FY26 Highlights
FY26 was a year of momentum for Community Resources. We celebrated becoming an Aboriginal-led organisation, expanded into new regions, secured new opportunities for future growth and strengthened the foundations that will support our impact for years to come. These highlights reflect the milestones, achievements and moments that defined the year.
Aboriginal Leadership and Culture
We were proud to:
Announce Director Narelle Anderson to the position of Co-Chair and welcome Directors Jack Beetson and Janelle Reid, strengthening Aboriginal leadership and governance across Community Resources.
Achieve formal recognition as an Aboriginal-led organisation, reflecting our history, leadership and future direction.
Commission Birrbay artist Mandy Davis to create Nyiirunba Yawutung (Our Journey), a significant artwork celebrating our connection to Country, community and Aboriginal leadership.
Celebrate NAIDOC Week and the theme ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy’ across Australia, with teams participating in cultural events, community celebrations and activities on Country.
Growth, Innovation and Expansion
We continued to grow our impact by:
Securing more than $82 million in contract value, including $34 million in new business and $48 million in contract renewals.
Expanding Resource Recovery Australia into the Clarence Valley, taking on eight waste facilities and opening a new Reviva Reuse Shop in Grafton.
Opening our first Victorian Reviva Reuse Shops in Wallan and Seymour, creating new jobs and bringing reuse to Mitchell Shire communities.
Installing major new recycling technology at Soft Landing Smithfield, preparing for the launch of the Pocket Spring Recycler to increase recovery of valuable materials from mattresses.
Progressing Queensland’s first dedicated mattress recycling facility, supported by Queensland Government funding and stakeholder engagement.
Launching the Resource Recovery Australia City of Sydney Doorstep Recycling Service, making it easier for households to recycle hard-to-recycle items while reducing illegal dumping and landfill.
Expanding Helping Hands through the Broadworth Homes partnership, creating six new positions and establishing a pipeline of future construction work and training opportunities.
Leadership, Recognition and Advocacy
We strengthened our influence by:
Continuing our long-standing connection with the Office of the Governor-General through the patronage of Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia.
Celebrating the appointment of Martin Paech as CEO and his leadership of Community Resources into its next phase of growth.
Celebrating Soft Landing Perth winning the WasteSorted Closing the Loop Award and being named a finalist in the 2026 WA Social Enterprise Awards.
Presenting and hosting stalls at major industry conferences and events, including ReGen Expo, SECNA Social Enterprise Festival, Waste 2026, the Future Waste Resources Symposium and the QLD Women of WARR Leadership Breakfast.
Recognising Resource Recovery Australia as finalists at the 2025 Waste Innovation & Recycling Awards, including Resource Recovery Australia for Workplace of the Year, Site Manager Josephine Ivory for Woman of Waste and Rockhampton Regional Council for Community Engagement Success of the Year for The Tinkerage at The Upcycle Village.
Celebrating Green Yakka being named a finalist in the Illawarra Business Awards and Third Sector Awards.
Engaging with government, industry and sector leaders, including meetings with ministers, government representatives and national and state industry bodies to advocate for social enterprise, circular economy outcomes and employment pathways.
Safety, Capability and Improvement
We strengthened our foundations by:
Recording 91% employee engagement in our 2026 Employee Engagement Survey, up 10 percentage points since 2024 and reflecting strong improvements across leadership, communication, workplace culture and safety.
Completing 113 Procedure Adherence and Safety Survey (PASS) assessments and building a more proactive safety culture, with strong hazard reporting and engagement across sites and teams.
Strengthening governance, compliance and risk management systems across Community Resources.
Achieving ISO certification for Soft Landing’s quality, environmental and workplace health and safety management systems.
Bringing Resource Recovery Australia leaders together in Brisbane for the One Vision. One Mission. One Purpose. leadership conference, focused on building leadership capability, strengthening ways of working and increasing environmental and community impact.
Celebrating supporting 414 dis-engaged or at-risk young people reconnect with education and training, become-work rand secure employment through our Strive for Success program.
Digital and Media
This year, we strengthened how we connect with our communities online by:
Generating more than 9.1 million impressions, up almost 60% from last year.
Growing our social media community to 29,979 followers, an increase of 25.5% from FY25, welcoming 6,787 new followers across LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Growing website traffic, with active users increasing by 23.1%, connecting more people with our services, programs and impact.
Securing strong local, regional and national media coverage, with 65 media mentions and coverage across trade, government and mainstream media outlets.
Delivering an organisation-wide National Recycling Week campaign, highlighted by the Reviva Reuse Competition, which engaged thousands of community members across multiple sites and showcased creative ways to reduce waste.
Connect
Our top social moments from the year — the stories, wins, and people that made an impact.
Connect
Our top social moments from the year — the stories, wins, and people that made an impact.
