Ever Wondered How Much A Refuse Lorry Can Hold And What They Can Actually Do

A refuse lorry is a lorry that are used to crush and transport household waste. There are now newer refuse lorries that also crush and transport recyclable material. These lorries are usually branded with the logo of the local council but sometimes the latter may need to hire one if their own one breaks down or needs repairing.

A refuse collector usually starts work around 6am if not earlier. Each day they have a certain area that is due for waste collection. Very rarely do they miss a collection; the only time it does happen is when there is severe weather condition such as flooding and heavy snow and ice. Most refuse collectors wheel the bin to the lorry where it will then be automatically lifted by the lifting mechanisms but some places do not provide bins so the black bin bags are just chucked in.

Generally a refuse lorry can hold up 26 tonnes of waste until it needs to be emptied but the smaller models have a capacity of 3.3 tonnes. There are many landfills around the country but some of the waste are sent abroad as well. Recyclable refuse lorries are generally sorted through here in the UK - when enough materials are collected, they then get sent away to be crushed and remoulded and used again.

The dangers of refuse lorries

Due to the size and weight, controlling and manoeuvring can be very difficult for inexperienced drivers as well as getting a clear view of the surroundings. There have been many accidents in recent years because they were no reverse lights on refuse lorries, or collisions due to lack of visibility and sometimes this results in hitting pedestrians. Refuse lorries are very dangerous because when turning in the road, they need more room so usually oncoming vehicles need to stop to allow enough room for the lorry to turn. This has also caused many accidents because of drivers who fail to stop or do not realise the extra leeway a lorry needs.

The most dangerous of all are bodies being dumped in wheelie bins. As most householders still use black bin bags and then put them in a wheelie bin, bodies can lie undiscovered for some time. In winter it's still very dark early in the morning so refuse collectors may not see what is coming out of the bin when it is being emptied. There have been reports of bodies being found in wheelie bins and also identified before being completely crushed.