A study for South Lakeland District Council examined details, including types of wagons, the lengths of routes, and the width of streets.
It also took into account how many right turns vehicles made, as these cause them to be delayed at junctions.
The council said the Â£35,000 cost of the research would be offset by savings of Â£40,000 a year.
Changes, which include different collection days for 65% of households, will come into effect in the autumn.
Bin collections in south Cumbria are due to change following a project to "optimise" collection rounds.