The Song of the Olympic Binman*
I am a binman for the council
And I walk the back roads,
Searchin’ in the dark for another bag to load.
I hear we mustn’t use our bin lifts,
I hear you will not like their whine,
And the SE10 binman must be gone by nine.
You can’t get into Greenwich station;
Hippophiles are constrained
And, if they know our carts are out,
Won’t ever leave their trains.
And you need us more than want us,
And you don’t want us at this time;
But the SE10 binman is on good overtime…
(with apologies to Jimmy Webb and Glen Campbell)
* Last week, Greenwich Council sent us a letter telling us our bins would be emptied in the middle of the night for the next three weeks so that their dustcarts could be well clear of the area by the time spectators started arriving for the equestrian events in Greenwich Park. They’ve also supplied us with special Olympic bin bags; if we use these instead of wheelie bins, they say, the vehicles won’t have to use their mechanical lifts, and noise can be kept to a minimum. The binmen are torn; it’s unsociable hours, with more physical work, but the money is good. Residents, though, are running short of goodwill; not only will their streets be closed to traffic most days but now, they’ve heard, Greenwich station will be “exit-only” during peak hours… MATT HAYNES
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