December’s Skip Hunk comes in from one very proud father, Steve Heard from Shinfield Mini Skips in Reading. He has nominated his son, Stan, who as far as we know, is the youngest skip hire worker in the UK – at a mere 8 years old! And now he is the youngest Skip Hunk –and we couldn’t think of a more deserving person for the December page.

So, Dad, how long has Stan been working for you?

He’s been coming in to work with me since he was 18 months old and he loves it.

What are his roles and responsibilities?

He works the controls and the chains, and the satnav.

We need a Stan at our work! He seems to enjoy grafting…

Yes, when Stan started school, he was gutted as skip work was only doable for him at weekends and school holidays.

And what do your customers make of this pint sized skip hunk?

All the customers love Stan, but he gets annoyed when they try and help him with the skip net and chains.

Quite right! He takes his career very seriously. We like a lad with ambition. When he’s not climbing up the professional ladder, how does he unwind?

He plays football in League One for BurghfieldUnder Nines on the left wing, and last week scored with a great header.

So, over to Stan – do you ever have your friends from school joining you on your rounds?

No, none of my friends ever come to work, it’s mine and dad’s thing. When I’m older I’m going to drive a skip lorry.

So if you had to give up skip work or football what would it be?

I love being out in the lorry and tidying the yard but it can’t beat football

And what is Santa getting you this Christmas?

For Christmas,I have a laptop on my list.

Well, I hope you get it Stanley, and have a great time off work, football and school with your family! Happy Christmas!

Introducing the two people who help make Skip Hire Magazine what it is: Sophie and Debbie. Without these two wonderful women, we don’t know where we’d be. We’re so glad they’re part of the team, that we decided (more like pleaded and begged) to make them Skip Chicks for December. If you’ve had the fortune to speak to them, you’ll know how great they are. If you’ve not had the fortune – let’s introduce them…

Hey ladies! Nice Santa dresses! Tell the readers what you do at Skip Hire Magazine.

Debbie: I’m media sales manager. I get people to advertise in the mag, and make sure they’re looked after and happy.

Sophie: I work in the Subscriptions department, I contact people to renew their subscriptions, and get people to start reading the magazine. It’s great fun, cos everyone loves it!

When you’re not working hard at Skip Hire Magazine Heights, what do you like to do?

Debbie: I love going to the gym, eating out and raving with my mates.

Sophie: I like going out, shopping and reading.

What are your plans this Christmas?

Debbie: I’m spending Christmas with my lovely husband at home, then we jet off to spend New Year in Lanzarote!

Sophie: I’m going home to Macclesfield to stay with my family and catch up with friends. Hopefully Christmas Day won’t be a repeat of last year when I got home after a night out at 4am on Christmas Day, then had to sit with my little brother at stupid o’clock opening presents, feeling very grim!

That’s what Christmas is about, Soph!What’s Santa getting you this year?

Debbie: A brand new iPod, and a bag of goodies!

Sophie: A new watch and some perfume!

What Skip Hunk would you like to unwrap this Christmas?

Sophie: Tom Meighan, the lead singer from Kasabian. He’s gorge!

Debbie: Clint Eastwood, when he was about 30 years old. I’d dip him in cranberry sauce and eat him all up! (For readers’ information, Clint currently clocks in at 81, so we’re going back a few years…)

OK, bit of a weird choice of men there, but let’s Christmas is a real humdinger for both of you this year. Have a good one, sexy ladies!

Employees in our waste industry in the UK have almost TWICE as many days off through sickness every years compared to workers in other sectors in a survey which is being conducted by the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL).

The survey entitled, Work related ill health and sickness absence in the waste and recycling industry, is to last for three years with the final results due in 2013. The data is being collected from waste management companies and local authorities throughout the UK and covers 3,000 employees, about 2,000 of whom work for public sector employers.

The HSL’s sickness absence survey has found that each worker in the waste sector takes, on average, 12.3 days off per year due to sickness. The HSL has compared this to data collected by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) which has found that the average UK employee only takes 6.4 days off sick per year.

Steven Naylor, senior scientist at HSL, explained that the high level of public sector employees in the waste industry was a contributing factor to the rate of sickness absence. “Rates of absences are traditionally higher in the public sector compared to the private sector,” he said.

Mr Naylor said more data would be available at the end of the three year survey allowing a better insight into why the rate of sickness absence is so much higher in the waste industry.

However, he noted that only a small percentage of sickness absence was due to work related illness. “Only 20% of the absences that workers take are due to work related problems.”

Stomach and digestion-related illnesses account for almost 20% of absences with a further 20% due to back problems. Mental health problems account for 5%.

In terms of actual roles within the waste sector, the survey has found so far that refuse collection workers had a higher rate of sickness absence than others in the sector with almost 15% taking off periods of 25 continuous days or more due to sickness. Mr Naylor added that again the high level of public sector employees in this part of the industry was the reason for this.

The survey is designed to help characterise the profile of ill health for specific work areas and to better understand the reasons for sickness absence in order to reduce it.

All participating companies receive a breakdown of the figures annually, rather than at the end of the full three years, allowing them to action any health and safety improvements as soon as possible.

A US man who accidentally threw his wife’s $10,000 (£6,000) engagement ring in the bin managed to find it after sifting through tons of rubbish at a local tip.

Brian McGuinn mistakenly dumped the sparkler along with his old razor blade.

His pregnant wife Anna had given him the ring while she was in the shower and because he had other rubbish in his hand he failed to notice the jewel.

He only realised what he had done after the rubbish had been collected from their house in Margate, Florida.

The couple ran out to try to find the bin men, only to find they had missed them by about 10 minutes.

Mrs McGuinn, 31, said: “The waterworks began. My husband looked on in horror.

“I felt absolutely devastated. I was shocked. I was crying. I felt helpless.”

She called a waste management company and was told her husband could search for the sparkler in the plant’s rubbish pile.

The financial adviser then wore a protective suit, and a worker directed him to the area where his area’s rubbish was dumped 10ft high.

Her husband said: “Nastiness you wouldn’t believe. It was absolutely disgusting. It stunk beyond belief.

“The smell was God-awful. Everything unsanitary you could think of crossed my path at least a couple (of) times.”

But after just 30 minutes of sifting through the garbage mountain, he struck lucky when he spotted a tiny glimmer surrounded by black sludge, wedged between two brown bags.

“It looked like a screw, and I reached down, and it looped around my index finger,” he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“I was ecstatic. It was like winning the lottery. It was probably one of the best moments ever.”

He added: “I’m not in charge of the ring anymore.” His wife added: “Never”.

A city bar owner has slammed the attitude of highways officials after being left knee deep in rubble.

Justin Hudson, owner of Butlers in Gloucester, has been told he’s only allowed to have a skip on the road outside his pub for 20 minutes.

“I only want it there for one day but they have point blank refused,” he said. This leaves him at his wits end as he has a beer garden full of rubbish and rubble from a £200,000 refurbishment.

The bar has been given disabled facilities, more ladies loos, a bigger and better dancefloor, cloakroom and soundproofing as well as some necessary building work. “I’m doing something to boost business in Gloucester, to give people somewhere to go and enjoy themselves but they are stopping me at every turn.”

There are double yellow lines on the road and Mr Hudson said contractors have been given around nine tickets over the past few weeks.

But when it comes to having a skip outside, he said the council was even more unhelpful.

“I told him to give the skip a parking ticket and I’d pay the fine but we’re not getting anywhere. I’ve got a pile of rubble in the beer garden which I can’t move. That pile of rubbish is a fire hazard. I can’t believe how difficult it’s being made. It’s a ‘computer says no’ attitude,” he added.

“I’ve tried several skip companies to come down and see if the work can be done in 20 minutes but it’s just not possible. To do that, we’d have to block off the pavement and I don’t think that’s right. I’m not asking them to bend the rules, I’ll happy pay any fee or a fine.”

Nick Peters, Gloucestershire Highways manager, said: “We are quite happy for Mr Hudson to have a skip outside his pub, but because of the double yellow lines we have asked him to fill it and take the contents away immediately. We are keen to support local businesses but we have strict guidelines which must be adhered to for the safety of the public and motorists.”