Fundraiser launched to give Portsmouth bin collectors some cash to say 'thank you'

That is the message from the wife of a bin collector who has seen first-hand the toll the increased workload has taken on him.

With the city in lockdown and rubbish tips closed, the amount of waste being collected on a weekly basis has skyrocketed.

Now, Sian Hallam from Hilsea has set up a fundraiser for Biffa bin collectors, giving them some extra cash as a thank you for their service.

She said: ‘Being a bin collector is much harder for them at the moment, and I think they’re feeling rather deflated.

‘There’s a lot of love for the NHS at the moment and that is incredible – they’re doing marvellous work – but we can’t forget about the other people who are keeping our lives ticking over.

‘If we didn’t have the bin collectors, the streets would look awful.’

Sian, 26, is hoping to raise £5,000 through a GoFundMe page, which would be shared out to the Biffa staff at the depot in Airport Service Road, Copnor.

She is hoping this will serve as a general thank you to those who are keeping Portsmouth’s streets clean.

While workers have been treated to thank you notes and cards, they’ve also been greeted by some filthy sights on collecting day.

Michael Hallam, 31, said: ‘Where the tips are shut at the moment we’re picking up a lot more waste – the bins are noticeably heavier.

‘But sometimes we’re getting bins and there are dirty tissues at the top, not sealed in bags. It's grim.

‘It’s a huge amount more but we have to carry on, otherwise the city is going to look a state.

‘The people who have supported us so far have been great, and we’re doing everything we can to stay on top of the city’s waste.’

Sian added that the workers do have sufficient PPE gear, but concerns remain about catching coronavirus from waste collection.

To donate to the bin collectors fund as a thank you for their work, people can go to gofundme.com/f/tbwvx-the-forgotten

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