Respect overdue for unsung waste collection heroes

‘Waste’ is defined by EU legislation in the Waste Framework Directive as “any substance or object which the holder discards, or intends to, or is required to discard”. This makes the discarding process, therefore, a key part of the ownership lifecycle.

As long as civilisation has existed, the need for waste collection has been integral to the community. Historically, it has been referred to as far back as 3500 BCE (Before Common Era) in the Mesopotamian Empire. The modern waste collection process using hydraulic residential truck processes dates to the 1950s and, in many cases, this remains the current best practice.

Waste removal is an integral part of a community ecosystem. For any household, waste is generated as a generally unwanted byproduct. Most families are being encouraged to undertake waste sorting and minimisation. Many companies are also proactively working to reduce the packaging and minimise waste material generated in their products. Until this is achieved, refuse, or rubbish collection is an essential part of a household’s weekly process. Refuse collectors, therefore, play an essential part in ensuring every community remains functional.

In an average year, the UK will generate 191 million tonnes of waste, of which, an estimated 44.1 per cent can be recycled further. Therefore, refuse collection plays a very interesting and intense role. On one hand, you are touching items which one person considers no longer useful, and on the other, this can be the starting point of a recycling lifecycle.

Keeping the ecosystem moving

Refuse collection workers should be respected for their tireless efforts in this challenging profession. At times, as can be seen in New York, when waste collectors go on strike, the city becomes suffocated by bin bags. The city that never sleeps can come to a standstill. This profession, which is so often unappreciated, should be acknowledged and respected for the way it keeps the whole ecosystem moving forwards.

Refuse collectors work very intensively in all terrains, all weather and seasonal conditions. Some key daily hazards to be navigated include: 

• improper lifting techniques
• slips, trips and falls
• hand safety
• human factors 
• environmental conditions
• the general public
• psychological impacts.

Statistics from the UK Health and Safety Executive highlight some of the key physical issues in the workplace.

It is estimated that the UK employs approximately 123,400 people in the waste sector. It is therefore even more critical to consider that the fatal injury rate in the waste sector is 3.65 per 100,000 workers, which is around 9.1 times the industry rate.^{[ref 1 and ref 2]}

Psychological or mental health issues can affect one in four people every year (PDF 892KB). It is very important to ensure this is managed and closely monitored to ensure that refuse collectors can be supported through any troubles they may be facing.

For workers, simply giving them some gloves and teaching them proper lifting techniques and then expecting them to do their job correctly every single time is not enough. A company has greater responsibility for its workers than this. Any incident can have life-changing impacts for the team and for the company.

Councils and private companies should provide robust personal protective equipment (PPE). They should  provide training to ensure human factors and waste processing cause as few injuries as possible. And they should be building awareness programmes around the waste generators (public and private) for sorting and preparing waste items for collection. Creating community awareness is an essential element of making every refuse job more efficient and effective.

Consideration should also be given to improving the refuse collection trucks and ensuring they are suitable to be used for daily operations in line with good practice guidance (PDF 1.7MB).

Waste collection of the future

Modern considerations and technologies should also present systems that can drastically improve activities being undertaken in the future. There are many innovations which can be introduced to challenge the waste management process, even eliminating refuse collection by using a truck-free collection system. 

As populations continue to expand, waste collection will need to adapt and modernise in the same way. Many companies and countries are already adapting and utilising the Internet of Things to reconfigure their waste collection processes. This will be essential to future progress.^{[ref 3 and ref 4]} 

The future may even become completely automated, so adaptability and reskilling the workforce will also become essential attributes for companies to acquire.

References

1. Waste statistics in Great Britain, 2024 (PDF 518KB)
2. UK employment in waste management 2022 | Statista
3. Smart Waste Management Systems Using IoT: Revolutionize Waste Collection
4. The Ultimate Guide to Smart Waste Management