Violence, threats and verbal abuse – that is the day-to-day reality for tip workers who handle our waste and recycling across Greater Manchester. Rubbish removal gangs who try to dump their trade waste at household waste recycling centres are the main cause of trouble at the tips, according to staff.
The source of tension is that trade waste is not supposed to be dumped for free at taxpayer-funded tips which are provided for household rubbish only. But sometimes people snap just for being told which skip they need to use.
Now, a new system which requires vans to register for permits and limits the number of tip visits to 18 times a year has been rolled out – and it's working. The permit scheme, which was launched across all tips in Greater Manchester in December, follows other measures such as security barriers and bodycams introduced by Suez which took over the city-region's waste contract in 2019.
