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London’s streets are among the dirtiest in western Europe and those
of Stoke  Newington are no exception. Lynda Naretti has the unenviable job of
cleaning up the litter that the rest of us leave behind. Since 1989 she has been employed
by Hackney Council as a road sweeper — there is no fancy title to disguise what she
does — covering a number of streets north and east of Clissold Park. Church Street is
part of her ‘beat’ when she works overtime at weekends. There are only 4 women
out of a total of about 60 manual workers at the Defoe Road depot.
Lynda was born in Hackney and left school at 18 with two A-levels. She applied for the job
as something of a joke after resigning from her previous post as a supervisor in an
Unemployment Benefits Office. She says she got fed up with being told that her main
priority was to get claimants off the register to make the jobless figures look better.
Her first day in her new job was not auspicious; the words of welcome from the Defoe Road
depot manager were that noone had effing well told him that she was starting work.
Her working equipment is pretty basic: a barrow, three types of broom and two pieces of
wood to pick up the rubbish. She used to work on the dustcarts as part of a team but was
displaced by redundant refuse operatives who were offered alternative employment by
Hackney Council.
The hazards of work are many and varied. Being run down by impatient drivers taking their
children to school, exhaust emissions, dead animals and, worst of all, dust are just a
few. Windy days are bad. People have hurled litter at her from cars and three months ago
she was harassed and verbally abused in Green Lanes by a bunch of yobs. A car driven on
the pavement in Stamford Hill almost knocked her down.
Despite this, she remains cheerful and laughs easily. Her optimistic nature is underlined
by the fact that she supports Tottenham Hotspur. She believes that Stoke Newington people
are mainly thoughtful and tidy and says that working in this area compensates for some of
the grottier parts of her job
However, it only takes a few to make her working life difficult. The biggest bugbear is
cars parked with their wheels against the kerb. This makes it impossible to sweep the
litter from under the car and along the gutter. Houseproud residents also brush the
rubbish from their front gardens onto the pavement as if it were not their responsibility.
Dumped piles of black plastic bags filled with almost anything seem to encourage
passers-by to throw empty cans, cigarette packets and remains of takeaways on top to add
to the mess. Builders and road maintenance workers leave gravel and sand that block the
drains.
Lynda is amazed at the extraordinary lengths some people will go to dump cookers, fridges,
washing machines and furniture illegally. They sometimes drive miles from home although
one phone call to the Council (0171 923 7339) would bring a collection truck that will
take away up to five heavy items. There is no charge.
Unfortunately, she has never found anything more valuable than a few 5p coins in the
gutter. Her main pastime is reading, with Iris Murdoch and J.P. Donleavy among her
favourite authors. She has a particular interest in women’s literature and the
Guardian crossword.
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