Reuben Kelly loves to greet the waste collection lorry when it arrives on Hough End Avenue every week, with his mum Michelle Parkin-Kelly and nan, Kim Chewah.

And when Kim told the crew that Reuben was celebrating turning two, they treated him to a song, plus a special chance to sit inside the lorry’s cab.

Michelle said: “Reuben is fascinated by the bin lorry.  He calls it the ‘yuk-yuk van’, because his nan explained that it takes away the ‘yuk-yuk’.

“Every Wednesday, we go outside, so that Reuben can wave to the lorry.  The guys always wave back and say hi to him.

“My mum’s a bit cheeky, so she shouted to the crew, ‘It’s his birthday!’

“Straight away, they came over and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him.  Then they let him sit in the truck.  He was absolutely over the moon and will be talking about it for months on end.”

The local Biffa team, which provides waste collection services on behalf of Manchester City Council, has now presented Reuben with his own special hi-vis uniform, in recognition of his keen interest in recycling.

“Reuben loves taking the recycling out and we do our food recycling together,” Michelle explained.  “He knows all the items that need to go into each different recycling bin.

“I’ve asked him what he wants to do when he grows up and he said he wants to empty the bins into the back of the lorry.  So he will definitely wear his new hi-vis uniform with pride.

“I want to say a huge thank you to the crew, as I know they are on a tight schedule, but they do an amazing job and are a credit to the council.”

Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Nigel Murphy, said: “I’d like to thank the workers who took a moment during their busy round to make young Reuben’s day.  It’s to Michelle’s credit that he has taken such a keen interest in recycling.

“As a city, we’re looking to greatly improve our recycling rates, both to save money on waste disposal costs and to help the environment.  I hope that we can all follow Reuben’s lead and make sure we’re playing our part.”

Mark Hodkinson, Biffa’s general manager for the Manchester contract,  said: “Reuben’s story is a perfect illustration of how Biffa is embedded in the local community and why mutual good relations are so important.  It’s been a real pleasure to meet Reuben and see his hopefully lifelong commitment to recycling.”

To find out more about how and what you can recycle, go to www.manchester.gov.uk/recycling.