Welcome to a workplace where ‘waste’ is not only a positive word, but it also creates rewarding employment opportunities for people with disability.

If you have never stepped inside Endeavour Foundation’s Southport Business Solutions social enterprise, it is hard to appreciate the scale of what happens there each day.

What looks busy and chaotic at first quickly reveals itself as one of Endeavour Foundation’s most organised and environmentally impactful operations.

Southport’s e-waste program diverts enormous volumes of waste from landfill while also providing meaningful jobs, daily routines and genuine career progression for more than 60 employees who we support.

“It’s all about structure,” production manager Brett Stevens said.

“We colour-code, number, label and picture-code everything. That’s why this place runs the way it does, and why nothing goes into landfill if we can help it.”

Across an average month, the team prevents around 30,000 kilograms of e-waste from entering landfill.

During busier periods that number rises to 70,000 kilograms, and in July 2025 they set a record, saving 73,988 kilograms in just four weeks.

From the Tip to the Table

E-waste begins its journey at five local waste transfer stations – Reedy Creek, Merrimac, Molendinar, Helensvale and Staplyton – where the public disposes of unwanted electronics.

The cages are transported to Southport, unloaded by employees and sorted piece by piece. What many people consider rubbish is treated here as something with value, purpose and potential.

There is surprising value in the work too. Certain computer parts contain small amounts of gold, which the team collects separately.

Over time, those small recoveries add up, often close to $10,000 every six weeks, totalling more than $100,000 a year that would otherwise end up buried in landfill.

A System Built Around People

Southport’s strength comes from how intentionally the environment is designed around the employees we support.

The entire training system is visual, using colours, numbers and illustrations so the workflow is accessible to people of all learning styles and communication abilities.

“It’s built so everyone can follow it. They can look at the board and know exactly what to do,” Brett said.

Workstations accommodate different physical needs, and tools are organised with picture outlines, so they always return to the right place.

One table is lowered specifically for Daniel, who uses a wheelchair, allowing him to work comfortably in the centre of the room.

Employees rotate through different areas, including deconstruction, sorting, cage work, truck pickups and even retail shifts at the Reedy Creek recycle shop.

Others support the tuckshop, learning customer service and money-handling skills.

“It’s not just about pulling things apart; it’s about progressing them to whatever level they can reach,” Brett said.

And that growth is easy to see:

• Kurt has expanded from factory work into forklift operation and training
• Tara, originally from the Labrador Learning and Lifestyle Hub, is now a confident line assistant
• John, with nearly 20 years’ service at Southport, now also guides the public at Molendinar on responsible recycling
• Carl is now a Pathways to Learning (PTL) participant completing a Certificate III in Warehousing in almost half the usual time
  
  

A Culture That Makes the Work Matter

Despite handling huge volumes of waste, Southport does not feel like a traditional industrial site.

Music plays throughout the day, people chat across the workstations and R&B Fridays have become part of the culture.

Brett recalls a Friday when almost 20 employees broke into the Macarena without slowing production… a moment that reflects the atmosphere of the place as much as the work.

“They’re proud of what they do, and they should be,” he said.

The team can see their environmental impact displayed clearly on the wall, reinforcing the value of their work and the difference they make each day.

From a Fire… to Netflix

Years ago, a fire destroyed the original Southport site. The rebuild that followed transformed it into one of the region’s most structured and diverse Supported Employment hubs.

And in an unexpected twist, the site recently supplied components for a major Netflix production being shot at Movie World (which is still a bit of a secret).

“They came in for specific parts. Some of what you’ll see in the show was pulled apart right here,” Brett said.

The moment speaks to the scale of what happens inside the Southport workplace and the impact employees we support make every day on the environment, on their community and on their own growth.

How E-Waste Became Part of the Story

Southport’s e-waste operation is not just a successful modern program, it is the latest chapter in Endeavour Foundation’s 75-year commitment to creating opportunities for people with disability.

When Endeavour Foundation began in 1951, families came together with one goal: to build a future where people with intellectual disability had the same rights, choices and chances as everyone else.

Over the decades that followed, Supported Employment grew from small, local workshops into a statewide network of workplaces designed around skill-building, independence and community inclusion.

E-waste emerged as a natural extension of that mission.

As technology changed and discarded electronics became one of Australia’s fastest-growing waste streams, Endeavour Foundation recognised an opportunity, not just to protect the environment, but to create stable, meaningful jobs in a field with genuine long-term growth.

What started as small recycling tasks has evolved into sophisticated operations like the Southport workplace, where employees we support are involved in every stage of the process.

Today, Southport stands as one of the most impactful examples of that legacy, a place where environmental responsibility, community contribution and personal development intersect every single day.

Find Your Place

Looking for a job built around your needs and goals?

Connect and belong in Supported Employment with Endeavour Foundation. We have more than 30 workplaces across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Whether you are beginning your first job or are ready for a fresh start, we will be by your side all the way.

Find a workplace near you and take the first step today.

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