A FORMER bin lorry driver who is now in charge of the service said he "hated" the old shift pattern and fewer staff are calling in sick since the move to a more family friendly way of working.
Sandy Anderson, the manager of domestic waste and street cleaning, said efficiency was picking up after they dumped the "unpopular" collections, which could see rubbish picked up from the kerbside between 6am and 9pm.
Since the move to a single shift in October 2024, with bins now picked up between 7am and 4.30pm, there had been a "massive improvement" in the service with "more people turning up for their work".
Mr Anderson told the Cowdenbeath area committee: "The previous shifts were unpopular to say the least.
"When they came in 2012 I was still on the frontline and I hated them!
"It totally upended my life so I was glad a shift was put in that was more family friendly.
"I've got a young family and I wouldn't want to be working to 9pm at night.
"I hated it then, especially as a driver working in the dark."
He said the sickness absence rate had improved from nine per cent to seven per cent and, since its implementation, there have been no service failures due to staff shortages.
The chief concluded: "It has been a big change this year. It's taken 18 months but I'm hoping we're starting to see a shift in culture."
Councillors were also told that the fleet replacement programme will see nine new bin lorries on Fife streets, with three of them covering the Cowdenbeath area.
Four of the vehicles will be wrapped up Andy's Man Club branding to promote mental health.
There will also be 17 new street cleaning vehicles.
Share