Missed bin or late collection? Possible delays due to fire damage
Summer peak weekly recycling is always a busy time, but this year we are also dealing with the reduced capacity of our Goolwa site due to major fire damage caused by a hidden battery.
FRWA advises that some collections will be late and may roll over to another day. Please check our website ticker strip (top of each page) for known run issues and leave your bin out if it is not collected by 5.00 pm (or up to 8.30 pm for Kangaroo Island green FOGO).
If your area is not listed, please fill out the Report a Missed Bin form. Please note we do not return if you missed us or the bin or presentation is non-compliant.
**Ashbourne, Woodchester, Langhorne Creek rural, Highland Valley and surrounds: see section further down this page.
**Kangaroo Island green FOGO – see section further down this page.
Recycle every week over the summer peak (green and yellow)
Monday 15 December 2025 to Friday 23 January 2026
The collection of green FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) and yellow recycling bins will again switch to weekly pick-ups over the peak summer period.
The summer peak cycle starts Monday 15 December 2025 and ends Friday 23 January 2026.
The collection of blue/red bins for general landfill waste will remain fortnightly.
Don’t forget to place your bins out the night before and collection runs/times will be different during this peak time and may start earlier or finish up to 5.00 pm.
Christmas week bin collections - Thursday 25/12 and Friday 26/12 will be one day later
During Christmas week, Thursday 25 and Friday 26 collections will occur one day later.
Monday 22/12 collection → as usual
Tuesday 23/12 collection → as usual
Wednesday 24/12 collection → as usual
Thursday 25/12 collection → Friday 26 December
Friday 26/12 collection → Saturday 27 December
Collections occur as usual on the New Year’s Day public holiday.
Public holidays and early closure
Bin collection
Bin collection still OCCUR on public holidays, EXCEPT Christmas Day. See the ‘Christmas week’ heading for details.
Your calendar (download calendar) also outlines collections on public holidays.
Remember to put your bin out the night before and collection runs/times will be different during this peak time.
Waste and Recycling Depots
Goolwa, Yankalilla, Strathalbyn and Kangaroo Island – CLOSED on all public holidays
Please also see ‘Early closure – Christmas and New Year’s Eve’
Customer service and FRWA Goolwa office
Our customer service and office are CLOSED all public holidays.
Please also see ‘Early closure – Christmas and New Year’s Eve’
Early closure – Christmas and New Year’s Eve
The Kangaroo Island, Yankalilla and Goolwa waste depots and office will close early on Christmas and New Year’s Eve (Strathalbyn CLOSED all day):
* Wednesday 24 December – all depots and the office close at 1.00 pm
* Wednesday 31 December – all depots and the office close at 1.00 pm
Goolwa, Strathalbyn and Yankalilla Waste and Recycling Depot holiday details
- All depots closed on public holidays.
- Early closure (1.00pm) Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve – Goolwa and Yankalilla (Strathalbyn CLOSED on Wednesdays)
Kangaroo Island Resource Recovery Centre holiday details
- All depots closed on public holidays.
- Early closure (1.00pm) Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve – Kingscote
Public litter bins
Public litter bins are for single items generally bought and consumed at local retailers, e.g, coffee cups and paper bags for takeaway food.
If the public litter bin is full, take your rubbish home!
Bring a rubbish bag if you are planning a day out exploring or relaxing at the beach. Placing rubbish on top of or next to an already full bin results in rubbish blowing away or animals spreading the waste.
Household and commercial waste prohibited
In the past 12 months Councils have reviewed their policies relating to public litter bins and reinforced that residents, visitors and businesses are prohibited from placing any household or commercial waste in any public litter bin. Residents or visitors placing, or business operators advising customers to place, household or commercial waste into public litter bins, risk prosecution.
Need extra collection this summer?
1. Out-of-cycle paid collection
An extra general waste bin out-of-cycle paid collection is available for $34 ($12 subsequent bins at the same time). Please note, we endeavour to collect these within 48 hours, however these ad-hoc collections may take 72 hours from booking.
To book and pay for an additional collection, call our customer service team on 8555 2467 (Monday to Friday 8.30 to 4.00).
2. In-cycle extra bin paid collection
Do you have an extra bin that needs collection along with your usual collection? FRWA offers a collection of additional complying bins in-cycle for $12 per bin. Complying bins can be purchased and collected from our Strathalbyn, Kangaroo Island, Yankalilla and Goolwa depots. General waste bins [blue/red] are $74 and recycling [yellow and green] cost $83.
