In a startling early morning discovery, refuse workers in Letterkenny narrowly prevented a potential tragedy when they found a man sleeping inside a large industrial bin.
The incident occurred around 5:30 am, marking the first known case of such an occurrence in the town, although it is said to be more common in larger cities.
Nicole Brown, the manager of Panda Donegal, spoke to Greg Hughes on the “Nine till Noon” show on Highland Radio, detailing the incident.
“Our crew was out as normal lifting their commercial waste,” she explained.
“They picked up a 1100-litre bin, which is an industrial bin for commercial customers, and they have a procedure that they follow. Where they hit each side of the bin before they empty the bin just in case there’s someone in the bin.”
The situation took a dramatic turn when one of the workers noticed something unusual.
“They opened the bin and saw a knee sitting up, so they pulled the blanket back, and there was a fella in the bin, which scared both of them,” Brown recounted.
She also pointed out the rarity of such incidents in Letterkenny, noting that “It doesn’t normally happen here in Letterkenny, but in the city in Dublin, other depots would see this more commonly.”
Due to these occurrences in Dublin, Panda, the waste management company, has implemented a nationwide policy of checking bins for rough sleepers before emptying them.
The quick actions of the workers likely saved the man’s life.
Nicole added: “If that fella had continued to sleep, that bin could have gone to the lorry and could have gone in. There are emergency stops on the lorry, but sometimes it could be too late.”
Reflecting on the potential consequences, she continued: “It could have ended a different way; thankfully, they followed procedure.”
Greg Hughes echoed these sentiments, saying: “No one should have to seek refuge in a refuse bin, but also to ensure that the Gardaí can check that this person’s okay.”
He further noted: “It’s not being dramatic or sensational to say that if your crews hadn’t followed those health and safety guidelines, this could have been very different.”
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