Street cleaning operatives clean pavements, roads and other public areas in towns and cities. They use special cleaning vehicles and machines, or sometimes brushes and shovels.

The Work

You could be:

• driving a cleaning vehicle or possibly a snow plough or gritter
• using a hand operated cleaning machine to clean pavements or gutters
• using a special machine to remove chewing gum from pavements
• walking along a street, sweeping pavements and gutters with a brush and shovel
• collecting rubbish from small public bins
• sweeping up fallen leaves and vacuuming them up, or bagging them in refuse sacks for collecting in a van later on
• removing graffiti, fly posters and illegal dumping
• maintaining and cleaning machinery and equipment
• keeping records of distances (in miles) travelled by cleaning vehicles.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work
• the size of company or organisation you work for
• the demand for the job.

Pay rates for street cleaning operatives in Scotland vary, but recent vacancies in Scotland have been in the range of £15,000 to £20,000 a year.

Additional payments for working shifts, including night shift, may increase your salary up to around £23,000 a year. Your employer will provide you with uniform and protective clothing.

Conditions

• You would spend a lot of time on your feet.
• You could be outdoors in all weathers.
• You would generally work 37-40 hours, Monday to Friday, with an early start. However, some local authorities have brought in a 4-day on and 4-day off pattern, covering 7 days a week.
• There are opportunities for part time work.
• You might have to work overtime including evenings or weekends.
• The work can be messy and dirty.
• You need to wear protective clothing and gloves.

Getting In

• A good general education is necessary.
• A driving licence is useful and in some jobs essential. You may also need a licence with Category C1+E.
• You could work with a local authority, a large private cleaning contractor or perhaps in an airport or train station. However, there are fewer job opportunities for manual road sweepers than there used to be.

You can search for jobs on the local authority website www.myjobscotland.gov.uk or the Find a Job website.

Job Outlook Scotland

Job Outlook Scotland and UK

What Does it Take?

You need to be:

• observant with an eye for detail
• able to cope with a physically demanding job
• willing to follow safety rules
• able to work outside all year
• able to work as part of a team or on your own
• responsible and reliable.

Training

• Training is on the job including health and safety.
• There are Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in Cleaning and Support Services at SCQF Levels 4 and 5.

Getting On

With experience, you could become a supervisor.

Video

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.