Edinburgh Council's refuse collectors show what superheroes they are – Susan Morrison

Edinburgh Council’s refuse department sorts out a mess created by some seriously thoughtless people in almost supernaturally quick time, writes Susan Morrison

Susan Morrison says bravo to Edinburgh refuse collection department after fly-tippers strike

While billionaires bleat that their fortunes are draining away with the speed of a downed pint in the Marksman Bar, ordinary folks are still somehow getting the job done, and not just the NHS.

They have to, because other ordinary folks still manage to manifest outrageous anti-social behaviour, although, given the lockdown, they’ve had to put a bit more effort in.

In our little neck of the woods, someone with the IQ of a particularly dim-witted jellyfish dumped an old fridge and some tatty bedroom furniture in the street. Ugly rubbish, left in plain view, because who needs a nice street at time when you can barely leave it?

It was fly-tipped. It was clearly going nowhere.

Perhaps the dumpers thought the council would just somehow know about the mess. Now, Edinburgh Council may have many failings, but at no time have they ever claimed telepathic powers. So, simply thinking about that rubbish dumped in the street doesn’t mean to say that the council knows about that rubbish. You really do have to tell them.

Or perhaps, they just hoped the Special Uplift Fairy would flutter past and deal with it.

Eventually, I sighed, and went on the council website. It’s really easy to use and doesn’t take much effort. Even the hard of thinking could manage it. I got a reference number, but given the current hoo-ha, I figured there might be a backlog, so didn’t bank on a swift result.

Later that very day, the Special Uplift Fairy did indeed flutter past, if you class a sturdy van and some even sturdier blokes as ethereal supernatural beings.

Here, in the very midst of a pandemic, our refuse department are ready to swiftly sort the sheer mess left by seriously thoughtless people.

Bravo, council refuse service.

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