FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Find answers to common questions about Green Yakka, what we do and how we create impact through our services.
About Green Yakka
Green Yakka is a not-for-profit social enterprise and registered charity providing labour hire and zero waste services to businesses and organisations across Sydney and the Illawarra, NSW. We create job pathways for people facing barriers to employment through hands-on work that tackles waste and cares for the land.
Green Yakka reflects our belief that the work itself is the opportunity. Every job is a chance to do good and build something better – for people, communities and Country.
Green speaks to our purpose. As a not-for-profit social enterprise, we create job pathways for people who face barriers to employment. Through training and hands-on work that tackles waste and cares for the land, we help them build the skills, confidence and experience they need to thrive. It’s also a nod to our roots, continuing more than a decade of impact as part of Illawarra social enterprise Green Connect.
Yakka comes from yaga, meaning ‘work’ in the Yuggera language (also written as Yugara, Jagara, Jagera, and other variants), traditionally spoken by the Yuggera people of Meanjin (Brisbane).
The word ‘yakka’ fitted naturally into the rhythm and sound of Australian English – short, strong and distinctive. Over time, it became widely used informally to describe effort, resilience and honest, physical work. The kind our teams show up and do every day through our labour hire and zero waste services.
Our use of the word honours its Aboriginal origins and the cultural strength it carries.
Yes. Green Yakka is part of the national not-for-profit organisation Community Resources. This structure provides strong governance, compliance and operational support while maintaining a local, place-based focus.
Our Services
Green Yakka delivers labour hire and zero waste services. This includes bush regeneration and land care, outdoor labour and landscaping support, general labour hire, waste and resource recovery labour, litter picking and site clean-ups, as well as specialist zero waste services such as sustainable event waste management, waste audits, reporting, education and zero waste consulting.
We provide general labour, outdoor labour, land care and bush regeneration workers, waste and resource recovery labour and event waste teams.
Yes. Our teams deliver hands-on bush regeneration and land care services, including weeding, planting, revegetation, de-vining and site maintenance.
Yes. We provide a combination of waste labour and specialist zero waste services. This includes litter picking, site cleaning and resource recovery support, as well as waste audits, reporting and sustainable event waste management.
Yes. We provide waste audits and reporting to help organisations understand waste streams, improve performance and meet sustainability targets.
We support community, council, corporate, sporting and cultural events with both on-the-ground waste teams and fully managed sustainable event services and event waste management, including bin stations, litter picking, sorting, clean-up and post-event reporting.
Yes. Our teams help events reduce contamination, improve recycling and increase diversion from landfill through hands-on waste management and education.
Yes. We regularly support major projects and tenders, providing scalable labour hire and service delivery aligned with procurement and compliance requirements.
Working With Us
We operate across Sydney and the Illawarra, supporting projects, sites and events throughout NSW. If you are unsure whether we service your area, contact us to discuss your needs.
We work with local councils, government agencies, construction and infrastructure projects, waste and recycling operators, environmental organisations, event organisers and values-led businesses.
You can hire Green Yakka by getting in touch via our website to request a quote or start a conversation. We’ll discuss your needs, design a tailored solution and supply a team that fits your project, site or event.
Yes. We provide both short-term and long-term labour hire, including ongoing site support and repeat service delivery across multiple locations.
Timeframes depend on project scope and location, but we aim to respond quickly and provide reliable teams when you need them.
Our Workforce
All workers are supported through our Work Readiness Program, which includes workplace fundamentals, safety training, site inductions, on-the-job learning and ongoing mentoring and support.
Yes. Our teams are supported through appropriate supervision and coordination to ensure safe, consistent and high-quality delivery.
Yes. Green Yakka manages Award wages, superannuation, insurance, WHS requirements, PPE and all employment on-costs, giving clients peace of mind that workers are treated fairly and legally.
Yes. All Green Yakka workers are paid in line with the relevant Awards, with full compliance and on-costs managed by us.
Our Business Model
Yes. Green Yakka is a not-for-profit social enterprise and registered charity. We’re certified by Social Traders – an independent verification for genuine social enterprises in Australia. We trade through practical services that create environmental and social impact, with profits reinvested into creating jobs and supporting people facing barriers to employment.
A social enterprise is a business that trades to create positive social and environmental outcomes. Unlike traditional businesses, social enterprises reinvest profits to achieve impact rather than distribute them to shareholders. At Green Yakka, this means delivering essential labour hire and zero waste services while creating real employment pathways for people who face barriers to work.
Partnering with a social enterprise like Green Yakka allows organisations to meet social procurement, ESG and sustainability goals while receiving reliable, professional services. Your organisation gets the work done — and every dollar spent contributes to employment, environmental care and community benefit. It demonstrates a clear, practical commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
Yes. Green Yakka is a Social Traders Australia certified social enterprise. Engaging us can support social procurement requirements for councils, government agencies and organisations with ethical sourcing and ESG obligations.
With Green Yakka, impact comes from the work itself. Instead of hiring a contractor and donating separately, the services you already need – like labour hire, waste work and land care – directly create jobs and training opportunities. The impact is ongoing because it’s part of everyday operations, not an extra activity.
Yes. Green Yakka is a registered charity and not-for-profit social enterprise.
Our Impact
Caring for Country is central to our work. Through waste reduction, resource recovery, bush regeneration, land care and education, we deliver practical environmental outcomes that protect land, waterways and communities.
Every Green Yakka job creates opportunity. We hire people facing barriers to work and provide practical training, support and real on-the-job experience.
Steady, meaningful work helps people regain confidence, strengthen financial stability, support their families and feel connected to their community. It builds a stronger sense of purpose and improves health and wellbeing. By supporting more people into long-term employment, we help communities grow stronger and more resilient.
We support people facing barriers to employment, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, former refugees, young people and others who benefit from additional workplace support.
Yes. Workers can gain experience through Green Yakka and transition into permanent roles with our client organisations or other external organisations.
We track employment outcomes, waste diversion, environmental improvements and community impact to ensure our work delivers real, measurable results.
Getting Started
Visit our contact page to request a quote or discuss your project. Our team will work with you to design a solution that delivers results and impact.
Green Yakka offers employment opportunities through our labour hire and zero waste services. Roles are typically casual and supported with training and on-the-job support. Expressions of interest can be submitted through our contact form.
OUR PROJECTS
For over a decade, we’ve proudly worked with values-driven councils and businesses across NSW – delivering real impact, on the ground, where it counts.
Let’s get to work.
Want to work with a team that shows up, gets stuck in and makes a difference? We’re ready when you are.
Want to work with a team that shows up, gets stuck in and makes a difference?
We’re ready when you are.
Let’s get to work.
Want to work with a team that shows up, gets stuck in and makes a difference? We’re ready when you are.
