Getting to know… Tomasz, CDA’s Cleaning Supervisor

Ensuring a vibrant and welcoming environment, CDA’s Cleaning Team is actively on the ground in Holborn and Clerkenwell, benefiting everyone who lives, works and visits the area. This month, we sat down with Tomasz, our Cleaning Supervisor, to talk about his role at CDA.

Thank you, Tomasz, for going above and beyond to ensure that we all have a clean and safe environment. Don’t forget to say hi to our street team when you see them!

For more information on our Cleaning Team and their role, please visit our Environmental Services project page.

Read Tomasz’s tips on keeping our area clean and tidy below!

Q: How long have you been with CDA?

I’ve been here since February and I’ve been loving it!

Q:What’s a typical shift like?

A: I usually spend my days on the road, I have 7 main locations in the morning and 5 in the afternoon, although I can get called away for other jobs if something is urgent. The Team have put quite a bit of trust in me, so I have a lot of freedom in my work and the way I tackle challenges, which allows my day to really be in my hands, so every day is different for me. I tend to spend my morning tackling the big issues, such as furniture left on the street or bent posts. I then go back on myself and if I’ve seen anything new on my route, such as graffiti or piles of rubbish, I’ll either take care of it myself, report to my team or contact the council, if it sits outside our remit.

Q: What challenges do you face in your day-to-day role?

A: I would say making sure the right person is taking care of the right thing. If we see, for example, a pile of rubbish, we have to make sure we know why it is there. It could be that it wasn’t reported, that it is outside our area, or that it is the council’s role to address. We get a lot of complaints about issues that aren’t in our jurisdiction to resolve, so we have the challenge of explaining this to concerned parties.

Q: What’s your favourite part of the job?

A: The freedom! As I said before, I can manage my day as I see fit and I get a lot of freedom when it comes to problem solving. I think I work best under these circumstances. I also love the outdoors and sunshine and I spend the majority of my day working outdoors. The cycles we use are electric and covered (EAVs), so they are easy to ride and its really nice to be outside on the bike.

Q: Do you get any misconceptions about your job?

A: Yes – that we’re supposed to clean everything! We’re a support team; we help where the council or other cleaning services can’t, because they don’t have enough people free or because their schedule doesn’t allow it. That’s where we step in – and help to keep the area in good shape. Another misconception we get is that the job is easy. Although it might not look hard, if people saw how much behind the scenes work goes on, it can be hard to keep up! We get constant reports and we collect roughly 25 bags per team member per day. It can get a bit smelly… but I still love it!