To book, call at least 24 hours before your standard collection day: FRWA customer service team on 8555 2467 (Monday to Friday 8.30 to 4.00).
3. Take your bin for a spin… empty it at one of our Waste and Recycling Depots
You can also take your bins (or bagged equivalent) to one of our depots during opening hours for disposal – $6.00 per 140lt general, $9 per 240lt green FOGO bin (no fee on Kangaroo Island due to council subsidy).
Your yellow recycling bin is free to empty at the depots.
Depot days, details and prices
4. Get an annual additional bin and sticker.
Check our additional bin services page for details on putting out an extra bin/s each collection cycle. Costs $200 per financial year (pro-rata) + bin cost $ 74 for a second general waste bin or $120 per financial year, plus $83 for a second yellow or green recycling bin.
Holiday homes and extra business waste
The Council’s fortnightly general waste collection, designed for residents, may not be enough for your business during this peak time. Holiday home and business operators/managers are responsible for the extra waste created by their clients in generating income from their ventures over the summer peak period. Waste management is an operating expense for these businesses.
FRWA provide a range of extra collection services for holiday homes and rental properties to better manage their waste, which are outlined above. For more information on these services, please visit https://fleurieuregionalwasteauthority.com.au/kerbside-collections/additional-bin-services/
You and your guests are PROHIBITED from placing household or commercial waste in any public litter bin.
Be proactive and pre-book extra collection services before the peak
If you know you will need extra collection services due to increased use or after change-over days of tenants, please book these in advance. If you wait until your bin is full before booking an ad-hoc collection service, you or your guests may need to wait up to 72 hours.
Help your guests manage their waste:
- Yellow and green bin stickers
Free stickers showing what can and can’t go into the yellow recycling and green FOGO bin are available at the Goolwa, Strathalbyn, Goolwa and Kingscote Depots. These can be placed on the bins or grab an extra set and place them in your guest compendium.
You can also download a printable version.
2. Supply a green FOGO bin for food waste
For those properties that already supply all 3 bins (green FOGO (food organics garden organics), yellow and blue/red), we say thank you for facilitating responsible waste management and having a positive impact on the environment.
The green FOGO bin is for food waste, Seafood, prawn and oyster shells, cheese, the Christmas roast bone and all those uneaten nibbles, salads and desserts. Placing this food waste in the general waste bin results in anaerobic (no oxygen) rotting in a landfill, which increases methane gases that are more damaging to the ozone layer.
During this time, we get calls from holiday home guests where the blue/red bin is full; however, if the operator supplied a green FOGO bin, food waste and compostable packaging could go in the green bin, leaving more room in the general waste bin.
FRWA Depots sell green FOGO (and yellow recycling) bins for $83 each. A weekly bin delivery service is available for an added fee, depending on distance.
3. Collection calendar
Download the collections calendar or collect printed copies from Council offices or FRWA Depots and display them on the fridge and in the compendium. Don’t forget to write your collection day on the front with a note to put it out the night before, as guests may not be able to find the holiday home on the printed map as easily.
4. Remind your guests of bin night so they can help you
If you rely on your guests to put the bins out for collection days, consider leaving some extra reminders. To help your guests help you, you could put a note on the fridge – “Please remember to put the yellow and green bins out by Tuesday night, thanks”. Or some property managers send a friendly text message the day before collection as a reminder.
5. Bin theft. Identify your bin as holiday home bins are a target for bin theft
Painting your property number and street, and possibly your business/property name on the front of the bin, helps your guests see which bins belong to the property and reminds them to bring the bins in after collection.
Marking your bin may also help prevent theft, as holiday home bins are often a target with no consistent residents living at the property.
Replacing stolen bins is an expense for property/business owners.
6. Think of the neighbours
Last year, FRWA received several complaints from residents living next to holiday home rentals about overfull or contaminated bins, bins out at the wrong time or not brought in after collection. This is a neighbour dispute, and we refer these callers to contact the owner or management company. Please follow the advice above so that your guests and neighbours have a great experience.
7. Holiday-maker waste poster
Print up the following poster for holiday-maker waste times and place it on the fridge in your guest compendium.
Missed bin? Leave it out for 24 hours
During this peak time, the time your bin is collected may change. Ensure you don’t miss our early run by having your bin out the night before. Our dedicated drivers will be working till late in the afternoon, so please be patient and leave your bin out, even if your usual time is early morning.
Due to the increased service, occasionally a street or area may need to be emptied the next day. If your whole street is not collected on your usual day, please leave your bin out for another 24 hours.
