Cleanaway

15/10/2026

Cleanaway is moving beyond simply giving people access to AI. We're building the capability, confidence and support to turn AI into practical value across the workforce.

In September, Cleanaway wrapped up a 12-week AI training pilot in Partnership with Affinda with a clear objective in mind: explore what it takes to embed AI into the way we work, moving beyond access to build the skills, confidence and practical experience needed for meaningful adoption.

Through our AI Ambassadors Program, 100 employees from across the business came together to learn, experiment and apply Generative AI to their everyday work.

We’ve seen a real shift:
19% → 92% now use AI beyond basic chat
56% → 94% use AI daily
46% → 82% report saving 3+ hours per week using GenAI

But beyond the numbers, the biggest shift has been in mindset.

As one of our Ambassadors shared:
"I've been adjusting my way of working to consider how I might use AI more. This is a positive step where it wasn't part of my working rhythm prior to this program."
This is what meaningful AI adoption looks like: people rethinking how they work, building confidence and finding practical ways to create value.

Our OpenAI Account Manager observed:
"Cleanaway’s AI utilisation is already on par with some of the strongest adopters we work with in Australia. Their AI Ambassadors program reflects a commitment to building the skills and confidence that help people put AI to work every day."

So, what's next?
We're taking the learnings from our pilot into a broader enterprise rollout, focused on making AI adoption safe, sustainable and scalable.
This includes strengthening our governance and guardrails, introducing Safe Use of AI training, expanding learning and support, and building communities of AI champions to share knowledge and accelerate adoption across Cleanaway.

Our ambition is simple: make AI a practical, trusted part of how we work, with our people at the centre of that change.

The future of work is changing, and we're helping shape it at Cleanaway.
Explore career opportunities: https://www.cleanaway.com.au/careers

07/10/2026

Ever wondered why batteries can’t go in your household bins?

It’s because even small batteries can create big risks.
When batteries are crushed inside collection trucks or recycling facilities, they can ignite and cause fires that put people, equipment and essential services at risk.

Batteries and rechargeable devices need their own recycling journey.

Help protect our drivers and teams.

Learn more about battery disposal through Greenius, our online recycling education platform.

01/10/2026

We’re getting better at recycling batteries, but what about the batteries we can’t see? 🔋

Our 2026 Recycling Behaviours Report found 71% of Australians know batteries don’t belong in kerbside bins.

But many everyday items have hidden batteries inside, including:
📱 Mobile phones
🎧 Wireless headphones
🪥 Electric toothbrushes
⌚ Smart watches

When these items are placed in household bins, they can become damaged during collection and processing, creating a serious fire risk.

The simple rule: If it charges, don’t put it in your household bin.

Find your closest battery recycling drop-off point at https://bcycle.com.au/industries/drop-off-points/ then visit our website for more insights from our 2026 Recycling Behaviours Report.

Not for your household bin

30/09/2026

“I surprised myself.” That’s how Margaret describes 20 years in the waste industry.
And honestly, when she started at Citywide 20 years ago, she probably would have been just as surprised.

Margaret Maniatis didn’t set out to work in waste. She was drawn to a customer-focused role, joining Citywide as a Customer Liaise Executive with one key mission: save customers who wanted to cancel.

Fast forward 20 years and she’s seen it all. Different managers, organisational changes, new technology, changing waste systems, the Citywide transition to Cleanaway and plenty of learning along the way. She’s also gone from not knowing much about waste to knowing a lot about bins, trucks, runs, transfer stations and what makes the whole thing work.

Her secret to making it this far?
“Never stop learning and be open to growing, embrace change but never lose sight of your core values.”

And perhaps the most Margaret thing of all? She’s still looking ahead, hoping to see better waste systems in Australia.

So, Margaret, here’s to 20 years of saving customers, navigating change, learning new things and apparently surprising yourself along the way.

Read Margaret's full story: https://www.cleanaway.com.au/newsroom/from-citywide-to-cleanaway-margaret-s-20-year-journey

29/09/2026

🎉 Congratulations to our 2026 MRL Community Benefit Fund recipients! We’re proud to announce the eight local organisations sharing $50,000 in community funding through Round 7 of the MRL Community Benefit Fund.

This year’s grants will support projects across Melbourne’s west, from community support and food relief to youth wellbeing, emergency services, sport, sustainability and community connection.
👏 Congratulations to:
• Caroline Chisholm Society | $8,000
• 1st Caroline Springs Scout Group | $2,000
• Lions Club of Taylors Lakes | $5,000
• Melton Fire Brigade - CFA | $8,000
• Orygen | $8,000
• SecondBite | $7,000
• Team Sports 4 All | $4,000
• Western Emergency Relief Network - WERN | $8,000
Thank you to these organisations for the work they do to strengthen our local communities.
Discover more about the MRL Community Benefit Fund and the incredible work these organisations are doing: https://www.cleanaway.com.au/cbf/mrl

27/09/2026

46,800 Australians engaged in Cleanaway sustainability education and community programs in FY26. Through Cleanaway’s Centre for Sustainability (C4S), our teams work with businesses, councils, schools and communities to turn sustainability goals into practical behaviour change.

