Grundon Waste Management partners with homelessness charity Crisis to raise awareness of the dangers people face when forced to seek shelter in waste bins.
The campaign was inspired by an incident where a Grundon driver discovered a person sleeping in a bin he was due to collect.
Commenting on the incident, the driver, Dave Goodwin, said: “As drivers, we are always trained to be alert to anything unusual, and it was one of those split-second moments when you realise something isn’t right.”
“I immediately stepped back from the bin and was hugely relieved to find that although the gentleman inside was a bit shaken up, he was unharmed.”
The campaign, The Risks of Sleeping in Bins, provides advice for people who may seek shelter from the cold or protect themselves from danger by sleeping in a bin.
It also offers guidance for businesses and the wider public on how to recognise the telltale signs that someone may have taken refuge inside a waste bin.
Reg Hodson, Head of SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment & Quality), from Grundon commented: “Thankfully, due to Dave’s professionalism and care no harm was done but hearing his story and seeing this video made us realise that, as our industry moves to quieter electric waste collection vehicles, we all need to be more vigilant to help reduce the chances of such an incident happening again.”
As part of the campaign, Grundon has launched brightly-coloured warning stickers stating ‘WARNING. Risk to Life. Do not use this bin for sleeping’, which is aimed at people sleeping rough, as well as businesses and the wider public.
Grundon says that the typical signs that someone may be taking refuge inside a bin include broken locks, rubbish scattered on the ground, evidence of personal belongings nearby, and items such as pallets stacked up to allow someone to climb inside the container.