There are 10 collection zones in our city. To find your calendar, you will need to use our bin collection search tool (button below) by entering your address.
Bins must be out for collection by 6am on the nominated collection day, or the night before. This time may change on extreme hot weather days.
Find your bin collection days / download your calendar
Bins are collected Monday to Friday including all public holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
On these two days and the remaining days of those weeks, collections will occur a day later than your usual collection day. For example, if Christmas Day falls on a Monday, those bins will be collected the next day on the Tuesday, The days following are also affected, through to Friday’s collection occurring on the Saturday.
Submit an online report for a missed bin collection, damaged bin, or lost or stolen bin.
Please note: these collection issues must be reported within two business days of your usual collection day.
Make sure to leave your bin at the kerb so our team can access it.
If the bin is not at the kerb when they visit, this request will be marked as completed/resolved with no further action.
Use this form to report:
- Missed bins
- Partially/half emptied bins – when completing the form, please add 'partially/half emptied bin' in the ‘Additional location text field’.
Rubbish can become compacted in the bottom of your bin and may not fall out when upturned, even after the bin has been shaken by the driver. Loosen any remaining material before submitting this request.
Please avoid compacting bin contents or jamming in oversized items.
- Bins stickered as
- Contaminated
- Driver unable to access
- Over full
- Over weight
Please ensure to rectify the identified issue before submitting this request.
Report a missed bin collection
What if I miss the two day reporting timeframe?
- Take your bin in, then return it out to the kerb for your next usual collection day
- Take excess waste or organics to a waste transfer station or landfill
- Check with a neighbour to see if they have space in their bin for the next collection.
Report a damaged bin
Under normal circumstances, kerbside bins will be repaired OR replaced within 5 business days.
Please make sure to leave your bin at the kerb so our team can access it.
If the bin is not at the kerb when they visit this request will be closed off.
Please note that depending on the type of damage to your bin, the following request turn around times will apply for Recycling and Green Organics bins:
- Damaged/missing lid – 2 business days
- Damaged or missing lid pins – 2 business days
- Damaged or missing wheels – 2 business days
- Damaged/cracked base or split/cracked side – If the bin is empty it will be replaced within 2 business days of the request. If there are contents in the bin, it will be replaced on the next scheduled collection date or within 2 days of that date.
- Broken handle - If the bin is empty it will be replaced within 2 business days of the request. If there are contents in the bin, it will be replaced on the next scheduled collection date or within 2 days of that date.
Residential properties
We provide each rateable house or unit* with the following bins for household recycling, green organics and waste to landfill.
1 x 240 litre yellow-lidded recycling bin
1 x 240 litre green-lidded green organics bin
1 x 140 litre red-lidded waste to landfill bin.
Additional bins are available upon application - fees apply (see Request additional bins).
Fees for existing additional bins can be paid online on our Debtor invoice payments page.
*Exceptions may apply due to dwelling density, location, service availability or development application restrictions.
Business/commercial properties
Each rateable commercial property* can access the following bins for recycling, green organics and waste to landfill.
1 x 240 litre yellow-lidded recycling bin
1 x 140 litre red-lidded waste to landfill bin.
1 x 240 litre green-lidded organics bin - please note the following conditions:
- service is only available where the business is located within an existing collection round
- an annual fee applies (see Request additional bins)
- application is required in writing.
Additional bins are available upon application - fees apply (see Request additional bins).
*Unless otherwise indicated in the development application plan.
Vacant land
Each rateable vacant block with a shed or other infrastructure, can apply for a green organics and a waste to landfill bin in writing. If approved, bins will be supplied to the block.
Schools, Kindergartens, Churches and Community organisations
To support our local community, limited services are available to these organisations - conditions apply.
For more information about service entitlements, conditions and how to apply, please contact our Customer Relations team on (08) 8384 0666 or mail@onkaparinga.sa.gov.au
Additional bins are available for residential properties, businesses and community organisations for an annual service fee (per bin) - restrictions apply.
- Organics - $50
- Up to two additional bins available
- Recycling - $45
Up to two additional bins available
- Waste - $178
One additional bin available
The additional bin fees are for the servicing of the bin. Please note that all bins remain the property of the City of Onkaparinga.
Request additional bin
Cancelling additional bins
If you no longer require your additional service bins please contact our Customer Relations team on 8384 0666 to cancel and arrange for collection of the additional bin(s) or cancel online below.
Submit cancellation of additional bin
Please note that the fee is for a 12-month service and pro-rata reimbursements will not apply.
Moving house?
Please let us know of the following:
- if you no longer require the additional service/s
- if you are relocating your additional service/s (i.e. moving house)
- if you are selling your property
- if you are rebuilding your house (i.e. demolishing the building).
Otherwise, you will continue to receive invoices even if someone else is using the bin/s.
Pay for existing additional bins
If you already have an additional bin, you will receive an annual invoice for payment.
Pay online
New bins can only be requested once the property is occupied, due to the high incidence of bins being stolen from vacant properties.
If your home is still vacant, please return to this page once you have moved in.
Request new bins for a new dwelling
When we came to collect your bin, we noticed there was a problem. This meant we could not empty your bin today. This must be corrected before your next scheduled collection for the bin to be emptied.
