The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Declan’ s bin in the mood for helping
Akind-hearted Angus youngster has taken a weight off the mind – and arms – of neighbours after becoming his area’s selfappointed bin boy.
People living beside Declan Ritchie Crosbie in Arbroath’s Lamb Terrace no longer have to wrestle with the weekly question of which colour bin is to be collected the next day.
Despite being only seven, he has spent the pandemic making sure the right one is ready for the bin men when they come up the road.
What started as a weekly task at home has seen Declan extend his patch to houses in a number of local streets – and won him a community award.
Declan lives with his granddad Andy Crosbie and older brothers Kyle, 11, and Kaiden, 8.
Mr Crosbie was a bin collector and said his grandson has become 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.”
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.
Mr Crosbie 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.
“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.”
His community spirit has been recognised after customers at Morrison’s supermarket in Arbroath voted for him to receive a Little Sunshine award.
Young 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.
“I don’t have a favourite colour bin, I like them all