A word from the General Manager
In our fourteenth year of operations, Soft Landing collected nearly 400,000 mattresses, bringing our total to almost 4.5 million mattresses collected and processed since we began. This represents more than 86,000 tonnes of waste recycled.
In the last 12 months alone, the work required to collect, dismantle and recycle mattresses has created more than 23,000 days of work for 291 people. Approximately 75% of our team experienced barriers to work before joining us – that’s 218 people who may otherwise have been locked out of the workforce who have gained steady, meaningful employment.
Our Impact FY25
SOFT LANDING291
job opportunities
386,583
mattresses recycled
6,373
tonnes of waste diverted from landfill
Our Impact FY25
SOFT LANDING291
job opportunities
386,583
mattresses recycled
6.373
tonnes of waste diverted from landfill
Along with growing our social and environmental impact, we have paid particular attention this year to building operational effectiveness and continually improving the safety of our workforce. We were fortunate to be the recipients of support from the Toyota Production System Support Centre (TSSC), who delivered a very hands-on program aimed at improving safety, productivity and consistency at our Smithfield site.
TSSC didn’t just advise; they immersed themselves in our journey. They conducted multiple site visits and worked alongside our team for nine full days to understand our operations first-hand. Five of our Smithfield team members attended training workshops at Toyota’s Melbourne facility, where they were empowered to implement Toyota Production System knowledge and skills.
This has been a transformative process for the Smithfield team. Working with TSSC, they have improved operational efficiency, reduced bottlenecks, enhanced workplace safety and team engagement, and shared best practice across other Soft Landing sites, starting with Canberra and Newcastle.
These operational gains have set us up to move forward with ISO certification in safety, quality and environmental management, which will be completed by the end of 2025.
We also took a major step toward 100% landfill diversion this year by trialling Waste-to-Energy (WtE) solutions at our Smithfield and Perth sites. At Smithfield, we successfully shredded and processed mattress textiles for conversion into Processed Engineered Fuel (PEF), and we’ve begun sending non-recyclable timber through this pathway as well. Perth has commenced sending mattress textiles to one of Australia’s first large-scale WtE facilities.
These trials have proven that textiles and timber can be safely and efficiently processed for energy recovery. They show that we are committed to innovation and are proactively finding better ways to protect the environment and deliver stronger outcomes.
It has been a year of progress and positive change at Soft Landing, and I would like to acknowledge every member of the team for the hard work they do to drive our mission forward. I would like to thank our front-line managers and leadership team, and our colleagues at Community Resources. I also extend my gratitude to our council and retailer partners for their support and belief in the importance of recycling responsibly.
Together, we’re proving that social enterprise can deliver outstanding service and operational excellence while achieving great things for people and planet. I look forward to building on this impact with you in FY26.
SOFT LANDING GENERAL MANAGER
