Mystery surrounding the “thefts” of garbage containers: testimonies from three waste collection agents

Pour les professionnels, il pourrait s’agir d’un “serial killer” de bacs. Midi Libre – Illustration RDH

Two videos taken by a Grabellois showing rippers throwing garbage containers into a dump truck during their tour could partly explain the mysterious disappearance of many bins around Montpellier. As part of this survey, Midi Libre gave the floor to waste collection professionals…

A former professional ripper, Thierry (*) admits to having thrown a container into a dump truck but only once in his entire career.

"It was completely deteriorated. We could have hurt ourselves with it. I have notified the owner so that he can take the necessary steps to have it replaced (Editor's note, montpellier3m.fr or at 0 800 88 11 77 ). Most of the time, when the bins are dirty and dripping, we bang them against a wall but nothing more. We're not here to crush the containers."

This is a serial killer of baccalaureates

Same story for Christophe and Frédéric (*), two Hérault residents who work at Nicollin as well as at Urbaser and whom Midi Libre interviewed.

"A bin falling into the dumpster doesn't happen often. We can't say that it never happens, but it has to stay on the margins. Besides, if this happens, we have reports to make and explanations to give to local residents. There are even flyers that have been created to explain to them the procedure to follow to have their baccalaureate replaced. But then throwing away a container on purpose, I don't see the point. This is a ’serial killer” bins, I don't see any other explanations."

Crushing bins has no point except getting into trouble

"Especially since we are asked, to avoid shooting our backs, to use the container lift of our dump trucks during collections. If some tough guys continue to do everything by hand it must be, no doubt, to save time on their tour, that's all I can see. It’s “finished business”. But throwing the bins away to crush them, I really don't understand what the point is. There's no point in that unless it's asking for trouble."

(*) Borrowed first names I subscribe to read more