Refuse collection crews and street cleansing staff returned to work today having voted to accept an offer maintaining or improving current pay rates in return for a series of efficiencies and productivity improvements.

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As part of the new performance-related pay system, the city's 37 bin rounds will be reorganised and reduced to 29.

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Achieving alterations to the rounds has been a long-standing aim of council bosses who argue it will save money, make the service more efficient and and allow them to expand kerbside recycling collections.

Leeds currently recycles about 30 per cent of its household waste and the council wants to hit a 50 per cent target by 2020.

While the city was recently placed sixth in an environmental charity's league table of the country's top 20 greenest cities, one of its lowest scores in the survey was for the amount of household waste recycled.

Councillor James Monaghan, executive councillor for environmental services, said: "Given the flexibility the workforce has committed to as part of the deal, it allows us to enhance the recycling service and tailor it to specific areas. Some householders don't have kerbside recycling and some people don't have bins for garden waste, hopefully with the resolution of the strike we can prioritise their needs."

Meanwhile the political fallout from the dispute continues. The question some people are asking is: "Why did it take 11 weeks to get a settlement?"

Colin Burgon MP (Lab, Elmet) blamed the council's early stance of refusing to talk to the unions while staff were out on strike.
Coun Richard Brett, council leader, acknowledged the council had changed its early approach to negotiations so that progress could be made.

But he said it was the unions who broke away from negotiations to go on strike and added that neither he nor the joint council leader, Coun Andrew Carter, had ever turned down an invitation to talk.