Waste & Environment Operative

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Chester; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Waste & Environment Operative to support the portering service across the hospital, ensuring safe handling and compliant disposal of all waste streams. You will work in a team, cover clinical, domestic waste, recycling and confidential waste, and adapt to changing operational needs while upholding Safe, Kind and Effective care.

Closing date is 25 October 2026; DBS checks may be required and employment will follow NHS guidelines and

Qualifications

• Numeracy and literacy skills expected.
• Maths GCSE Grade 4 or equivalent.
• Basic standard of education required.

Responsibilities

• Undertake all waste portering tasks across the hospital.
• Provide refuse collection for clinical waste, domestic waste, glass, paper, cardboard and recycling.
• Move Yellow/Orange clinical waste and other waste to the compactor while following policy.
• Collect cardboard and compact in the recycling line.
• Collect glass and bottles for disposal in the waste compound.
• Handle confidential waste and computer waste with confidentiality maintained.

Skills

Numeracy and literacy skills

Education

Maths GCSE Grade 4

Basic standard of education

Job description

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Waste & Environment Operative

Closing date is 25 October 2026

We are looking for general waste porters to provide an effective waste portering service to the entire hospital ensuring that Legislative guidance, Trust Policies, Procedures and Practices are complied with.

Working as part of a team the role provides a comprehensive service in all weathers and includes all waste streams which are collected and delivered in accordance with the schedules. There is also a requirement to be flexible in working practices to meet the change in operational needs.

We ask all employees to be flexible in their role, to always ensure we are delivering Safe, Kind and Effective care.

Main duties of the job

• To undertake all waste portering tasks.
• To provide a refuse collection service for clinical waste, domestic waste, glass, paper, cardboard and package recycling waste from collection points trust wide in accordance with Trust Policies and Procedures, waste Management Policy.
• To collect both Yellow/Orange Clinical waste, domestic waste and recyclable waste from dedicated waste holds/collection points, remove to compactor in wastecompound and compact waste, observing Trust Policy and Procedure.
• To collect cardboard from dedicated waste holds/collection points and compact in the recycled cardboard compactor.
• To collect glass and bottles from dedicated waste holds/collection points and removes to waste compound for disposal.
• To collect paper/confidential waste and computer waste in black wheelie bin, take to waste compound. Ensuring that confidentiality and security is maintained at all times.

About us

The Trust's services are provided from three locations: o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds. o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery

Job responsibilities

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules.

Person Specification

Qualification

• Numeracy and literacy skills
• A basic standard of education
• Maths GCSE Grade 4

Knowledge and Experience

• Enjoys being part of a team.
• Has worked in a health care environment in this capacity.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust