Households across the region are invited to join a celebration of key waste and recycling workers in the region.
A campaign has been launched today by the National Centre for Writing, FCC Environment and the Eastern Daily Press in praise of the thousands of people who have continued to collect and manage waste during lockdown.
People can join in by sticking a thank you message in windows by using the cut-out, which can be downloaded by clicking here.
The messages accompany a poem by award-winning Bungay-based poet, Luke Wright, who wrote the poem to ensure “other key workers who keep society moving forward and civilised are not forgotten”.
Chris Gribble, chief executive of the National Centre for Writing, said: “We wanted to join the effort by thanking the bin crews and have teamed up with Luke, the EDP and FCC Environment to give all the people in the region the chance to create their own poem or poster of thanks.”
The campaign has been made possible by FCC Environment which collects waste and recycling from some 1.3 million people across the country as well as operating Waste Transfer Stations at Costessey, Thetford and Shipdham – handling up to 100,000 tonnes of Norfolk’s residual waste every year.
It also runs the Mile Cross Recycling Centre on Swanton Road in Norwich on behalf of Norfolk County Council where the team of 10 key workers are on site to receive waste and recycling.
Steve Longdon, regional director at FCC Environment, said: “As a business, day in and day out our teams go about their work not just collecting but separating, bulking, transporting and processing our recycling and our waste to ensure it ends up in the right places. It is hard but vital work and it is a job so many of us at FCC love.
“But in the last two months the amazing amount of thanks and the recognition our people have received from the public has been phenomenal, and well deserved of course, but to be reflected in this way by the NCW and by Luke is fantastic for our teams.”
People are invited to share their poems or drawings @WritersCentre or by sending the design to info@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk. Winning entries will receive a £25 voucher for The Book Hive and the deadline for submission is Wednesday, June 3.
For the Bin Crew by Luke Wright
As night clocks off and day clocks in
the rumble of a wheelie bin
reverberates through morning mist
– the sound of dawn’s percussionist.
And there they stride in raver chic
like titans up your sleepy street
submissive lorry by their side
bin crew – say that name with pride.
While I’m still yawning, sore and mardy
bin crews make the tit look tardy.
Grizzled angels of the front
who take the things that we don’t want.
So come now Britain, raise a drink
without them all our homes would stink.
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