Waste Collections Operative

Walsall Council; Brownhills; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Walsall Council is seeking a Waste Collections Operative to join a casual crew delivering essential borough services. You will work outdoors, collecting household waste, recycling, and garden waste while supporting assisted collections and local businesses as needed.

The role requires physical work in all weathers, adherence to health and safety, and strong teamwork. Casual hours are offered Mon-Sun with flexible shifts to cover sickness, peak periods, and other service pressures.

Qualifications

• Experience in waste collection or outdoor/manual work is helpful.

Responsibilities

• Collect household waste, recycling, and garden waste.
• Support assisted collections for residents who need extra help.
• Collect commercial waste and recycling from local businesses where required.
• Load and unload waste safely and efficiently, keeping the round moving.
• Return bins neatly and treat residents and colleagues with respect.
• Report issues such as contamination, damaged bins, missed collections, or access problems, following local procedures.
• Work outdoors in all weathers, with regular walking, lifting, pulling, and pushing, and adhere to safety around vehicles and the public.

Skills

Physical stamina

Teamwork

Reliability

Job description

As a Waste Collections Operative, you will work as part of a collection crew delivering essential services across the borough.

Duties will vary, but typically include:

• Collecting household waste, recycling, and seasonal garden waste.
• Supporting assisted collections for residents who need extra help.
• Collecting commercial waste and recycling from local businesses where required.
• Loading and unloading waste safely and efficiently, keeping the round moving.
• Returning bins neatly and treating residents and colleagues with respect.
• Reporting issues such as contamination, damaged bins, missed collections, or access problems, following local procedures.

You ll be working outdoors in all weathers, in a role that involves regular walking, lifting, pulling, pushing, and working to set times. Health and safety is central to the job, including safe working around vehicles, traffic, and members of the public.

Casual Hours - How It Works

This is a casual role, so your hours are flexible and offered based on service need. Work can be offered any day Monday to Sunday, including early starts, weekends, and Bank Holidays. Shifts may change week to week and can be offered at short notice to cover:

• sickness and annual leave,
• peak periods and seasonal demand,
• service pressures where extra crews are needed.

• Is reliable, punctual, and ready to work as part of a team.
• Can follow instructions and work safely at pace.
• Understands the importance of customer service and representing the Council positively.
• Can carry out physical outdoor work and manual handling safely.
• Has good awareness of health and safety, including working near vehicles and on the highway.

Experience in waste collection, street cleansing, grounds maintenance, or other outdoor/manual work is helpful, but not essential if you have the right attitude.

This post is covered by the Government s Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers. The post holder will be required to communicate verbally with customers and provide advice and/or information in accurate spoken English.

At Walsall Council, we appreciate that AI can be a useful tool for ideas or guidance. However, we encourage you to make sure your application reflects your own voice and experiences. Over-reliance on AI can make responses feel less personal, and we really want to understand what makes you unique. Your experiences, skills, and perspective are what set you apart, so please ensure your application as a whole - particularly your 'Supporting Information' - reflects your own voice.

Salary: G4: £27,274- £29,071 pro-rata to hours worked Casual hours - Monday to Friday working (annualised hours), in line with the Clean & Green Services Local Agreement.

Are you reliable, practical, and happy working outdoors as part of a busy crew? Join our Waste Collections team and help keep Walsall s waste and recycling services running smoothly.