Surrey refuse firm looks to recruit refugees to plug HGV driver gap
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Joint Waste Solutions provides services for Surrey Heath, Woking, Mole Valley and Elmbridge councils
A waste collection company is looking at recruiting and training refugees to ease a shortage of HGV drivers, a council meeting heard.
Joint Waste Solutions and its contractor Amey presented the idea at a meeting of Mole Valley District Council in Surrey.
The firm looks after street cleaning and refuse collection for four Surrey councils.
Four refugee groups are involved in the project to hire potential recruits.
Lara White, accounts manager at Amey, told the meeting recruits would need to go through three stages of theory tests before starting driver training, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Ms White also said the firm was working with ex-offenders and homeless people.
Joint Waste Solutions provides services for Surrey Heath, Woking, Elmbridge and Mole Valley councils.
External applicants have also applied for training, and bin lorries will feature recruitment adverts from next year, the meeting was told.
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