In FY26, our programs delivered:
• 1,411 education and engagement sessions across schools, communities and commercial customers.
• 24,043 session participants engaged through workshops, customer sessions, site visits and other education programs.
• 323 school education programs, reaching 12,835 students across primary and secondary schools.
• 78 community events, connecting sustainability education with local communities.
• More than 699 municipal engagement activities, supporting councils and communities with practical waste and recycling education.

The opportunity goes beyond education. C4S helps organisations turn knowledge into action by reducing contamination, improving resource recovery and influencing the everyday behaviours that shape waste outcomes.

Whether you’re a small business, a major organisation, a council or an education provider, C4S can help turn your sustainability goals into practical action.

Find out how Cleanaway’s sustainability education and engagement programs can work for your organisation. https://www.cleanaway.com.au/education

22/09/2026

Your food scraps don’t have to go to waste. When collected through a Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) service or composted at home, they can be turned into something valuable.
The FOGO journey:
🏠 Food and garden scraps go into your FOGO bin (where available)
🚛 Material is collected and transported for processing
🌱 It is transformed into nutrient-rich compost
🌾 Compost supports healthier soils, agriculture and landscapes
Our 2026 Recycling Behaviours Report found 86% of Australians believe a national rollout of FOGO services will help reduce waste going to landfill.
No FOGO bin yet? Check what options are available in your area or explore home composting where suitable.
Small actions at home can help keep valuable resources in use.
Check out our easy-to-use guide for quick tips on what goes in FOGO then visit our A-Z recycling guide to learn the right way to bin common household materials. https://www.cleanaway.com.au/recycling-a-z

20/09/2026

20 years. One depot. Never a dull moment. 💙
For Sandra Stradling, 20 years at Cleanaway has meant a lot of change, plenty of learning and, most importantly, a great team around her.

Today, Sandra supports payroll across four depots, council invoicing, suppliers, customers and plenty more, while continuing to adapt to new systems and technology.

Ask Sandra what has kept her here for two decades and her answer is simple: her team.

From birthday cakes to the annual Christmas BBQ, Sandra says it’s the people she works alongside who have made the journey so rewarding.

And when asked to describe her 20 years in three words, Sandra had the perfect answer: “Never a dull moment.”

Congratulations, Sandra, on an incredible 20-year milestone. Thank you for the commitment, care and consistency you bring to Cleanaway every day.

Read Sandra’s story here: https://www.cleanaway.com.au/newsroom/sandra-career-story

13/09/2026

Sometimes, making a difference starts with simply helping people understand what they can do. For Jonathan Trevor, working at Cleanaway means getting out into the community, connecting with people and helping them make better choices about waste and recycling.

From speaking with school students to engaging with residents and community groups, Jonathan’s work is about more than waste. It’s about building understanding, sharing knowledge and helping people feel part of something positive. “I find it rewarding going into schools and presenting there,” he said. “You can see the enthusiasm students have for the environment and they are eager to play their part in helping make a sustainable future possible.”

Jonathan joined Cleanaway fresh out of university and has already made an impact across communities in Southeast Queensland. With the support of his colleagues and mentors, he’s continuing to grow his career while doing work that benefits the people around him.

It’s people like Jonathan who remind us that a career at Cleanaway can be about more than what you do. It can be about the difference you make.

Read Jonathan’s story in the latest edition of Inside Waste. Link in the comments.

11/09/2026

Great to see this trial delivering such a practical approach to soft plastics recycling. 👏

By making the process simple for households and working within existing recycling infrastructure, the Indigo Shire community has shown what can be possible when convenience, collaboration and smarter resource recovery come together.

Proud to be part of the partnership with Indigo Shire Council and Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia.

An orange bag in your existing yellow-lid recycling bin. That's the entire ask behind Indigo Shire's soft plastics trial, and it's precisely why it worked.

After national soft plastics collection schemes collapsed, leaving households with nowhere to put bread bags, chip packets and cling wrap, Indigo Shire Council partnered with Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia and Cleanaway to trial a fix that didn't require a new bin, a new truck, or a special trip anywhere. Residents fill a distinctive orange bag with eligible soft plastics and drop it straight into their normal recycling bin. At Cleanaway's sorting facility, the bags are pulled out and sent for processing into a liquid oil base for remanufacturing.

The council's clearest finding: convenience beats good intentions every time. People will adopt a new recycling behaviour when it slots into a routine they already have, not when it demands a special effort.

No new infrastructure, no extra collection service, just a smarter use of what already exists on every street in Indigo Shire.

The X-factor is exactly that restraint: solving one of Australia's hardest waste streams by adding almost nothing to the system.