A Leeds litter picker has lifted the lid on just what it is like to work on the streets of Leeds to help keep them clean 365 days a year.
Jayne Morgan, 58, from Wortley, proves that not all heroes wear capes. She’s been cleaning the streets for Leeds City Council for ten years.
Jayne, who swells with pride when people thank her for her hard work, has lifted the lid on the stark realities of her all-important job. She says council estates and shopping areas build up the most rubbish, where she’s constantly finding “empty bottles of beers and cans and scratch cards”.
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The 58-year-old covers Bramley, West Park, Kirkstall and Burley, working shifts of fours days on and three off, tirelessly from 6am until 4.30pm.
Jayne said: “Sometimes it gets you down a bit. You can clear one area and it might be the same again the next day, or a couple of days after. People when they see you clear it, sometimes, they think ‘right, I’ll do it again’.
“Sometimes you feel it’s a monotonous job because sometimes people drive past and throw it [rubbish] out of the window. It gets you a bit fed up sometimes. But not all the time, because you think, ‘Hang on, I’m getting paid for it’.
“I think they should know better, really. It’s just childish, I suppose. Sometimes they’ll put something on top of the bin, just to say ‘we can’.”
Leeds City Council spoke about their “tireless and committed” staff members on the Cleaner Neighbourhood Teams (CNT). A council spokesperson said: “The team take great pride in the work they do and we are grateful to our colleagues and partners for their tireless commitment and efforts. The area based teams across the city work seven days a week, all year round.
“We encourage all residents to take pride in the city and do their bit to help keep the streets clean by disposing of rubbish responsibly, whether that be in a litter bin or taking it home to put in the black or green bin. It really isn’t that difficult to take that extra bit of care and trouble to look after the environment in which we live.”
The council also thanked the hard work from voluntary groups, such as Litter Free Leeds, who actively work to help keep the city clean.
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