Veolia bin collectors in Sheffield reveal scale of abuse they face as 'kindness' campaign is launched

Waste collection staff in Sheffield faced an increase in physical and verbal abuse in 2022, with over 40 reported cases sparking a new campaign to tackle the issue.

Veolia and Sheffield City Council, which provide waste collection and recycling services, are launching ‘StreetKind’, a campaign to provide training to frontline staff on how to handle this type of incident.

It will also focus on improving road safety, as many of the incidents result from impatient drivers putting waste collection staff at risk.

Richard Hulland, Veolia’s Chief Risk and Assurance Officer for Northern Europe, said: "No one should be abused simply for doing their job and we’re determined to combat this unacceptable trend.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our teams and will take the most serious action for the most serious attacks, including criminal prosecutions, in order to build a safer workplace environment for our colleagues."

Videos will be created using 360° CCTV footage from collection vehicles to highlight incidents.

Over the plast 12 months a member of the public physically attacked a worker for not accepting extra waste in Sheffield.

The initiative will see guidance issued on ‘defusing volatile situations’ and understanding when to involve the police.

Councillor Joe Otten, Chair of the Waste and Street Scene Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: "Our workers do an excellent job every day and StreetKind encourages us to show even more appreciation for their efforts. We hope through this campaign we can reduce the abuse workers can sometimes receive while delivering critical services for our city and I’m proud to support it."

Veolia says the public can support the campaign by using the hashtag #StreetKind and by showing their appreciation to frontline teams in person ‘with a smile and a wave as they go about their duties’.