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About the role

Are you looking for a rewarding role that makes a real difference to the local community and environment?

We are seeking a reliable, hardworking, and motivated Refuse and Recycling Operative to join our Waste and Recycling Team.

As part of a collection crew, you will help deliver essential waste and recycling services to residential and commercial properties across the district. The role involves the collection of refuse and recyclable materials, working safely alongside vehicle drivers and crew members, operating in-cab technology, responding to customer queries, and supporting the Council's commitment to delivering high-quality, efficient, and environmentally responsible services.

The successful candidate will have a strong commitment to health and safety, excellent teamwork skills, and a professional approach when dealing with members of the public. You will play a key role in maintaining clean and sustainable communities while representing the Council to the highest standards.

What will you be doing?

Key Responsibilities

• Collect refuse and recycling from residential and commercial properties.
• Ensure all scheduled and reported missed collections are completed.
• Assist drivers with vehicle manoeuvring and reversing procedures.
• Operate vehicle equipment safely and in accordance with training and risk assessments.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness by clearing any spillages during collections.
• Use electronic reporting systems to record collection activity and service updates.
• Support depot and vehicle cleaning and maintenance activities.
• Respond professionally to enquiries from members of the public.
• Promote safe working practices and ensure correct use of PPE at all times.
• Assist in delivering new bins, sacks, leaflets, and other service information.
• Work collaboratively across teams to support continuous service improvement.
• Represent the Council professionally and comply with all relevant policies and legislation.

About you

• Experience of working in an outdoor environment and of undertaking a range of manual tasks.
• Understanding of Health and Safety systems including manual handling and risk assessments.
• Ability to walk, bend, kneel and stand for long periods of time and perform heavy lifting if needed
• Ability to work outdoors in all weathers.
• Positive attitude to a physically demanding role.
• Ability to work in solo or in a team environment.
• Flexibility and willingness to be involved in all aspects of the Collections operation.
• Able to work well unsupervised, manage time effectively and be self-motivated.
• Be polite and helpful, representing the Council’s values and behaviours at all times.
• You will be required to work across multiple depots, Chelveston, Wellingborough, Corby and Kettering

Our Benefits

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About us

Our Values and Behaviours

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

Disability Confident Employer

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Our Employment and Disability Service provides bespoke support to individuals facing barriers to employment, helping them work towards their goals to start, stay and succeed in employment. For further information please click here The Employment and Disability Service (EADS) | North Northamptonshire Council

Armed Forces Community

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)