Cleanaway

It’s Waste and Recycling Workers Week 2026, and we continue to celebrate our frontline teams who show up every day to deliver the essential services our communities rely on.

Through strong cost control, operational changes and a clear focus on customer outcomes, Cleanaway Guiding Star Awards Finalist and Branch Manager Steve Connor from our Contract Resources team delivered:
– significant customer efficiencies
– improved service reliability
– stronger customer trust and compliance outcomes
– deployment of fleet upgrades

Better service, stronger results and happier customers. That is what courage and accountability can deliver.

👏 Well done Steve

Cleanaway Guiding Stars Awards Finalist Steve Connor is recognised for “Own it, be courageous”. The Cleanaway Guiding Stars Awards recognise our people who live and breathe our Guiding Principles to deliver lasting value for our customers, communities and the environment.

30 years of memories, milestones and making a difference 💚

This Waste & Recycling Workers Week, we’re celebrating the people behind the essential services that help keep our communities running, like Plant Operations Supervisor Glen Dalman, who has dedicated 30 incredible years to Cleanaway.

When Glen joined us on 1 May 1996, he thought he was simply starting a new job. Thirty years later, it has become so much more.

Starting as an Operator at our Dandenong site, Glen built his career step by step, taking on roles across operations, safety, compliance, first aid, quality control, maintenance and site management.

He has seen a lot change over three decades, but one thing stands out: “The biggest change I have seen is safety and the care around our employees. The culture and care we show for all is important, and as a company we do it very well.”

Among his proudest moments are receiving an Exceptional Operator Award from Cleanaway in 2020, presenting in front of our CEO during his Diploma of Management, and meeting Julie from Customer Service, who later became his wife.

“My life at Cleanaway has been very fruitful and rewarding. Being part of this wonderful company for 30 years has been a major highlight of my life.”

Thank you, Glen, for your incredible commitment, passion and contribution over the past 30 years.

The Cleanaway team had a fantastic day connecting with the community at the Logan Eco Action Festival (LEAF), sharing practical tips on recycling and sustainable waste management with local residents.

Our Sustainability Officers Gregor Tims, Jonathan Trevor and Juan Carlos Acosta joined the event to help answer everyday recycling questions, from understanding soft, firm and hard plastics, to learning more about food waste, e-waste and local waste initiatives.

One of the biggest topics of the day? Plastics! Many residents were surprised to learn more about what can and can’t go into the yellow recycling bin. Using hands-on examples, our team helped make recycling advice clearer and easier to follow at home.

Across the event, we connected with more than 1,200 Logan locals, including around 700 children. Young recyclers had the chance to explore our Cleanaway truck, test their knowledge through our waste sorting game and learn how small actions can make a big difference.

One special moment came when a local educator shared the story of a student with a huge passion for recycling. She was excited to take back Cleanaway merchandise and a video of our truck, knowing it would make his day. Moments like this remind us why community education matters.

Thank you to everyone who visited our team, asked questions and shared their enthusiasm for creating a more sustainable future.

Together, we’re helping build better recycling habits, one conversation at a time.

Cleanaway’s 2026 Recycling Behaviours Report is here ♻️ The good news? Australians care about recycling and want to do the right thing.
Our latest research, developed in partnership with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), looks at what Australians understand, where confusion remains and how we can make recycling easier.

♻️ Australians believe in recycling
91% agree recycling is important, with 86% rating themselves as good recyclers.
🌱 FOGO is helping households reduce waste
74% of Australians with a FOGO bin are already using it, but many are still unsure about items like dairy, meat and cooked leftovers.
🔋 Batteries need more attention
71% know batteries don’t belong in household bins, but rechargeable devices like electric toothbrushes and headphones are still causing confusion.
📦 Packaging can be confusing
64% of Australians have felt misled by soft plastic packaging that appears recyclable but isn’t.
🥤 Soft plastics remain tricky
Many Australians want to recycle soft plastics, but knowing where they go is not always easy.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll break down some of the most common recycling questions and share simple tips to help you recycle right.

Recycling Behaviours Report 2026 Out now!

Cleanaway is proud to support Curtin University’s commitment to safer recycling, resource recovery and reducing waste sent to landfill. As Curtin’s waste management partner since 2020, Cleanaway has worked alongside the university to improve waste outcomes including helping boost landfill diversion rates.

