Meet Mark, his wife Nicole, Mark’s son Tyler, Mark’s brother Shane and his son Brad – who all work for Cleanaway.

Meet the Tildesleys

Cleanaway Branch Manager Mark and Administration and Customer Service Officer Nicole work at Cleanaway’s Wyong and Beresfield depots respectively. They met at Cleanaway’s Erskine Park depot, became friends and eventually got married.

Tyler, Mark’s son, is the Operations Supervisor at Cleanaway’s Beresfield Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) facility. Mark’s brother Shane, is the Business Unit Manager at the Cleanaway Bathurst depot. His son, Brad, works as a front lift operator at the same branch.

Mark Tildesley – Building a career and family

Mark is a 29-year waste management veteran – he started off as a butcher right after school. “I was offered an opportunity to earn good money running behind collection trucks in Western Sydney. The money was three times more than my earnings as a butcher so with a young family at foot I left my trade,” Mark reminisced.

In 2004, Mark was approached by Ian Langridge, the Regional Manager of Cleanaway Erskine Park and was offered an operational position there. He worked his way to a branch manager position at Wyong and eventually took on the Lismore and Newcastle portfolios.

Cleanaway isn’t just the place where Mark built his career – he also built his family.

“Nicole and I met in Erskine Park when she was working in customer service and at that time I was the Equipment Manager. We started out as colleagues, then after some time we went on a date. The rest is history, as they say.” said Mark with a grin.

When asked about the pros and cons of working in the same company with family members, Mark named shared learnings as one of the main benefits. “We don’t often talk shop but will lean on each other for clarity or direction when the chips are down. I’m lucky that my family members cover all aspects of the business – from driving roles to sales careers to customer service, operating systems and middle management – so the knowledge and experience are certainly at hand.”

Mark pointed out that despite the close family ties, the Tildesleys keep things strictly professional at work. “What most do not know is that often I am much harder with family members as you can have those direct and frank conversations and expect a higher level of engagement from them. There are benefits to having those options at hand when hard work must be done.”

Nicole Tildesley – Balancing for better

Like her husband, Nicole is a veteran in the waste management industry. She started in the industry at 19 and eventually joined Cleanaway where she has been in a range of roles over 12 years.

She first joined as a customer service officer in Erskine Park and worked hard in an operations supervisor position. “I have worked in the operations, sales and fleet departments to gain an all round experience but slowed down reasonably once I became a mum. Recently I took on the role of Administration Officer where I find a better work-life balance.”

Is life in the waste management industry tough?

“You need to be able to cope with change as the waste industry, regulations and requirements are always changing too.”

Tyler Tildesley – Born to be Cleanaway

For Tyler, following his father’s career path was a natural decision. When he left school in 2008, he was asked to fill a temporary position at Cleanaway’s Erskine Park bin repairs shop for eight weeks. Little did he know that he would stay on for another eight months before going full time.

Tyler obtained his Heavy Rigid (HR) and Heavy Combination (HC) licences to drive trucks and transport waste at Wyong Depot’s transfer station. He then moved into roles such as Leading Hand, and Business Instructor until he landed his current job as the CDS Operations Supervisor at Cleanway’s Beresfield (Newcastle) Depot. He now manages the reverse vending machines (RVMs) and oversees the sorting and baling of CDS containers.

Tyler attributes his success at Cleanaway to one person – his father. “When I was working with my father I had the opportunity to learn from him. He is a good mentor – I would probably not be where I am today had he not taught me what he knows.”

To those who are keen on starting a career in waste management, Tyler had this to say: “Put 110% into your role – if you do the right thing by Cleanaway, they will do the right thing by you. They will also provide you with the training required to further your development.”

Shane Tildesley – Leading from the front

After spending 13 years working for a waste management company in Sydney, Shane moved to Bathurst in 2006 to take up a driver’s position at Cleanaway.

