Waste collector thanks residents for their support

A man wearing a high vis jacket stood next to a bin wagon

Lance Shuriah drives a recycling lorry for Islington Council. He’s one of the unsung heroes keeping Islington running during the coronavirus outbreak.

Lance joined the council four years ago, and as an Islington resident himself, says that: “it’s really important to me and my team that our borough is clean and tidy.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic the amount of waste and recycling we have collected has gone up and I suspect this is because more people are now working at home. Though with less traffic on the roads it has been easier getting around the borough so we’ve managed to make it work.”

He said: “Personally, I have felt ok coming to work, we all had some fears early on but the management team and council have been great in supporting us from day one, ensuring we have suitable PPE to do our jobs safely.

“At the moment we are really feeling the love from residents with the amount of thank you notes and posters we are seeing in windows. It’s fantastic. It really helps to motivate us and continue doing what we’re doing. We hope people don’t forget about us when the virus has gone!”

Lance says that he enjoys his work because, “on a personal level it’s really good exercise. I also get to meet different residents and people across the borough, including some celebrities, which is always very interesting.

“I keep an eye out for issues, even if it’s not necessarily related to my line of work, like water leaks or people sleeping rough. I report these problems directly to my manager and he lets colleagues across the council know. It feels good knowing colleagues across the council can step in and help.”

Rubbish and recycling collections are continuing as normal in Islington and Hornsey Reuse and Recycling Centre is once again open. Please book your visit before you go.

To help minimise the coronavirus risk to collection staff and the community, please:

  1. Store personal waste, like used tissues and disposable cleaning cloths in a disposable rubbish bag
  2. Place this bag into another bag, tie it securely and keep it separate from other waste
  3. Wait at least 72 hours before you put it in your usual external household bin.

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