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AIBU?

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Original poster

Bin collectors shouting c*nt and sh*t at 6:30am

262 replies

Carrotcakefiend · 19/05/2020 06:53

We're on a street of terrace houses of mainly young families and over 65s. Our bin collection happens 6-7am on a Wednesday morning. The bin collectors do a good job and I have no problems with them talking loudly cos bin collection is never quiet anyway! But recently there's a new man, and he swears and swears at the top of his voice. This morning, he wife is a cnt apparently, and some other things are sht. It also sounded like he had a full on argument with one of the other collectors.

Aibu to ask them to stop yelling, or to mention it to the council?

I feel bad reporting someone doing a tough job, especially during the lockdown, but at the same time I feel it's really not ok to be speaking the way he does, yelling and shouting down the street. What would you do? Please help!

OP posts:
Westfacing · 19/05/2020 08:19

Swearing is common in London but I've never heard the binmen swearing. I'm sure they do, like most people, but I'd be surprised if I heard them shouting out the C word.

LockdownLoppy · 19/05/2020 08:19

Totally inappropiate behaviour I would report it to the council.

Kittykat93 · 19/05/2020 08:20

The people saying it's fine, if a cashier at a shop dropped the word cunt or a teacher at school or a nurse on a hospital ward you'd be shocked and outraged. Just because they are bin men why does it make it fine for them to do it??

pictish · 19/05/2020 08:22

midnight I’m in Scotland too...ha ha. Maybe there’s something in what you say about being desensitised to it.
I don’t think it’s that though...I just haven’t the mind to care about swearing enough to bother creating over it.

If you’re going to stir yourself enough to bother making an actual complaint about something, save it for something actually harmful rather than something you simply purse your lips over.

stairgates · 19/05/2020 08:23

Carrotcake, regarding your Tuesday/Wednesday mix up, Ive just put my bins out to be collected as its Wednesday but its not is it! its Tuesday Ive realised after reading this!Grin Oh my Ive lost which day of the week it is [Confused]

pictish · 19/05/2020 08:26

We once had a bed delivered and the stupid cunts parked their van obstructing the road unnecessarily. People started to beep their horns and one of them snapped, “Oh fuck off you prick” while wrestling the mattress through ds2’s bedroom door.
The other delivery chap, dh and I all looked at him in shock...to which he looked a bit sheepish and apologised. The other chap was clearly mortified.

Anyway we didn’t report him...just smile when we recall the incident.
No one died and my kids didn’t go off the rails. It was ok.

Dreeple · 19/05/2020 08:26

You must face the fact that it’s a terraced street.

Naice dustmen are allocated to rural and leafy areas.

Straycatstrut · 19/05/2020 08:28

Me and my kids are up at that time and they'd definitely repeat it. I don't like casual swearing though, I never have. You'd be shocked if you heard it in any other profession.

Bertucci · 19/05/2020 08:29

Meh. Wouldn’t bother me.

If you find it offensive, have a word with him. Don’t report him.

midnightstar66 · 19/05/2020 08:29

It's definitely not the same @West people here often use 'fuckin' 'cuntin' , bastardin'etc etc peppered through every sentence every 3rd word just as a matter of course. Exp is from London and swears a lot but he found it amusing the way it was used in general vocabulary so often here. Also the comparisons to professionals and people in customer facing roles aren't equivalent. A similar comparison would be walking along a pavement past a building site and hearing the brickies swearing during talking to each other. Like the binmen ,they won't really be aware you're there and just getting on with their job while having a bit of banter. I might roll my eyes but I couldn't get upset about it

overnightangel · 19/05/2020 08:29

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SoNooneRecognisesMe · 19/05/2020 08:32

So, @pictish and @Playdonut, you'd be quite happy to take your young child to Tesco's and for the checkout lady to start yelling across to her colleague on the next till that her husband is c*nt?! Or is it because he's a bloke out on the street doing a pretty thankless job that means it's okay for people to listen to that kind of language?

OP, if it's the first time I'd heard it, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but if it continues then I would complain as it's unacceptable to behave like that at work.

FamilyOfAliens · 19/05/2020 08:33

I would phone the council. Just because some people are fine with hearing grown adults shouting the words cunt and fuck while doing their job doesn’t mean we all have to set our bar so low.

WhenItIsOver · 19/05/2020 08:34

He might be on the rounds because of shortages and normally working elsewhere where the public don't have to hear him, hopefully he will be able to go back to his regular job soon if that is the case.

We have one sometimes who yells at the top of his voice and kind of howls, clearly audible over the bin sounds and truck squealing. Fortunately he isn't one of the regular ones on this round but he does turn up from time to time. He doesn't swear though.

Give it a couple more collections and see if he is still on the round before you complain, he might get moved to another job/back to where he came from. If not, then complain. Don't go and speak to them in case of retribution.

tenlittlecygnets · 19/05/2020 08:34

He's at work. His behaviour is inappropriate. I'd contact the council. He must know that shouting at 6.30 is inappropriate and will wake people. Unacceptable behaviour wherever you are: shop, doctor's surgery, man walking down road - entitled and selfish.

midnightstar66 · 19/05/2020 08:35

@SoNooneRecognisesMe as I just said in my last post no but walking out a building site or a warehouse or garage and hearing people swearing wouldn't bother me - these aren't customer facing or professional roles and the people aren't swearing at you or in your direct company

Nanalisa60 · 19/05/2020 08:36

I would wait till next Tuesday, then I would go down and talk to the driver, he is usually in charge of the team of bin men and tell him to talk to the man that has potty mouth, that if he does not stop shouting and swearing then you will have no other choice then to write and phone the council a letter of complaint.

That way hopefully it will be sorted out in the team and management won’t need to get involved.

pictish · 19/05/2020 08:38

I wouldn’t be ‘quite happy’ as such, just not stirred enough to bother creating over it.
If that makes my bar low then so be it. I prefer to think of it as having better things to do...but whatever.

Dreeple · 19/05/2020 08:39

He should LTC.

JudyCoolibar · 19/05/2020 08:39

far from ideal of course but not worth the upset of having someone lose his job I wouldn’t think.
You got what I meant! There is enough poverty in the country at the moment without trying to get people fired

No-one is going to get sacked for swearing. Why assume that is what OP wants?

CrowdedHouseinQuarantine · 19/05/2020 08:39

probably easy to contact the council, email them

RusticaRubra · 19/05/2020 08:40

I once saw a very angry young bin man kick food bins down the street in temper and throw wheelie bins on the floor as his workmates looked away. He was going ballistic.

Kittykat93 · 19/05/2020 08:40

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Justaboy · 19/05/2020 08:40

TBH I could live with the word 'sh!t'. But yelling out that his wife a 'cvnt' just isn't ok.

A cvnt eh?, they said the the romans paid their bin men more that their doctors, so thats how a Roman bin man would have sworn then calling someone a "Cvnt"

Intresting history lession you know;)

jackdawdawn · 19/05/2020 08:43

No need for it. He's an ill-mannered oaf. Just because he does a 'blue collar' job doesn't excuse it. My dad left school at 14, he had no 'learning' by his own admission, and I never heard him swear in front of us.

I would ring the council and have a word.

I live in an area where people do swear a lot, effing and blinding loudly on the street, and it makes my sons think it's normal and acceptable - and that's the problem. Four letter words should be beyond the pale - useful in extremis but not everyday speech!