Kwinana’s Waste System
Rollout:
Unchecked and Zero Accountability
The City of Kwinana’s recent overhaul of our local waste management services has left residents dealing with reduced service standards, unsightly verges, and a complete breakdown of council accountability.WA
| WASTE SERVICE COMPARISON | ||
| Service Element | Legacy System | New Waste Strategy |
| │ General Waste Bins | 240L Capacity | 140L Capacity (Slashed) |
| Verge Pickups | 4 Scheduled Suburb Sweeps/Yr | 2 Pre-Booked Pickups/Yr |
| System Status | Clean Verges, Proven System | Verge Rubbish Left Months |
A Flawed Rollout Driven by State Mandates
The council calls this new waste system an “upgrade,” yet they still haven’t disclosed its total cost to Kwinana ratepayers.
Let’s look at the actual math.
We used to have a streamlined system where trucks moved systematically through an entire suburb, clearing all verge waste in a matter of days. The council replaced that with an “on-call” model limited to just two individual pickups per household each year.
To see how absurd this is, imagine driving to the shops for a single carton of milk, driving all the way home, and then immediately heading back just to buy bread—and doing it a third time for fruit. It makes no sense.
Instead of one truck efficiently clearing a whole street at once, heavy, high-emissions trucks are now making hundreds of separate, ad-hoc trips to random houses across Kwinana all year round.
It is a logistical nightmare that increases traffic, burns unnecessary fuel, and requires more trucks and staff to operate.
By any reasonable measure, this is less efficient, worse for the environment, and a huge step backward from the effective former verge pickup system.
Key Failures Impacting Kwinana Households
• Slashed Bin Capacity: Replacing standard 240L general waste bins with 140L bins forces larger households to struggle with overflow.
• Drastic Verge Pickup Cuts: Scheduled suburban verge collections—previously run four times a year—have been reduced to just two annual pickups, creating massive backlog and confusion.
• Visual Blight: With reduced pickup frequency, uncollected household rubbish and green waste now sit deteriorating on Kwinana verges for months.Zero Accountability at Question TimeWhen directly questioned about the growing accumulation of waste across suburban verges, the Mayor offered standard deflection—stating the system was less than 12 months old before passing responsibility off to the CEO.
Reduce waste l Bins – 4.5% increase in Rates
The council calls this new waste system an “upgrade,” yet they still haven’t disclosed its total cost to Kwinana ratepayers.
Let’s look at the actual math.
We used to have a streamlined system where trucks moved systematically through an entire suburb, clearing all verge waste in a matter of days. The council replaced that with an “on-call” model limited to just two individual pickups per household each year.
To see how absurd this is, imagine driving to the shops for a single carton of milk, driving all the way home, and then immediately heading back just to buy bread—and doing it a third time for fruit. It makes no sense.
Instead of one truck efficiently clearing a whole street at once, heavy, high-emissions trucks are now making hundreds of separate, ad-hoc trips to random houses across Kwinana all year round.
It is a logistical nightmare that increases traffic, burns unnecessary fuel, and requires more trucks and staff to operate.
By any reasonable measure, this is less efficient, worse for the environment, and a huge step backward from the effective former verge pickup system.
Kwinana Council: A 5-Year Masterclass in Financial Mismanagement
Take a look at how Kwinana compares over the last five years:
| Financial Year | Kwinana Council | Rockingham Council | Cockburn Council |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 4.5% 🚩 | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| 2024/25 | 5.0% | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| 2023/24 | 4.75% | 3.5% | 3.9% |
| 2022/23 | 4.0% | 3.0% | 2.5% |
| 2021/22 | 3.5% | 0.0%* | 0.0%* |
| 5-Year Total | ~21.75% | ~13.9% | ~14.3% |
*Note: Neighboring councils froze rates during economic uncertainty while Kwinana pushed ahead with increases.
The Reality Check
Over the last five years, Kwinana’s cumulative rate increases have outpaced our neighbors by nearly 8%.
Kwinana Council claims these relentless hikes are necessary for “core services.” Yet, cities like Rockingham are delivering major infrastructure—like the Baldivis Sporting Complex and extensive coastal protections—with far lower annual rate increases.
So, where is all our money actually going? Asking that simple question has become a total no-go zone at council chambers.
Inaction for Our Community
Rather than offering leadership, our elected representatives choose spin over solutions. The local council was elected to advocate for Kwinana ratepayers, not act as an enforcement arm for state directives at the expense of our basic municipal services.It is time for the council to stop deferring questions, acknowledge the failure of this rollout, and restore a functional waste service that keeps our streets clean.
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