(Inspired by an email from John Crawford, Rubbish Talk Listener and Guest on Episode 53)
Every so often, one of our listeners takes us right back to the roots of waste collection — to the days when dustbins clanged, ash filled the air, and “health and safety” was a foreign concept.
After tuning in to Episode 77: Waste Collection Methods, long-time listener (and guest on Episode 53) John sent us a wonderful email reflecting on how waste collection has evolved since he started on the bins in 1968.
Here’s an edited version of his memories — a fascinating look at how far the industry has come.
1968: Galvanised Bins and “Skeps”
“When I started training at Saltcoats in 1968,” John recalls, “we were using galvanised steel dustbins provided by the Council as a charge on the rates. It was a backdoor service — our loaders pulled out and returned the bins after emptying them.”
Neighbouring Stevenston Burgh used large circular containers called skeps, carried by two loaders who emptied bins from the back doors into them. “The stoor was everywhere due to the ash content,” John remembers.
Refuse collectors earned £13.19.4d for a 40-hour week — one penny an hour more than labourers. “We even had a waiting list of labourers wanting to get on the bins,” John says.
From Bins to Sacks
In the early 1970s, many councils switched to sacks. “We changed over mostly because it halved the trips to the back door,” John writes.
He later clarified that Saltcoats used paper sacks, chosen for biodegradability. “We didn’t start supplying gloves until 1974,” he adds, “and had a lot more hand and leg injuries during that transition.”
The Wheeled Bin Revolution
By the mid-1980s, a quiet revolution was rolling in. “Kenny Fraser was the first to introduce wheeled bins in Scotland around 1984/5,” John says.
With householders now bringing bins to the kerb, crew sizes could be reduced — savings that helped pay for the new bins. But there were surprises: “Collection round tonnages increased by up to 20%, and everyone had to upgrade to three-axle RCVs. The number of lifting injuries, though, dropped dramatically.”
Trials of driver-only vehicles followed, but not all went to plan. “We found the demo had been ‘helped along’ a bit — so we didn’t go ahead,” John laughs.
Lessons in Management
When John took up his post in Inverness, the local bin conversion was “in deep merde.” Undersized vehicles and poor planning meant crews couldn’t finish rounds on time.
John took the issue to the Council Chair, secured temporary loan vehicles, and got the new trucks retrofitted. “It cost extra,” he says, “but it had to be done — and the crews appreciated it.”
FELs, Incinerators, and Policy
John’s email also touched on industry changes that came later — from the decline (and eventual return) of front-end loaders (FELs) in Glasgow to the closure of hospital incinerators in the 1990s due to EU rules.
“I took no pleasure,” he admits, “from the fact that FELs were back working in Glasgow before the end of the century.”
And, like many seasoned professionals, he still shakes his head at the modern obsession with “cutting costs.” “The figure of about £155 per home for waste collection,” he writes, “is a pittance compared with other services.”
A Touch of Humour
Not all of John’s memories are technical. He recalls buying his first washing machine for £1 in 1971 (“The seller cut the plug off when I went to collect it!”).
And in true Rubbish Talk spirit, he ends with a nod to co-host Jane:
“Her ‘uummm’ can mean anything from ‘I agree’ to ‘are you really that stupid?’ The last person with that talent was Her late Majesty.”
A Life Remembered
John has even written a 57-page memoir about his career in waste management — “a cure for insomnia,” he jokes.
We’re not so sure. With memories like these, we could listen all day.
Thanks, John, for taking us on that walk down memory lane — and for reminding us that progress, however messy, is always worth the effort.
Listen back to Episode 77: Waste Collection Methods — the conversation that inspired this story — and to John’s earlier appearance on Episode 53. Have your own story from the front line of waste collection? Get in touch — we’d love to hear it!