“Is it acid? Am I going to be disfigured? Am I going to be blind?”
Those were the harrowing thoughts of a member of staff who had liquid thrown in his face during an attack at one of Cornwall’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs).
Simon Collett, who had a clear liquid thrown at him last year at Bodmin HWRC, has shared his experience as part of a campaign calling for an end to violence and aggression towards staff.
We Refuse Abuse has been launched by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK (SUEZ), which operates Cornwall’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) on behalf of Cornwall Council.
A film produced by SUEZ for the campaign, which shows several incidents of violence and aggression towards staff from across the country, also features James Maughn.
James, who worked at Connon Bridge HWRC near Liskeard, was threatened by a man who told him he would “have his throat ripped out”. He was so traumatised by the incident he had to change his job.
Watch the video above to hear about how the incidents affected Simon and James (Jay)
Cornwall Council wholeheartedly supports the We Refuse Abuse campaign and will not tolerate abuse towards any staff at the HWRCs or Cornwall’s rubbish and recycling collection crews.
Councillor Loic Rich, cabinet member with responsibility for Environment and Climate Change at Cornwall Council, said: “Thank you to these men for speaking out and sharing their experiences. No one should be treated like this when simply doing their job.
“Any violence against our staff, or anyone employed by our contractors, will not be tolerated.
“Incidents like these are reported to the police and we will ban abusive or aggressive members of the public from our Household Waste and Recycling Centres.”
Talking about the national campaign, John Scanlon, CEO of SUEZ, said: "Millions of people use recycling centres every year - the overwhelming majority of these visitors are wonderful and the main reason many of our colleagues enjoy their front-facing roles.
“However, a very small minority of aggressive individuals have caused members of our team enormous stress and upset and we want to ensure this upward trend in verbal and physical assaults does not continue.”
Press release issued on August 6, 2025