Social enterprise Green Connect is connecting former refugees with work in the waste industry, delivering on its mission to create jobs that care for people and the planet.
Since its inception, Green Connect has had a strong commitment to the environment and diverting waste from landfill.
The not-for profit social enterprise, based in Illawarra New South Wales, was formed in 2011 in a bid to solve two of the region’s biggest problems – unemployment and waste.
Under the banner of national not-for-profit organisation Community Resources, Green Connect has placed hundreds of people in work through an ethical labour hire business in partnership with waste industry organisations.
Over time, many have found direct employment. A great outcome and cause for celebration, says Robert Servine, General Manager for Green Connect.
“We know there are ample work opportunities in the waste industry for people with basic labouring skills, yet it’s meaningful work which contributes to reducing the collective environmental impact,” says Robert.
“When our staff are litter picking local parks, they’re stopping rubbish from ending up in waterways. When they’re standing at a food organics and garden organics (FOGO) picking line, they’re helping produce healthy compost.
“And when sorting waste at a large festival, they’re ensuring waste streams are uncontaminated and successfully diverted from landfill. These are all meaningful jobs and deserve to be celebrated.”
Green Connect runs work readiness training programs in-house. When trainees are confident and ready for work experience, they are partnered with waste companies to give them opportunities to apply their training, or they gain first-hand experience of waste handling by working with Green Connect’s Zero Waste Services, including tasks like waste audits.
Robert says many also get a start in the waste industry by working at a public event as a waste educator, engaging with the public and guiding them on what bins to use.
“Some might like this role, or others might prefer to be back of house at a large event, working hard with a team to sort through waste and organise it into recycling, container deposit scheme (CDS) return, landfill and increasingly, food waste,” Robert says.
“Although we work across Sydney, we started in Illawarra. We were fortunate that the original founders of SOILCO wanted to help former refugees by providing work in their plant and opened their doors to our staff. SOILCO remain one of our staunchest supporters, providing us with weekly shifts and over time, have even directly employed some of our people.”
Readiness training covers what Fair Work means, what are Awards, Workers’ Rights, superannuation, Centrelink, work health and safety, workers’ compensation, personal protective equipment and how to wear it properly, how to use a rostering app and how to work as a team.
Robert says it’s 101 information, but it’s protective too.
“While they’re engaged with us, we can ensure their safety, but once they’re out in the labour force we want them to be safe and confident,” he says.
“Once we’ve covered the ‘soft skills’ we teach them how to litter pick a site, how to separate waste into different streams, how to stand at a waste collection point and advise the public on what waste goes where.
“We also cover outdoor labouring skills so staff can elect to work in the waste industry, landscaping or as garden labourers.”
Zero Waste Services is one of Green Connect’s primary enterprises. It conducts waste audits for companies keen to meet their environmental and sustainability goals. A team of Green Connect casual staff will work with Zero Waste Coordinators to go through volumes of waste to provide objective data that is used to provide clients with a comprehensive waste assessment and strategy on how to reduce waste.
The guidance may result in improved signage, on-site waste education, linking in with recycling companies for managing different streams, site management training etc.
“Organisations that commit to engaging us for their waste audits accelerate their move towards a low or zero waste goal, as well as provide our casual staff with meaningful work,” Robert says.
“In addition, our Zero Waste Services operate at public events. We’re often in the basement or back of house rapidly sorting waste into uncontaminated waste streams, educating the public on what to do with their rubbish and litter picking a site after the party winds down!
“Highlights for us have been providing our services for the UCI Road Championships – 100,000 attendees over 17 days generated tonnes of waste. We were able to divert 4.8 tonnes from landfill, as well as donate the proceeds from 20,000 CDS items.”
There have also been other highlights. In 2024, in collaboration with Mirvac, Green Connect won the Social Traders National Gamechanger Award for the best Social Procurement Impact Partnership.
A national level award organised by member association, Social Traders, it recognised the strong partnership between the two organisations. Since 2020, Mirvac has engaged Green Connect to conduct more than 80 waste audits across its New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory assets.
Employing about 250 casual staff, these audits have provided job opportunities for individuals facing barriers to employment, including former refugees, and have helped Mirvac reduce waste and mark progress towards its goal of zero waste to landfill by 2030.
In 2024 Green Connect also received a NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Business Food Waste Partnership Grant to work with 125 food businesses in New South Wales shopping centres and educational establishments to avoid, reduce and source separate food waste.
Robert says Green Connect’s casual staff cohort will gain food waste auditing work skills in the rollout of this project and he hopes the organisation can partner with another large shopping centre chain to expand the program to help more food businesses, while providing work opportunities for staff.
“Green Connect, from its inception, has worked to support former refugees find work in their new homeland. Despite having endured trauma and unimaginable hardship, the majority of our staff are extraordinarily hardworking and keen to get ahead,” Robert says.
“We’ve worked for Cleanaway, Veolia, SOILCO, Select Civil and others, often partnerships which are enduring and result in weekly shifts for our cohort. Through waste industry work, our staff have collectively contributed to positive environmental outcomes that are inspirational.”
Based in the Illawarra, Green Connect has been awarded an Australian Government grant which has allowed it to expand into Western Sydney. Robert says the organisation is making connections with Western Sydney’s waste industries and hopes to find new opportunities for its staff.
For more information, visit:
www.zerowaste@green-connect.com.au
