Commercial Waste

If the City currently provides a waste service for your commercial property, then you will need to find a private waste contractor before 1 July 2025. All City provided commercial waste collections will cease.

There are several private waste contractors already servicing City businesses (see the FAQs). One of these will be able to provide your business with a cost-effective service fit for purpose.

Commercial waste fees are paid until 30 June 2025, however, you are welcome to change to a private waste provider anytime.

City commercial waste collections will cease on 1 July 2025. Unless organised earlier, your bins will be collected from the kerb after your last collection in June.

Quotes should have been gathered by no later than end of May.

To avoid disruption to your collection services, the City recommends to switch over to your new provider at your earliest convenience prior to 30 June 2025. See below “Next Steps” for instructions on how to transition.

The transition to a private waste provider is simple:

1. Consider your current waste needs. Do you need more or fewer bins, and what type of recycling or waste bins do you need?
2. Contact a couple of private waste providers for a quote.
3. Select a transition date before 30 June: inform the City and the new waste provider for service continuity. The City will remove the bins from your kerb after they have been emptied. Ensure the new provider delivers their bins promptly after this to begin the new service.

Below are private waste providers already servicing businesses in the Fremantle area:

To cancel a bin service, complete the online form below (note, you will be directed to the City’s Customer Portal):

Cancel a commercial bin service

Many LGAs do not provide commercial waste collections. These include;

• Town of East Fremantle
• City of Bunbury
• City of Vincent
• City of Kalamunda
• City of Joondalup
• City of Wanneroo
• City of Canning
• City of Kwinana

Commercial waste collections are not a core local government service, unlike residential waste collections, which are a core service.

This is a discretionary waste service offered to eligible City businesses. A micro businesses waste needs will be serviced by the residential three bin FOGO service, and must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

Bin Type, Size and Collection Frequency

Waste type and collections

• Waste must be like that produced in a household. Accepted items are listed in the annual waste calendar.
• Micro Businesses are not eligible for additional bins, but may increase the size of the recycling bin (fees apply).
• Bins will be presented to the kerb no more than 24 hours prior to the residential bin collection day in the area and will be brought behind the property line within 24 hours after the collection day.
• No variation to residential collection truck routes is permitted.

Fees

Bins are not required to be purchased and will remain the property of the City of Fremantle.

Fees for the Micro Business waste service will be set by Council for the 25-26 financial year. The below fees are based on the 2024-25 fees and charges, and are used as a guide only until the 25-26 fees are approved in June 2025.

• Collection fees:  $715 per annum, charged annually.
• Establishment fee: $150 as a one-off fee and is added to the first invoice. Non-refundable.
• Administration fee: $12.80 per invoice, or overdue reminder notice.
• Larger recycling bin 360L $229, plus establishment fee.
• Contamination fees may apply.

Businesses will be able to cancel the Micro Business service at any time during the year, with refunds provided on a pro-rata basis.

Assessment

If your business waste needs can be met by the residential Three Bin FOGO collection, and you would like to be considered for the Micro Business waste service, please follow these steps:

1. Fill out this e-form (coming soon).
2. An officer will be in contact to assess your business against the criteria. This may include a 15-minute onsite visit, with access to view your current waste.
3. The information will be assessed by the waste team.
4. The applicant will be contacted with the outcome of the assessment, by email.
5. If the applicant is successful, and happy with the approved fees (when available), the business will be set up in the City’s debtor’s system.
6. Once the establishment fee and first collection fee are paid, the waste team will deliver the suite of bins. The service will commence on the following scheduled bin collection day for the area.

For further information, please contact the waste team at comwaste@fremantle.wa.gov.au

After a review of the City’s waste services, Council endorsed the discontinuation of the City’s commercial and industrial waste services at the 24 July 2024 Ordinary Council Meeting. The key reasons for this decision were;

• The commercial waste collection service was running at a loss, and costs were being absorbed by general rates revenue
• To make the service more sustainable, we asked businesses if they’d support a cost increase, they didn’t, so the most economical for everyone is to go private, a more cost-effective solution.

Private waste providers can offer cost effective and tailored solutions to businesses, reducing waste to landfill and improved services. Resources will be reallocated to increase and improve the City’s cleansing program. Based on public feedback, street cleansing and public amenity is important to the whole community. This contributes to the Thriving and Resilient City envisioned in the Strategic Community Plan.

We are here to help! If you require assistance assessing your waste needs or with any of the changes, please contact us and a City officer can visit your business to discuss potential improvements.

Contact: comwaste@fremantle.wa.gov.au.

After your last scheduled waste collection in June, the bins will be removed by the waste team. Please leave the bins on the kerb after they have been emptied.

If you organise a new waste provider earlier, let the City and your new provider know of the transition date for a seamless changeover.

Private waste providers can offer businesses with cost-effective waste services tailored to their needs, then what the City can currently offer.

Resources will be reallocated to increase and improve the City’s cleansing program. Based on public feedback during the consultation process for the City’s new Strategic Community Plan, street cleansing and public amenity is important to the whole community.

Depending on the condition of the bin, the waste hierarchy will be applied:

• Reuse – a selection of bins will be set aside to be redirected for other City services like public bins.
• Recycle – bins suitable for recycling are made into new objects like wheelie bins.
• Recovery – a small number of bins not suitable for the plastics recyclers will be shredded and converted to electricity at the Kwinana energy recovery site.
• Landfill – The City will prioritise repurposing, recycling and recovering over landfill.

If your new provider wants to reuse the bins, please let us know. They will need to be clearly marked with the new companies branding, for example stickers that cover City of Fremantle logo. Bins will be removed from the kerb after the last collection in June and will be reused or recycled. Please note, a private waste provider will not collect a City of Fremantle branded bin.

If you already use a private waste provider, then these City service changes will not affect you.

Residential properties will not be affected by these changes.

If you live in a mixed residential and commercial property, and share bins, then there may be some changes to the bins in your bin area to remove the commercial aspect.

Please contact us to see how these changes affect you. Contact: comwaste@fremantle.wa.gov.au

If you operate your business from your home, and your business uses your household bins, then these changes do not affect you.

Schools fall under the category of a commercial business and therefore will need to make other provisions for their FOGO service.

If you are a church or charity group, with a City commercial waste service, then you will also need to organise a private waste provider.

If you lease a City building, please get in touch with us at comwaste@fremantle.wa.gov.au

If the City is currently servicing your clubs waste needs, you will need to make alternative arrangements before 1 July 2025.

Please contact us if you need assistance, email comwaste@fremantle.wa.gov.au

Your bins will be removed from the kerb, or bin room, after your last collection in June.

It is your responsibility to organise a new waste provider in time, otherwise you may experience delays.

Approximately 650 commercial customers, who are currently charged separately for waste, independent of rates. These 650 businesses are just 28% of the total rated commercial businesses in Fremantle. The other 72% of commercial operators are already using private waste providers.

Private waste providers can offer economies of scale and tailored solutions to businesses.

Need help assessing your waste needs? Please contact us for an in-person waste assessment, otherwise, the waste providers may be able to assist also.

We are here to help. If you have any questions, please contact us:

Phone – 1300 MY FREO (1300 693 736)

Email – comwaste@fremantle.wa.gov.au