Attacks on waste operatives investigated

The BBC’s TV programme The One Show has reported on attacks on waste operatives, which it says are ‘increasing’ as more people are suffering from ‘recycle rage’.

Last night’s programme (14 November), took a look at attacks on waste operatives in the UK, with reporter Tony Livsey spending a day with waste operatives in Stratford-upon-Avon.

“More and more [waste operatives] are facing danger and are even suffering violent abuse from angry residents. Some attacks are from motorists fed up even if it’s just for a second, being stuck behind wagons as they collect rubbish. Well, I think this job is tough enough without having that to contend with”, he said.

Travelling with a local Biffa crew, Livsey discovered that these operatives are constantly at risk from angry motorists and residents and that due to a perceived increase in attacks, the majority of new bin lorries are now fitted with cameras to record incidents of abuse.

“In the last year there have reportedly been 117 incidents of verbal and physical abuse, both on the road and at recycling centres, but it’s believed many more have gone unreported”, Livsey says. He goes on to outline that one operative was once attacked when he refused to take away rubbish that had been placed in the wrong recycling bin. The man was charged with grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Although no baseline figures were reported, Livsey claims this ‘recycle rage’ is on the rise, and an operative he interviewed, Mario Kaczmarek, believes the reason for the perceived increase in aggression in his experience is the switch to alternate weekly collections (AWCs). “We used to collect rubbish every week, now it’s every fortnight and people are upset that they have so much rubbish”, he said. (Recent surveys show that the public is largely supportive of AWC, with 74 per cent of households with a fortnightly collection satisfied, compared to 83 per cent with weekly collections, according to ‘Attitudes to waste and recycling in Great Britain, 2011'.)

The Environmental Services Association (ESA), a trade body representing members of the UK’s waste and resource management industry, has now started gathering evidence of what it says are ‘growing’ attacks across the country to pass on to the police.

Speaking to The One Show, ESA Director General Barry Dennis said: “We’ve had knife attacks, verbal abuse, physical abuse and recently an event where a car driver got out of his car with an iron bar to attack one of the operatives.

“I think it’s happening because people are getting frustrated. Recycling is a part of everybody’s lives and there are many different ways we have to do our recycling as a householder: different coloured bins, sacks, all sorts of different ways. So, if sometimes, people put the wrong waste stream into the wrong bin, the operative won’t clear it, that causes friction and friction comes out in abuse.”

Incident report form

According to ESA research, around 110 violent assaults against ESA members’ staff occur every year. “Alarmingly, this figure is likely to be the tip of the iceberg, as it does not include acts of threatening behaviour or verbal abuse, which are generally unreported and all too often considered commonplace”, says Dennis.

In order to try and ‘improve [their] understanding on the number, type and location of incidents’, the ESA has devised a standard form for the reporting of violent incidents.

“We appreciate the assistance that the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) have given us, as we work together to discuss options for remedial action to stop this alarming trend in its tracks. ESA advocates a zero tolerance approach to assaults against staff - collection crews and HWRC workers provide a vital service, and should be allowed to do their job without fear of assault. We will be looking at the possibility of running a joint national campaign to ensure a consistency in approach across the country”, Dennis added.

Livsey signed off from the show with the advice: “Next time you see your bin man or woman, don’t give them any grief, give them a cup of tea.”

Watch The One Show episode on waste operative attacks.