” of overflowing rubbish “is disgusting”, and people are being forced to “wash them with bleach”.
In large parts of Western Australia, local councils were required to roll out FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) services this year. The goal behind the mandate is to divert organics from landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve waste recovery across the state.
However, in many regions, it has meant fewer general waste collections, with the City of Rockingham local government area being one of them.
Kim Amer has been campaigning against the change for several months. She lives within the LGA and spoke to Yahoo News about how the move is impacting families.
In addition to homes, FOGO bins are expected to be rolled out in WA supermarkets, pubs, cafes, universities, schools, hotels and hospitals. Source: Supplied/TikTok
Local woman’s plea as ‘stinking bins overflow’
Kim said she’s been inundated with messages from people who share her view.
“We started FOGO this year, which is fine — most people adapted after time to that,” Kim said.
“The problem is the red bin general waste. They reduced us to a 140-litre bin and a fortnightly pick-up, and it has caused so much stress among families and literally everyone.”
Kim said residents can’t fit their rubbish in the smaller-sized bins, “but worse”, it has brought “an absolute influx of blowflies, maggots and crows”.
“I’ve had so many individuals contact me — young mums, the lot — nurses and doctors saying it will become a health crisis with our 40-degree days,” she said.
“Young mums are being pushed to use cloth nappies. We literally cannot open our doors now without 30 blowflies coming in.”
The passionate local said the community is outraged, and the situation, particularly with rodents and pests, “was not like this before”.
Council plans to stick with fortnightly red-bin collections
Yahoo News asked the City of Rockingham for a response to Kim’s concerns.
Mayor Lorna Buchan acknowledged some households were struggling to adapt, but said the council has “no plans” to revert to weekly general waste collections.
She said the size of the bins first changed in 2018 in line with the WA Better Practice Guidelines.
Buchan said since introducing FOGO back in June 2025, the city had seen a significant improvement in resource recovery, with diversion from landfill increasing from 39 per cent to 57.8 per cent in the first four months.
That jump in diversion means far less waste is ending up in landfill, which cuts methane emissions and reduces the city’s environmental footprint.
It also suggests residents are separating their waste correctly, making the whole recycling system more efficient and cost-effective.
“The City implemented the FOGO system in line with government guidelines and joins more than 25 other local governments across Western Australia that have successfully adopted this approach,” Buchan said.
“We understand that some residents are still adjusting to the new system, and encourage any residents experiencing challenges to get in contact”.
As for Kim, however, she has vowed “not to stop” until the decision to move to fortnightly pick-ups is reversed.
“We can do this, and we must for the community,” she said.
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