Rubbish truck visit is dream come true for Raunds boy

Jason Gray from Raunds is so passionate about bin lorries and watching the East Northamptonshire Council trucks collect rubbish and recycling on his street that his mother contacted the council to ask if he could meet his heroes and sit in a truck.

Jason was greeted at the Chelveston depot by ENC waste officer Robert Haley and staff from Kier, who collect waste and recycling in the district.

Jason and his mum were shown around the site on Thursday (December 21) by the crew and he got to sit in one of the lorries and learn about where the rubbish and recycling go after they have been collected.

The depot is not usually open to the public but the council and Kier made an exception for young Jason.

Julian Tranter, managing director at Kier Environmental Services, said: “When we heard about Jason’s request we were more than happy to show him around our depot.

“At Kier we’re passionate about the work we do, so it was great to see how excited he was when he had the opportunity to visit the depot and see our bin lorries close up.

“The team loved spending time showing him around and hopefully he enjoyed the afternoon as much as we all did.”

Jason’s mum Nicola said: “Jason loves collecting bin lorries and has a box of recycling he uses for play.

“He insists on putting the rubbish out and is always putting any rubbish he sees in the bin.

“He looks out for the bin lorries and crew every week so to meet them all and visit the depot was a wonderful treat for him.

“Thank you for a special and memorable day.”

ENC waste manager Charlotte Tompkins added: “This was a fantastic opportunity to give Jason an early Christmas present.

“We’re always happy to encourage young people’s interest in the environment and recycling.

“We hope Jason and his family have a lovely Christmas.”