A four-year-old boy obsessed with collecting rubbish has fulfilled his dream – to work with his local BINMEN.
Little Riley McCourt spends his days picking up waste on his street to help his neighbours.
Riley even has his own custom-made high-visibility jacket – adorned with his name – and was given a blue mini-wheelie bin after asking for one for his birthday.
However, Riley accidentally knocked over his bin two weeks ago and was mistakenly accused of spreading rubbish on the street by a disgruntled member of the public – who posted on a local forum.
After Riley’s innocence was proven, his local council decided to give him the day of his dreams by allowing him to work in his favourite job.
Riley’s mother Toni McCourt, 31, said he absolutely loves bins.
She said: “He loves the bins and wagons and HGVs. Riley’s favourite day is definitely bin day. He goes round collecting the rubbish up on the street.
“The bin men all know him when they spot him.
“He goes outside as soon as he sees them come round.”
Riley, from Mirehouse, Keswick, is often rewarded with “a few pounds” by neighbours for his brilliant efforts in helping to move their bins or collect rubbish.
He loves cleaning and even helps his mother out in emptying the rubbish from a chip shop she runs.
Riley was given the chance to visit the waste collection crew at Copeland Council’s Moresby depot on Wednesday (April 17) after they heard about his obsession with the industry.
He enjoyed chatting with the team, helped out with recycling and took a seat in some of the council’s waste and recycling vehicles with father Anthony, 41.
Toni, a chip shop manager, said: “He helps his neighbours put their bins out for collection.
“Riley had been picking up rubbish in his wheelie bin when he accidentally knocked it over.
“Someone had posted on a local Facebook page which said he had put rubbish on the street, they must have been confused and thought he had done it on purpose.
“He had a great day.”
Community services manager Janice Carrol said: “Riley is clearly a keen recycler and who knows, when he is older I’m sure he’d make an excellent member of the team here. It was a pleasure for the team to show him around the vehicles.”