WHILE archaeology usually conjures up images of painstaking work brushing away buried artefacts, a new officer at Suffolk County Council will be dealing with the contents of bin-bags.

WHILE archaeology usually conjures up images of painstaking work brushing away buried artefacts, a new officer at Suffolk County Council will be dealing with the contents of bin-bags.

For the authority is recruiting a bizarrely-named Garbology officer, who will have a slightly less glamorous job working with rubbish.

The temporary one-year post is being advertised with a starting salary of between £20,370 and £23,313 - but it will be entirely funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The officer for Garbology -the archaeology of ancient and modern rubbish - will work on a new initiative run between the archaeology and the waste management service.

They will show schoolchildren how to explore their heritage through the study of waste and help youngsters look at sustainable ways of disposing rubbish in the past and how to deal with their own waste.

The officer will use techniques of archaeology to help communities understand the changing patterns of rubbish disposal.

They will also work with older people, using retrieved objects as a focus for reminiscence.

No specific qualifications are needed for the job. The advert asks for experience of working in schools and knowledge of archaeological practice.

The ability to work with people from all backgrounds and deliver training programmes and workshops is also needed.

Yesterday a spokeswoman for the council, said: “It's being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, so it's not money that comes from council tax.

“It is an extension of our education service. We do have a waste management education officer who goes to schools to talk about waste management and recycling.

“This combines that job with archaeology and history as well.

“We could never have funded it ourselves. The funding that we have got covers the salary and teaching materials for a year.

“This person will go into schools and talk to the children about archaeology and waste, as well as working with teachers to develop teaching packs. “Teachers can then continue that as a subject in future years.

“It's a more sort of hands-on way for children to learn about history and archaeology but with recycling and environmental issues as well.

“We are really excited about it.”