Waste and Recycling Engagement Officer

Temporary until 31 March 2029

New Government legislation, known as ‘Simpler Recycling’, requires councils across England to reduce the amount of waste being thrown away and increase the amount that is reused, recycled, or composted. To meet these new standards, we’ve introduced a countywide food waste collection service and have enhanced our kerbside recycling scheme to make recycling easier for everyone.

In County Durham, households produce around 230,000 tonnes of waste every year. Currently, residents can recycle paper, card, plastics, and cans and glass in their blue-lidded bin. Last year, just under 37% of household waste was recycled — and we’re committed to helping residents do even better.

What is involved?

We’re running a countywide education and customer engagement campaign to support the rollout of the new food waste collection service and promote simpler, clearer recycling. To deliver this, we’re looking for enthusiastic individuals with strong communication and customer service skills to join our team.

• Work closely with our Strategic Waste Management and Operational teams.
• Provide friendly, practical advice to residents through door-knocking, monitoring activities, and follow-up visits.
• Deliver engaging presentations, school assemblies, community talks, and attend roadshows to help residents understand the changes.
• Support residents in making the right recycling choices by monitoring kerbside recycling for contamination and offering guidance where needed.

This is a hands‑on, community‑focused role where you’ll be out meeting residents, answering questions, and helping people feel confident about simpler recycling and food waste collections. Your work will play a key part in helping County Durham reduce waste and protect the environment.

For further information about the post please contact: Victoria Burrell (Waste Strategy Team Manager), or Vicky Bell (Waste Projects and Campaigns Team Leader)

WHAT WILL I NEED?

• Qualifications: 5 GCSEs (A–C grade) or equivalent.
• Experience of working in a public-facing role.
• Experience of case management and problem‑solving techniques.
• Ability to work outside normal hours, including evenings and weekends when needed.
• A 6‑month probation period will apply.

If successful, you will be required to undertake and pass an in‑house driving assessment as part of our pre‑employment checks before any offer of appointment can be confirmed.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews will be held during November 2026

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable.

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

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