‘He did it with a smile’: Town council worker digs through waste to retrieve woman’s phone after it falls down rubbish chute
A woman who accidentally threw her handphone down an HDB rubbish chute had her device saved by a town council worker who rummaged through the waste to find it.
Speaking to Stomp, Shalini Carnis, a Choa Chu Kang resident, said that her mother was disposing of kitchen items at around 2pm on Aug 11 when the incident happened.
The 35-year-old content creator recalled that her mother had accidentally wrapped her phone in a table cover and thrown the bundle down the rubbish chute.
Upon realising that her mother’s phone had plummeted down the chute with the rubbish, she contacted the town council to explain what happened, noting that the team was “very responsive”.
Within 10 minutes, a worker was sent to the block to help access the chute.
‘So under-appreciated and unseen’: Resident commends town council worker
Carnis also posted a video of the incident a day later, with the caption: “POV: Your Mom threw her handphone down the rubbish chute”.
In the 32-second video, her mother is seen pointing to a black rubbish bin that the town council worker had pulled out from a central refuse chute.
The worker bends over the bin, using a bare hand to lift what appears to be the discarded table cover and retrieving a phone buried within it.
Carnis’ mother receives the phone gratefully, giving an excited wave towards the camera.
Later, the pair even snaps a photo together, as Carnis thanks the worker in the on-screen caption.
In the video’s caption, she adds that the workers are “so under-appreciated and unseen”.
“I wonder if masks are provided for them as I’ve never seen them wearing one considering the level of pollution & harm they’re exposed to,” she wrote. “The least we can do is greet & respect them as humans.”
Resident urges workers to be provided with protective gear
Reflecting on the incident, Carnis said she was “very grateful and touched” by the worker’s willingness to help, recalling that he “did it with a smile”.
Her mother was also “extremely relieved and grateful” for the worker’s help, commending his “kind demeanor”.
“The incident reminded me that we often overlook the people who quietly keep our neighbourhoods running. Cleaners and town council workers do difficult, unpleasant work every day, yet their efforts can go unnoticed,” Carnis told Stomp.
She also reiterated that she had not seen workers wearing masks and urged agencies or contractors to ensure workers have access to appropriate protective equipment.
“Given the environment they work in and the potential exposure to dust, bacteria and other contaminants when handling waste, I do feel that their health and safety should be taken seriously,” she added.
Carnis added that she and her mother presented the worker with a token of appreciation. While he initially declined the gift, the worker eventually accepted it after the pair insisted.
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