Pay & Wages
Cleanaway Pay Rates 2026: Driver, Runner & Depot Pay
What Cleanaway workers should be paid in 2026 — the Waste Management Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Cleanaway enterprise agreements sit.
Who covers Cleanaway workers — award or agreement?
Cleanaway is the country's largest waste management company, running kerbside and commercial collection, recycling and resource recovery facilities, landfills, liquid and hazardous waste treatment and industrial services from hundreds of depots. Drivers, runners, sorters, plant operators and mechanics make up the workforce.
Cleanaway bargains depot by depot and council contract by contract, and our corpus holds one of the largest agreement sets of any employer (below). The federal safety net for collection drivers and depot staff is the Waste Management Award 2020, tabled below.
The federal awards relevant to Cleanaway roles:
- Waste Management Award 2020 (MA000043)
Workforce snapshot. In its 2024-25 report to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Cleanaway Waste Management Limited declared 7,715 employees — 10.4% casual and 25% women, with 851 in management roles. Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Waste management award floor (1 July 2026)
Collection drivers, runners and depot staff sit on the Waste Management Award 2020 (MA000043):
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $26.87/hr | $33.59/hr |
| Level 2 | $27.51/hr | $34.39/hr |
| Level 3 | $27.83/hr | $34.79/hr |
| Level 4 | $28.32/hr | $35.40/hr |
| Level 5 | $28.67/hr | $35.84/hr |
| Level 6 | $29.42/hr | $36.78/hr |
| Level 7 | $31.55/hr | $39.44/hr |
| Level 8 | $33.12/hr | $41.40/hr |
| Level 9 | $33.44/hr | $41.80/hr |
Early starts, weekend collection runs and public holidays carry the award's loadings on top; depot agreements typically pay above the ladder.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
The Cleanaway enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current Cleanaway agreements in our corpus (92 in total):
- Cleanaway Solid Waste Services South Australia Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved March 2026, nominal expiry 24 March 2030.
- Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Western Australia (Multi-Region) Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved December 2025, nominal expiry 15 December 2029.
- Cleanaway Solid Waste Services Kimberley Region Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved March 2026, nominal expiry 17 October 2029.
- Cleanaway Central Coast (Municipal) Depot Drivers Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved December 2025, nominal expiry 1 October 2029.
- Cleanaway Industrial Services Whyalla Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved December 2025, nominal expiry 1 July 2029.
- Cleanaway Refinery Operators Wetherill Park Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved December 2025, nominal expiry 30 June 2029.
- CLEANAWAY LIQUID TECHNICAL SERVICES KARRATHA ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT 2025 — approved June 2025, nominal expiry 13 June 2029.
- Cleanaway Solid Waste Services (Chevron) Pilbara Region Enterprise Agreement 2025 — approved November 2025, nominal expiry 18 April 2029.
Plus 84 more — search "Cleanaway" in our agreements database.
We don't reproduce agreement dollar figures here — the agreement covering your site, state and stream is the document to read. Find your agreement, then your classification, then your pay point, and compare it with your payslip. The award tables on this page are the floor every one of these agreements must beat.
Waste pay issues worth checking on any payslip
General award-compliance issues that come up across the waste sector. This is a checklist for your own payslip, not a finding about Cleanaway:
- Driving a bigger combination than your grade pays for — the grade follows the vehicle you're required to drive.
- Unpaid loading, waiting and pre-start time.
- Overtime and night loadings absorbed into a flat rate that doesn't beat the award for the roster.
- Contractor arrangements that look like employment — owner-drivers who are really employees.
What to do if your pay looks wrong
Match your payslip to your classification in the agreement (or the award tables above), and price any gap with our back-pay calculator. Raise it in writing with payroll or your manager first — most underpayments are fixed at that step. Unresolved, the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) recovers underpayments at no cost, up to six years back, and your union can run the claim for you. Not sure which instrument covers you? Ask our AI advisor with your role and location.
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FairWork Mate is an independent Australian publisher of workplace-rights information. Our content is prepared with AI assistance and draws on primary sources — the Fair Work Act, modern awards, and Fair Work Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman material. It is general information, not legal advice.