Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Leader

I applaud South Staffordshire Council for the way it connects with its residents and in particular for the way it brings the human side of council services to life. Cleaners have long been known as 'the invisible workforce' and for decades the consensus has been that if we can show the public that those tasked with cleaning up after them are human beings too, with feelings and aspirations... people who get tired and achy and who are no doubt frustrated that their efforts are so often unappreciated, then the general public might just take more care to clean up after themselves, not drop litter and ensure toilets are flushed after use, for fear of upsetting the cleaners whom they know, like and trust.

This has been proven where cleaners go about their work while the occupants of the facilities they're cleaning are also working. The two are able to build a relationship which means that often, cleaners are able to spend more time cleaning and less time clearing up what can amount to vandalism. I'm not talking graffiti here, but the willful disregard of where rubbish is left, or where people leave a horrible mess in the washroom, with taps running, liquid soap congealing over the basin and toilet tissue strewn over the wet floor.

This cleaner/occupier relationship can't flourish in some situations though, where the nature of the work means we don't get to meet the cleaners. Take refuse collectors, who do a lot of their work before sun up... Plus, since in most areas the bins are on wheels and the lorries have to keep moving to avoid causing traffic jams, the crews have to work at such a fast pace that we rarely get to make eye contact with them; let alone start a conversation.

South Staffordshire Council's 'How much do you #LoveYourBinMan?' campaign, asks residents to let them know if their particular collector has gone out of their way to provide a brilliant service. I don't know whether there's an award involved, but the council will share the best stories in its magazine, which will help bring the human factor to the service and may just make the public aware that the less mess they make, the easier these service providers' working days will be.

I for one would love to see more of that connection and recognition, wouldn't you? Anything that might make the cleaners lives' better, works for me - and there's not a lot to lose in trying, is there?

14th February 2019