Cambridge City Council has approved a four-day working week trial for the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service.
Councillors approved the recommendations in a report presented to its Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee and a review of collection rounds to ensure vehicles are taking the most efficient routes and to accommodate the trial. The Shared Waste Service, which is responsible for the collection of household bins in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, will join the trial underway at South Cambridgeshire District Council.
The trial for Shared Waste Service staff will run for three months and aims to address issues of staff wellbeing and sickness, recruitment and retention. Over the three-month period, the effectiveness of the routes will be monitored, and the results will be presented to the Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee in the autumn.
The pilot will be considered in the collection rounds review, and the council will confirm details of the planned changes once the review has ended.
Members of South Cambridgeshire District Council approved a three-month trial of a four-day week for its bin crews back in May.
Councillor Rosy Moore, executive councillor for climate action and environment, said: “We welcome the four-day working week trial for the bin crews and look forward to seeing the outcomes. So far, the independently assessed evidence from the South Cambridgeshire District Council’s trial has been positive. They have managed to recruit hard to fill roles, which is a problem that the Shared Waste Service also faces.
“As the city continues to grow, we need to make sure that we are delivering our services in the most effective and sustainable way possible. We hope that by taking this step now it will put us in a good position for future years to come as the city continues to develop further.”