A great example of this partnership in action was Curtin’s recent bi-annual E-waste and Battery Collection Day. Cleanaway supported the collection of 327kg of eligible e-waste, batteries and globes from 43 groups across the university and wider community.

The items collected, including everything from a record player and film camera to a party smoke machine were processed locally in Perth, helping recover valuable materials and keep resources in use.

Together with Curtin and our recycling partners, we’re making it easier for communities to recycle safely and contribute to a more sustainable future together. Curtin Campus Updates

🚛🌏 Big trucks, little learners and a whole lot of fun!
To celebrate World Environment Day, Cleanaway joined families at Avondale Heights Library for a special Garbage Truck Storytime session, helping the next generation learn about recycling and caring for the environment.

More than 60 children joined in for a morning of stories, songs and hands-on learning, including a reading of Todd Parr’s The Earth Book with Cleanaway’s Sustainability Education Coordinator Yasmin and a special Q&A with our truck driver Mustafa.

The children learnt about what goes in each coloured bin, why it’s important to keep the wrong items out, and even had the chance to get up close with one of our garbage trucks.

Each child also took home a colouring bag and their very own mini garbage bin as a reminder that small actions can make a big difference.

A huge thank you to Moonee Valley Libraries, Paul, Kristen, Yasmin, Mustafa, Dave and everyone involved in bringing this event to life.

When an older woman fell near a roadside gutter in Queensland, Driver Neil Golding didn’t hesitate to stop and help.

Neil safely pulled over, helped her back on her feet, gathered her belongings and stayed with her until he knew she was okay and safely on her way home.

That moment says a lot about Neil. During last year’s cyclone, Neil’s own home was destroyed by a falling tree and left unliveable. But even while dealing with his own loss, he spent his time helping colleagues and other local families protect their homes and belongings from floodwaters.

After more than 30 years with Cleanaway, Neil has recently retired and is now being recognised as a winner in Guiding Stars Annual Awards for showing genuine care in his community.

Thank you, Neil. Your kindness, care and willingness to help others has made a real difference to your team, your community and everyone lucky enough to work alongside you. Enjoy your well-earned retirement 💙

Cleanaway sees firsthand the impact that waste has on our environment. That’s why, this World Environment Day, we’re proud to support Clean Up Australia and the volunteers, communities and organisations helping protect the places we live, work and enjoy.

Since 2016, Cleanaway has partnered with Clean Up Australia to empower communities, businesses and volunteers to take practical action against litter and waste. Today, that work is as important as ever. Plastic now accounts for more than 80% of the litter collected through Clean Up Australia activities, and an estimated 130,000 tonnes of plastic enters Australia’s marine environment each year.

Whether it’s giving your time, supporting local clean-up efforts, reducing waste in your daily life, or making a donation to help fund ongoing environmental programs, every action contributes to a cleaner Australia.

This World Environment Day, we encourage everyone to get involved and support the important work of Clean Up Australia.

Together, we can turn small actions into lasting impact. Visit clean.up.org to learn more.

Celebrating 10 Years of Customer Excellence: Cheers to Head of Platinum Accounts Peter Armatas!

Anyone who has worked with Pete knows one thing for certain: he bleeds blue. He is a Cleanaway person through and through, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate his 10-year milestone with the business.

Over the last decade, Pete has been a driving force for customer success. From leading our sales function in Victoria Solids, to stepping into the national business unit sales as Head of Field Sales, and now driving impact as our Head of Platinum Accounts.
If there is one thing that rivals Pete’s loyalty to Cleanaway, it’s his dedication to our customers. He has a rare gift for bringing our value proposition to life, perfectly aligning customer demand with what we do best to create ultimate win-wins.

But beyond the strategy, it’s who Pete is as a person that makes him such a brilliant colleague. He is remarkably generous with his time, often on the phone solving problems before he’s even had his morning coffee, and equally generous with his humour. If you’ve had a heavy day, a quick chat with Pete is all it takes to find perspective and a laugh.

Congratulation Pete – here’s to the next 10 years! Pictured here is Pete front and centre flanked by our team at Cleanaway’s Melbourne office.