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Serco binman admits already being on final warning after being sacked for allegedly mixing rubbish in Whitstable

A binman sacked after he was filmed tipping food waste into a general rubbish bin has admitted he was already on a final warning.

Keiron Edwards has previously upset bosses and been given a dressing down following an alleged altercation with a dustcart driver.

He says it arose when he accidentally leaned on a stop button during the operation of the truck.

It's claimed the binman shown here emptying food waste into a general bin has been sacked by Serco
It's claimed the binman shown here emptying food waste into a general bin has been sacked by Serco

But Mr Edwards, of Querns Road, Canterbury, says it was an accident for which he apologised.

The latest incident for which he was fired happened after CCTV footage was posted online by a resident in Columbia Avenue, Whitstable, showing him tipping the contents of a food caddy into a black bin.

It prompted an apology by waste management contractor Serco and the city council, which has been urging residents to recycle.

Mr Edwards, 26, whose partner has a baby on the way, had worked for an agency which supplies staff to Serco for three years.

"I know I was on a final warning but that was for something that was an accident..." - Keiron Edwards

But when bosses saw the video, he was told he had lost his job.

He is arguing that he only tipped the food waste into the black bin because it was contaminated with dog poo.

He said: "After the video went on social media, I was summoned to a meeting and they just got rid of me.

“But I did exactly what we get told to do. If a collection is contaminated, we should put it together with the rest of the waste.

"When I looked into the food bin, it was full of dog poo. That means it’s contaminated, so I did what I should have and mixed it with the other domestic waste. I was just doing my job.”

Council chiefs said the incident was “bitterly disappointing” and bosses at Serco described it as “completely unacceptable”.

But since his sacking, an online petition was launched to get him re-instated and it has already gained more than 800 supporters.

Mr Edwards said: "It's nice to get to get the support and I'll be appealing to get my job back when the petition goes in to Serco.

"I know I was on a final warning but that was for something that was an accident."

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