If your individual bin has been missed, please fill out a report a missed bin form or call the FRWA customer service team on 8555 2467 (Monday to Friday 8.30 to 4.00).
Why weekly yellow and green recycling and not general waste collection?
The summer and festive season can increase the region’s household waste. However, bin audits reveal that most of the increased waste in the general bin should go in the green FOGO or yellow recycling bins.
Increased food waste = green FOGO bin
Seafood, prawn and oyster shells, cheese, the Christmas roast bone and all those uneaten nibbles, salads and desserts belong in the green FOGO bin. Placing this food waste in the general waste bin results in anaerobic (no oxygen) rotting in landfill which increases methane gases that are more damaging to the ozone layer.
And all those serviettes, tissues and pieces of paper towel can also GOGO in the FOGO.
Takeaway and compostable packaging = green FOGO bin
After all that hard work preparing your festive feasts, and the leftovers have been eaten, you might decide to take a break with some takeaway. Check your takeaway packaging is compostable (and by now most of it should be thanks to recent legislation) and green bin it. Yes, that cheesy pizza box, greasy hamburger container and milky coffee cup can all go in the green FOGO bin.
Putting food waste in the green bin creates compost and soil that helps green our Fleurieu Peninsula gardens.
Increased gift packaging, cartons and bottles = yellow bin
Christmas, New Year and summer often result in extra packaging and wrapping for presents, outer cartons and extra beverage bottles (cheers 
). Pop them in the summer peak weekly yellow bin to help reuse these resources.
Ashbourne, Woodchester, Langhorne Creek rural (not town), Highland Valley and surrounds
Due to operational demands over the summer peak season, residents from the following areas will again have four of their six collections summer peak collections on a SATURDAY.
Residents in the areas listed below (maps below) will have 4 of their 6 collections occur on a Saturday (dates below):
Ashbourne Paris Creek Mount Observation Woodlands Woodchester Langhorne Creek rural areas (NOT Langhorne Creek town central – if you’re unsure if you’re ‘town’, pop bin/s out for Friday to be sure 
) Salem
Some parts of Lake Plains (see map) Hartley Gemmells Highland Valley Red Creek Bletchley
The following list outlines your collections for the six week summer peak service:
- Saturday 20 December (blue/red + recycling)
- Saturday 27 December (recycling)
- Saturday 3 January (blue/red + recycling)
- Friday 9 January (recycling)
- Saturday 17 January (blue/red + recycling)
- Friday 23 January (recycling)
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Kangaroo Island green FOGO collections will extend into evenings
Due to the summer peak extra collections, Kangaroo Island green Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) collections will extend into the afternoon and possibly up to 8.30 pm, or the next day. Please still put your bins out the night before and be patient as our team works hard to look after KI residents.
If your FOGO bin has not been collected by 8.30 pm, leave your bin out and check our website ticker at the top of each page for updates. If your area is not listed, please fill out a report a missed bin form or call the FRWA customer service team on 8555 2467 (Monday to Friday 8.30 to 4.00).
Give a gift to the environment this Christmas - foil trays and wrapping paper, prawn shells and ham bones
Aluminium trays and foil
What about those little alfoil trays for Christmas mince pins or the larger trays used to keep the turkey slices warm? Clean trays and aluminium foil can be scrunched together into a ball and recycled in the yellow bin. Greasy trays need to be washed clean or placed in the blue/red bin.
Batteries
Christmas is the time for batteries. Dead batteries should NEVER be placed in any bin – they are a fire hazard for the waste processor, hazardous to the environment and contain 95% reusable components.
Tape the terminals with sticky tape and collect them separately for free disposal.
Check https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/batteries for storage and disposal details. All of our depots take household batteries for free, as well as numerous retail sites like Woolworths, Officeworks and Battery World.
Wrapping paper
With all that unwrapping, don’t forget to ‘call it a wrap’ by placing it in the yellow bin. Paper wrapping can be recycled, but plastic/foil paper and ribbons need to go in the blue/red bin.
Festive season food, paper serviettes and plates
Did you know that prawn and oyster shells, meat bones, dairy and bread go in the green bin? That’s right, feed food scraps to your green bin to reduce waste from landfill and help return valuable nutrients to our environment.
Paper towels, tissues and paper serviettes can also go in the green bin.
And don’t forget your compostable disposable plates and cutlery can be recycled in your green FOGO bin.
FRWA details
Website: www.frwa.com.au
Depot details and prices: https://frwa.com.au/waste-recycling/depot-locations-price-lists/
Email: admin@frwa.com.au
Customer service phone: 8555 2467 (Monday to Friday 8.30 to 4.00).