After spending a day collecting and sorting recycling, Mirror writer Nia Dalton found there is a mistake households are consistently making that creates the 'grossest' part of the job, Bristol Post reports. Despite spending a 'wet and miserable' morning as a recycle bin loader at Bristol Waste, she was reassured by driver loader Simon Bohin that she was lucky it wasn't windy or a hot day.
Recycling bin collectors were considered key workers during the pandemic, continuing to work while most of the nation came to a standstill. Her shift began at 6am, when she head out on a typical Thursday route with Simon and Dave McKenna, a loader who said the public 'really appreciated' their efforts in the pandemic.
Nia said: "Watching the three men weaving in and out of each other like clockwork was impressive. It was fast moving and hard work keeping up with their pace, and took me a while to suss out what went where. But with a little help from them, there really was nothing I couldn't do and I questioned why there were so few women doing the job, with only a handful of females at Bristol Waste."
Mark Purnell said there is 'no reason at all' for so few women working at the company, but blames the stereotypes associated with the job. Despite trying to be cautious to not interrupt busy commuters during rush hour later in the morning, Simon explained people become 'angered' by seeing Bristol Waste.
Members of the crew could recall numerous times where they were nearly run over, with Simon telling Nia that there are 'a lot of risks and we prioritise safety'. Nia wrote: "Whether that be speeding mopeds or potentially life-changing diseases, the crew always have to be cautious of where they are and what they're picking up. Every single loader could recall a time they'd found syringes in recycling boxes and moments they'd called the police after spotting dangerous weapons."
Simon informed Nia there have been plenty of times where surreal items are put in the recycling bin, saying they've found 'a lot of sex toys, mannequin heads, nappies and even a machete'. She said she quickly realised how troublesome it can be when households struggle to grasp how to correctly sort their recycling. Simon said: "Tins used to be recycled with paper, but now they're with plastic. A lot of people don't know it's changed."
Many don't realise that tissues are not recyclable, and just create a mess. Nia also learnt that broken glass is commonly found in bins, as well as hard plastic that cannot be recycled with the thin kind. She spent much of her time removing glass bottles from plastic bottles, increasing the time of the crew proceeding.
Following her shift, Nia said she had a 'newfound respect for the trade at the end of her shift'. She wrote: "My whole body is feeling the weight of the day and I consider taking an afternoon nap when I get home, but Dave tells me that he powers through till bedtime, so I promise to do the same.
"It's been a messy and tiring shift, yet I couldn't've asked for a friendlier crew to show me the ropes, and I'd champion more women to give it a go - knowing the hours and pay would suit a lot of lifestyles. The job has a really negative stigma attached to it, but I have a newfound respect for the trade.
"Without Simon, Dave and Matt collecting our waste, the community simply wouldn't function. My height had its hurdles but Dave reassured me I'd '110 percent' make it as a recycle bin loader and he'd have me back next week - though I'm really looking forward to not setting a 4.30am alarm again."
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