Shane worked his way to become Cleanaway Bathurst depot’s Business Unit Manager, where he looks after five major food manufactures in the region and is helping them increase landfill diversion. “I have been able to take these five customers from landfill dependency to achieving 90% to 98% landfill diversion,” he revealed. “This brought great satisfaction to me, our customers as well as our organisation – it aligns perfectly with Cleanaway’s mission to make a sustainable future possible”

Shane advised newcomers to the industry to remain focused, to communicate clearly and always take responsibility for the job. “The waste industry can be very challenging at times but also very rewarding. Just own the role you have and don’t work in any grey areas.”

Recently, he was made the new Area Manager of Kempsey, Coffs Harbour and Lismore, a role he takes on with no less passion than he had years ago. Congratulations, Shane!

Brad Tildesley – Smooth frontlift operator

Pictured here are Shane and Brad

Brad started working as a baler operator at the Cleanaway Bathurst depot after completing school in December 2012. He obtained his HR driver’s licence and started operating trucks for Cleanaway.

Brad thanked his father, Shane, for helping him transition into the job. “My father works at the same branch and he helped me get started with the company,” he said. “Although I report to the depot supervisor, I am grateful everyone’s support and the opportunity provided by Cleanaway.”

When asked to reveal what most people wouldn’t know about his role, Brad said with a laugh, “The frontlift truck I drive is worth more than a Lamborghini Contach. I wouldn’t let just anyone drive my Lamborghini!”

Contact us to find out more about our people and how they help us in our mission to make a sustainable future possible across Australia.

When Robbie first started out at Cleanaway 38 years ago, he was following in his father, Klaus’ footsteps who was a Cleanaway driver for 30 years.

Today, Robbie and his two sons – Tristan and Shane – all wear Cleanaway blue, proudly operating our waste collection trucks in Blacktown, NSW.

From left: Shane, Robbie and Tristan.

Tristan joined Cleanaway in March 2016. A year later in May 2017, Shane joined the company as a Runner.

“Seeing my two sons join the same company I’ve been with for the past 38 years, I am both a proud father and team mate. I’ve been making a good living at Cleanaway and have provided well for the family, so it makes perfect sense for them to follow in my footsteps. Cleanaway is a leader in the waste management industry, a great company that fosters close relationships between its people – I’m really proud that my sons and I are part of it.”

Tristan and Robbie currently work together on the Hornsby Council contract completing difficult access, paper and recycling work.

“Tristan recently got his truck licence, so I’ve been spending some time showing him the ropes in our rear lift truck,” Robbie added. “Meanwhile, Shane here is hard at work at the Hills completing kerbside hard waste collections.”

For Robbie, wearing the high-visibility Cleanaway uniform means more than protection against potentially hazardous equipment and chemicals. It has become something of a proud family tradition. To him, the uniform represents a set of values – by working as a team and making safety a priority for each other and the communities in where we operate.

“If you asked me if working in the same company made us closer as a family, I’d say that we were already close to begin with,” Robbie said. “Unlike other families, we’d talk about work even when we’re chilling out together. We enjoy our time at work so there are lots of things to talk about.”

When asked if there were memorable experiences working with his sons, Robbie chuckled. “Every day is memorable when you spend time with loved ones. But I do wish my father was still here – he would be really proud to see us in our Cleanaway uniforms. My father, Klaus Buhrer, was a Cleanaway driver for 30 years before he retired and passed away in 2014.”

A typical day for the father-and-sons team begins early in the morning and includes suiting up in their custom-made Cleanaway uniforms.

Working with huge industrial trucks every day, it is important for Robbie and his boys to be able to focus on the job at hand without having to worry about safety risks.

“It is important for us to know that the whole team are safe while we work, because we are more than just colleagues – we are family.”

With a footprint of over 5,500 highly trained staff, supported by a fleet of 4,000 specialist vehicles across 250 locations, Cleanaway is Australia’s leading total waste management services company committed to the safety of the communities in which we operate.

Contact us to learn more about our mission to make a sustainable future possible.

Thank you to Deane, Cleanaway’s uniform provider, who took these fantastic photos of Robbie, Tristan and Shane for their recent campaign.