The incident, which occurred on 12 August 2025, is one of a growing number of negative experiences by staff working at Wigan’s three recycled centres: Kirkless, Slag Lane and Chanters.
FCC Area Supervisor Tracy Elder commented: “With an average of 49,000 vehicles visiting our sites every month, it is great to see so many people in Wigan borough taking advantage of this offer and recycling their waste responsibly.
“The vast majority of people who come to our recycling centres are respectful and polite to the teams and are supportive of our and FCC’s efforts to increase reuse and recycle as much as we can.
“There is sadly a minority of residents who become aggressive when approached, staff are there to help and support our residents and should be treated with the respect they deserve.
“Anybody found being abusive towards staff may receive a ban from site and could be reported to the police.”
A full video of the incident was posted by FFC.
Rise in abuse against waste staff
Suez also reported a 42% increase of serious and verbal abuse by members of the public towards frontline workers in 2025.
The waste management company launched the “We Refuse Abuse” campaign to call for an end to violence and aggression against collection crews, street cleansing workers and staff based at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).
The trend mirrors wider national concerns over the treatment of frontline staff in various sectors.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has highlighted waste collection work as a higher-risk profession, due in part to the increasing frequency of aggressive encounters with the public.
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