Innovation Case Study: 'My Mitchell' Mobile App
Mitchell Shire Council
My Mitchell App - Driving Innovation and Service Delivery
Launched in August 2024, the My Mitchell App improves resident access to council services through features like bin reminders, waste guides, issue reporting, and local news. Designed for mobile convenience, it supports ongoing community engagement. Success is measured by adoption and feedback, with early results showing strong uptake and positive community response.
2025 MAVlab Innovation Awards Finalist:
The Smooth Sailing Award for Service Optimisation and CX, supported by LANDATA® operated by SERV.
Project statistics:
- Team: 1 x Business Transformation Project Officer (Stephanie Ezard, MSC Digital Implementation Officer) in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external app developer Simple Integrated Marketing
- Milestones:
- July 2019 – Initial exploration of app concept and design
- September 2019 – Project paused due to staffing changes, COVID-19 disruptions, and other challenges
- September 2022 – Project resumed; requirements reassessed and earmarked for implementation
- November 2023 – Design and development phase commenced
- March 2024 – Testing and refinement activities initiated
- August 2024 – Public launch of the ‘My Mitchell’ App.
Project goals:
- Enhance communication and simplify access to council services for all residents through a single, user-friendly platform
- Provide timely bin collection reminders and streamline access to waste and recycling service requests
- Use the “Near Me” feature to discover nearby facilities, services, and council-led projects based on location
- Enable residents to report issues directly to Council, improving response times and community responsiveness (our in-house solution for Snap, Send, Solve), and
- Empower residents with timely, relevant, and local information at their fingertips, including local news, updates, and community events, keeping residents informed and engaged.
Challenge and context:
The ‘My Mitchell’ app was created to address a key operational challenge: the rollout of Mitchell Shire’s new four-bin waste system. This change significantly altered bin categories and collection schedules for residents and businesses, requiring a clear, accessible way to guide the community through the transition.
Central to the app is its bin reminder feature, which provides timely notifications about which bin to put out and when. This helps reduce confusion, improve compliance, and promote responsible waste disposal — supporting the success of Council’s waste strategy.
Beyond waste management, Council faced issues with the external reporting platform Snap Send Solve, which placed an administrative burden on staff. To improve efficiency, My Mitchell embedded Report It, Council’s in-house tool that allows residents to report issues such as damaged infrastructure or illegal dumping directly from their mobile devices. This streamlined process enhances responsiveness and reduces reliance on third-party systems.
While these core functions drove the app’s development, it also delivers additional benefits, including access to Council news, events, and service updates, helping strengthen community engagement. The app also mitigated the challenge of managing multiple data sources by maintaining the Council website as the single point of content management while seamlessly delivering that data to the mobile experience.
Additional challenges included ensuring digital equity and accessibility across a broad demographic. The app needed to be intuitive, lightweight, and functional on a wide range of devices to support elderly residents, non-English speakers, and those in lower-connectivity areas. Ongoing engagement with internal and external stakeholders ensured the app met diverse user needs without increasing operational burden on staff.
Ultimately, My Mitchell is a modern tool designed to meet specific operational needs while delivering broader value to the community. Its development reflects Mitchell Shire’s commitment to innovation and improved service delivery.
Solution and innovation:
This project required cross-team collaboration, integration of legacy systems, and the careful balancing of innovation with operational practicality — all delivered with limited resources and tight timeframes.
Our website has long been the central source of truth for Council services, schedules, and updates. However, residents increasingly expect mobile-first access to key services such as kerbside waste, issue reporting, and facility information. The challenge was to deliver a seamless mobile experience without duplicating content management.
In partnership with Mitchell Shire, Simple Integrated Marketing developed a custom API layer that synchronises content in real time between our website and the app, ensuring residents receive accurate, up-to-date information without adding new workflows for Council staff. For example, bin collection schedules — once manually updated — are now integrated with our GIS system, providing automated, location-based data and bin collection day reminders.
Accessibility was a priority. The app is intuitive and compatible with a wide range of devices, supporting elderly users, non-English speakers, and those in low-connectivity areas. Stakeholder engagement guided feature prioritisation, including:
- issue reporting
- bin schedules
- events and updates
- maps and facility information.
Unlike third-party waste apps, My Mitchell is powered directly by our website CMS, eliminating double handling and reducing administrative overhead. Bundled into our existing hosting arrangement, it is a cost-effective solution with no additional platform fees.
Designed to be multi-functional, the app consolidates services into one platform, including:
- bin reminders
- an A–Z waste guide
- issue logging with photo uploads
- the “Near Me” feature for locating nearby facilities and services.
This integrated approach modernises service delivery, improves user experience, and sets a new standard for mobile-first council engagement — delivered within budget and built for long-term sustainability.
Praise for the app appeared organically on local forums and social media, with residents recommending it to others and promoting its benefits, particularly its clarity and convenience. This peer-to-peer advocacy significantly boosted trust and adoption across Mitchell Shire.
Impact and outcomes:
The My Mitchell app proved to be a critical tool during Mitchell Shire’s complex four-bin rollout, becoming the go-to resource for timely, accurate information and service requests. Residents used the app extensively to understand bin changes, check collection schedules, and request additional services, greatly reducing pressure on traditional customer service channels.
Community response was overwhelmingly positive. Praise for the app appeared organically on local forums and social media, with residents recommending it to others and promoting its benefits, particularly its clarity and convenience. This peer-to-peer advocacy significantly boosted trust and adoption across Mitchell Shire.
As of July 2025, the app has reached 11,000 downloads, exceeding initial targets by over 57%. Engagement peaked during the rollout period and has remained strong since. User feedback frequently highlighted the app’s ease of use, real-time notifications, and simple service request features as key to its effectiveness.
Impact is measured through app usage analytics, user feedback, and service request volumes. Early data shows increased engagement across diverse demographics, with positive feedback emphasising improved access and usability.
Internally, teams have benefited from streamlined workflows and improved data access, with GIS integration becoming a valuable asset for both the mobile app and the broader digital ecosystem. As adoption continues to grow, the app is expected to further reduce service gaps, foster civic participation, and support inclusive community planning.
Future updates will be guided by user feedback, ensuring ongoing improvements to accessibility and inclusion across Mitchell Shire.
Scalability:
This project has demonstrated how adopting a Single Source of Truth approach can create scalable, consistent, and efficient digital service delivery across council platforms. By structuring our data so that it resides centrally — while remaining accessible to both internal systems and external applications — we have ensured residents receive reliable, up-to-date information regardless of how they engage with Council.
This approach can be readily replicated by other councils. The underlying model — using existing website infrastructure and data as the foundation for mobile delivery — offers a cost-effective and sustainable way to expand digital services without increasing content management overhead. Other councils across the state could adopt a similar strategy using their existing systems and workflows, enhancing customer experience while reducing duplication and manual processes.
Beyond internal use, this model encourages broader data sharing across local government boundaries. For example, data from emergency dashboards, weather alerts, or major infrastructure projects — whether managed by state departments, utilities, or neighbouring councils — could be integrated to give residents a more holistic view of their community and services. Similarly, council-managed data (such as facility locations or waste schedules) could be shared with partner councils or external developers to power their digital services.
This interoperability supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), by promoting inclusive, accessible, and smart urban infrastructure. It also supports Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), by enabling data sharing and digital collaboration across organisations and jurisdictions.
Ultimately, the success of this project lies not just in the app itself, but in the architectural thinking behind it — positioning Council to lead in digital innovation, contribute to shared local government ecosystems, and empower communities with transparent, connected services.