Almost 90 staff from Coventry's Whitley Depot were involved in the unofficial strike on Tuesday that affected tens of thousands of residents, the city council said.
The workers said they were protesting over the suspension of a colleague.
The council said the ongoing issue was still being resolved, but staff had returned to work for now.
More on this and other stores from Coventry and Warwickshire
Unite union says it is considering its position to hold a ballot for industrial action, pending the outcome of a decision on its members' suspended colleague.
Its union convenor was suspended by the council for organising an unofficial protest on Monday, union representatives said.
However, the council disputes the claim.
Councillor Rachel Lancaster said the worker in question had not been suspended for organising a protest. She said his suspension was being investigated, but the authority would not comment further.
Bin crews who went on strike leaving 30,000 homes with full rubbish bins have returned to work.