Mayor Martin Reilly lends a hand to Derry City Council Waste Management team member Kieran Dunne on his day with the refuse collectors. Photo: Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com.
The city’s Mayor swapped his gold chain for rubber gloves and waterproofs as he took to the streets with staff from Derry City Council’s Cleansing and Refuse Department to experience at first-hand the effort that goes in to keeping the streets in pristine condition.
It was an early start for Councillor Reilly who began his shift at 6.00am with the rest of the staff, and he experienced some of the many physical challenges faced by the team on a daily basis.
Speaking after his morning of lifting rubbish, sweeping streets and speaking with workers and the public, Councillor Reilly paid tribute to the efforts of the staff and the huge contribution they make to the city, often in the most inclement conditions.
“It was great to see the wide range of skills and equipment used by the Council staff in keeping our city streets clean,” he declared.” Many visitors and citizens commented about how well our city has been looking, particularly over the past 12 months.
“I wanted to get out there today and assist the frontline staff in their duties as a symbol of the value that their good work has for the entire city.”
Derry City Council employs 105 people in its Cleansing Department, and in the year 2012/2013 there were nearly 50,000 tonnes of household waste, and nearly 12,000 tonnes of recyclable material collected.
A pilot scheme involving 24,000 homes across Derry will see the introduction of a special new brown bin service for the disposal of food waste, commencing in March.
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