A kind-hearted Angus youngster has taken a weight off the minds and the arms of neighbours after becoming his community’s self-appointed bin boy.
No longer do folk living beside Declan Ritchie Crosbie have to wrestle with the weekly question of which colour bin is due to be collected the next day.
Because despite being only seven, the Arbroath lad has spent the pandemic making sure the right one is ready for the refuse men when they come up the road.
What started as a weekly task at home has now seen young Declan extend his patch to houses in a number of local streets – and won him a community award.
Declan lives in the town’s Lamb Terrace with his grandad, Andy Crosbie and older brothers Kyle, 11, and Kaiden, 8.
Dedicated
Andy was previously a bin collector and said his grandson has become completely dedicated to his volunteer role.
He said: “Declan started taking my bin out and then made sure it was his job, he wouldn’t let me do it at all.
“That was probably about two years’ ago and he then just started taking a few neighbours’ bins out.
“Since then he’s gone a little bit further afield and probably does eight streets around where we live.”
Community award
Angus Council’s collection rota features four different coloured bins – grey for recyclables, purple general waste, the green garden waste bin and brown food caddy.
But the Inverbrothock primary pupil never needs his memory jogged over which colour kerbside collection is due each week.
Andy added: “He’s got it all mapped out by himself.
“Some of the bins can be quite heavy and I tell him just to leave them, but he manages no bother despite his size.
“He really enjoys doing it.
“People have started giving him a sweetie or a small tip, but he’s not doing it for that, it’s because he wants to.
“There were two neighbours who thought that each other was taking out their bin, but then they discovered it was Declan.”
Declan said: “I like doing it. I don’t have a favourite colour bin, I like them all.”
The youngster’s community spiritedness has been recognised after customers at Morrison’s supermarket in Arbroath voted for him to receive a Little Sunshine award.
Young town litter-picker Lily Souter also won another Sunshine award for her continuing community conservation efforts.
Arbroath store community champion Lyne Souter presented Declan with his certificate and the perfect award gift of a toy bin lorry.