About Us

Green Collect is an innovative social enterprise leading resource recovery solutions that enable the circular economy to flourish, empowering businesses and communities to create a zero waste environment. We are a certified social enterprise through Social Traders, and provide social procurement opportunities for government departments ,councils and businesses. We are a Not for Profit, and hold DGR 1 status.  

The Problem of Waste

Australians have created a waste crisis. Every year, we throw 50 million tonnes of ‘rubbish’ into landfill, and the consequences of our negligence are disastrous. Toxins and plastics leach into the soil and sea where we harvest our food.
Extraction of finite resources contributes to climate change. Stockpiles of rubbish have led to toxic fires. Green Collect responds to the critical problem of waste with practical solutions that deliver immediate results. Our vision is to break the linear cycle of ‘create, use, dispose’ and create a circular economy of ‘create, use, reuse, remake’. Our vision is focused on workplace office waste, transforming office items destined for landfill into items that can be used again or remade for future use. We know that waste is a waste of resources. We’re here to enable offices and households create a zero waste future.

How We Work

We believe we can accomplish a zero waste environment, so we’ve worked hard to develop processes that capture the greatest value from even the most hard to recycle items. We approach the complex problem of waste with innovation, creativity and perseverance, modelling our business on the circular economy of the ecosystem, where all resources are repurposed and nothing becomes waste. Our work is much more than just picking up materials and taking them away to a different coloured bin - we’re determined to find the best environmental outcome for every item we process - working towards zero waste to landfill. 

History

Green Collect is the initiative of Sally Quinn and Darren Andrews, a couple with experience across social work and environmental management. In 2001 they sparked the idea for a resource-collection business that provided work for people who had faced barriers to employment. They started a pilot project collecting cork from the hospitality industry. This project diverted 4.6 tonnes of cork from landfill, and generated stable employment for vulnerable people.By 2005, the enterprise was officially launched, and had evolved to transform items from offices through reuse, upcycling and material separation. Today, Green Collect enables hundreds of businesses across Melbourne achieve their environmental and social goals through resource recovery, processing 125 tonnes of stationery, electronics, furniture, clothing, and homewares every year and employing over 40 people. In 2019, Green Collect was awarded the “Social Enterprise of the Year - Small Enterprise” by Social Traders, Australia.

People

As an inclusive employer and trainer, Green Collect has created a supportive and flexible workplace that allows people to gain and maintain work through some of life’s most difficult circumstances. Our teams include people who have previously experienced barriers to employment - including homelessness, cultural exclusion or refugee status - providing opportunities for long-term, stable work. Together, we bring our unique skills to make a big impact for environmental and social change. That’s how we deliver the solutions that we do: through teams driven by creativity and innovation delivering practical outcomes. 

Values

Our values inform every aspect of the work we do. They shape the way we do business, the way we approach complex problem solving, the way we work with people, and the way we connect with our community. We are committed to:
Integrity Respect Innovation Reconciliation Sustainability Collaboration

Board members

Green Collect’s Board are volunteers responsible for the governance and guidance of the organisation.
John Altmann (Chair): Director, Platform Legal
Angus Firth: Executive Director, Co­head of Equity Capital Markets - Macquarie Group
Stephen Rennick: Executive Director, Ferrier Hodgson
David Carbines: Senior Project Manager, Arup; Co­Founder and Director at Red Hat Impact
Alicia Maynard: Group Executive, Transformation at ISPT
Thenu Herath: CEO, Oaktree
Sally Quinn: Co-Founder and CEO, Green Collect
Darren Andrews: Co-­Founder and Chief Impact Officer, Green Collect

Clients

We work with hundreds of organisations every year, on individual jobs and regular pick ups. Our clients include:
Bank of Melbourne
Bayside City Council
City of Darebin
City of Hobsons Bay
City West Water
Clayton Utz
John Holland
Macquarie Bank
Sustainability Victoria
Uniting Church
Victorian Legal Services Commissioner
Victoria University
Westpac

Partners

Our partners invest in the operations, strategy, planning, and organisational support of the enterprise, enabling us to grow our environmental and social impact:
SENVIC
NACRO
Social Traders
Clayton Utz
Westpac Foundation
Lord Mayor’s Charitable Trust
Toyota