A new campaign has been launched to urge residents to treat refuse collection staff in Peterborough with respect
Refuse collection workers in part of Cambridgeshire are said to be experiencing “aggressive and threatening behaviour” while on duty. Residents in Peterborough are being told to treat these workers with respect.
During 2024-25, crews in Peterborough reported 29 threats of violence, including five with aggressive behaviour and one incident of verbal abuse. Since April last year, a further 18 threats of violence have been recorded.
A new campaign by Peterborough City Council, in conjunction with Aragon Direct Services, has been launched to urge residents to treat refuse collection staff with respect.
Councillor Angus Ellis, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Our dedicated staff in our waste and recycling services work really hard and make such a valuable contribution to our communities. They’re a vital part our teamwork to keep our city clean and also achieve climate action targets.
“As such it is deeply concerning and saddening to hear their accounts of abuse from residents. No one deserves this when doing their job and this behaviour will not be tolerated. We are raising awareness of this important issue in the hope of cracking down on these incidents and I would urge anyone who witnesses staff abuse to report this as soon as possible.”
Anyone who witnesses incidents of refuse staff being abused is asked to contact the police on 101.