Your bin may have been stickered due to one of the following reasons:
| Reason
|
What you need to do
|
| No clear access to the bin |
Clear any obstacles to allow the truck clear access to the bin i.e. ensure cars are not parked in front of the bin |
| Bin is overfull |
Remove some material from the bin |
| Bin is too heavy |
Remove some material from the bin |
| Bin is not a City of Onkaparinga bin |
Use City of Onkaparinga bins only - contact us to remove the unauthorised bin/s |
| Bin contains inappropriate materials (contamination) |
Remove contaminating or prohibited materials from the bin.
Refer the the Recycling and disposal guide for acceptable bin contents |
| Bin is in the wrong position |
Place bins at least 1m from obstacles i.e. cars, letterboxes, poles and overhanging trees.
Leave a minimum 50cm between bins |
| Bins have not been returned from the kerb |
Take your bin in as soon as possible after emptying (within 24 hours of collection) |
For more information, please contact our Customer Relations team on
(08) 8384 0666.
Over 115,000 bins are picked up and emptied across the City of Onkaparinga every week. So it is important that we work together to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
You can help us by:
- placing your bins on the kerb the night before your scheduled collection
- placing your bins in a position that is visible from the road and suitable for the truck to collect it
- positioning your bins to avoid blocking the footpath
- returning your bins from the kerb within 24 hours of collection
- only using City of Onkaparinga bins (non-council bins may be removed).
It is not always easy for our drivers to collect bins as there are a number of obstacles each day. Some include:
| A problem for us
|
How you can help
|
| Bins too close together |
Leave at least a 50cm gap between bins |
| Bins too close to poles, letterboxes or cars |
Keep bins well clear of these things |
| Bins too close to trees and overhead lines |
Ensure bins are well clear (bins are lifted up 4.2m) |
| Bins too heavy |
Keep your bins under 45kg (waste) or 70kg (recycling and green organics) |
| Bins overflowing or material left on or next to bins |
All material must comfortably fit within the bin so the lid can close securely |
Please return your bins from the kerb within 24 hours of collection.
The bin is designed to be filled to the top of the bin. Over flowing bins cause litter and encourage animals.
Please ensure your bin is not over full (weight restriction below) and the lid is closed. Please do not jam material into bins as this may prevent it coming out of the bin when being emptied.
Items placed next to or on top of bins are unable to be collected.
Maximum bin weights:
- waste to landfill bin is 45kg
- green organics & recycling bins are 70kg.
Over full bins may not be collected.
If you regularly have more material than fits in your bins, additional bins are available for an annual fee.
Alternatively, please take your extra waste to the nearest waste facility.
With fortnightly organics collections in place, you are now required to put all your food scraps into the green organics bin if you are not composting at home. Food and garden organics are wasted if sent to landfill, so when placed in the organics bin they will go to create rich compost that can be used to fertilise our local agriculture.
However, we understand that especially over summer, our food scraps and green organics bins can start to stink. So here are some tips to keep your bin a bit fresher:
Food scraps
- Use newspaper or certified compostable bags to tie up your food scraps – keeping them contained will reduce any leakage and smells
- Place used tissues and paper towels in with your food scraps – this will help to absorb some of the liquids from the food
- Sprinkle bi-carbonate of soda (baking soda) on the food scraps to absorb some odours
- Put stinky food in the freezer – keep a compostable bag or air tight container in the freezer for meat, seafood and bones. Empty these into your organics bin on the evening before collection day
- Clean out the fridge the night before your organics collection day – if you are clearing out food that is past its best, clear it out as close to your bins day as possible
- Let hot food cool down before putting in with scraps – this will reduce the warm wet conditions that bacteria and mould thrive in
- Eat more of your food – plan meals and leftovers so there is less food wastage.
Bin tricks
- Put your organics bin out for collection each fortnight, even if it is not full
- Store your bin out of direct sunlight – this will reduce the heat build up inside the bin and slow the breakdown of food
- Place cardboard, newspaper or garden materials at the bottom of the bin – this will help to absorb some of the moisture
- Layer the bin contents, putting garden trimmings and shredded paper between large amounts of food scraps
- Spray the bin with lavender or mint oil – this will help keep the bin smelling fresh and deter pests
- Keep the lid of the bin closed so pests cannot get in
The contents of your recycling bin are taken to the Southern Materials Recovery Facility (SMRF) in Seaford Heights, where it is sorted and baled ready for recycling.
Re.Group, who operate the SMRF have advised:
- More than 50% of what we receive from household recycling bins is paper and cardboard, all of which is currently sold to Visy for use at its local Australian paper mills to make new products.
- The next biggest part of the input, around 20% by weight, is glass. Thanks to the support of a grant from GISA, we are currently exploring the potential to add an optical sorting circuit to recover glass cullet suitable for ‘bottle to bottle’ markets, before all excess glass is converted to quality sand for use in local civil projects.
- Plastic products make up 5-10% of what is received, and at the facility we sort these into five grades of polymer; there are strong Australian markets for PET and HDPE plastics, with multiple end users, and emerging markets for PP plastic.
- Metals make up less than 5% of the input and are traded to local agents, and may then be exported overseas for reprocessing into new products.
- Finally, around 10-15% of what we receive is non-recyclable material incorrectly placed into the recycling bin; this residual material is responsibly disposed of at the SRWRA landfill. It is important that we reduce this level of contamination in the recycling bins.