A near-fatal incident, in which a homeless man sleeping in a recycling bin was tipped into a compacting truck in Dublin this morning, highlighted the “increasing vulnerability” of rough sleepers, a homelessness charity has said.
The Peter McVerry Trust was reacting to details of an incident at Hardwicke St in the north inner-city at about 7.50am when rubbish collectors with the Greyhound company heard movement and shouts in the back of the truck after emptying a large recycling bin into it.
A spokesman said the driver heard movement and a person shouting: “stop, stop,” from the back of the truck after the bin had been tipped into it.
“They immediately shut down the truck and called the emergency services. “
When everybody was on scene they opened the back of the truck and luckily the man got out and he was alive. In normal circumstances it would have been fatal. It was a very near-fatal incident.”
It is understood the man was brought to hospital for a check-up but was not injured in the incident.
Greyhound chief executive Michael Buckley said the number of homeless people “bedding down” in the large recycling bins in increasing numbers.
“We know they number of people sleeping rough has increased in Dublin. The attraction of the large recycling bins is that they are full of cardboard which is clean and cardboard is actually quite warm.
“What can happen is that they get in and can sink down into the cardboard while they sleep and it can be very difficult to actually notice anyone in there until the bin has been emptied.
“I have to say the guys were very observant. We have an emergency procedure that we use in these situations and they stuck to it. I have to commend the guys,” he said.
Pat Doyle, chief executive of the Peter McVerry Trust, described the incident as “distressing” and said it highlighted the vulnerability of rough sleepers.
He said the large bins were enclosed and offered both shelter from the weather and protection from possible on-street assaults for those who were forced to sleep rough.
“The homeless sector is working extremely hard to increase capacity and has added 100 additional beds since the last rough sleeper count in November. We are continuing to put every effort into decreasing the number of rough sleepers in the City.
He said the trust was working to overcome barriers preventing people moving on and exiting homelessness, including high rents and low levels of available residential accommodation in the city.
