Nancy John from Berlin’s city cleaning service loves driving the Econic.

Why is that?

Because it’s not that easy to become a refuse collector. There’s a fitness test you have to pass first. You need to hit a certain step count on the cross trainer, lift weights, and complete a set of obstacle courses – like running up and down stairs, pulling bins over cobblestones, and so on. All timed. And many don’t pass.

What does your daily routine as a hands-on worker in orange look like? When do you get up in the morning?

The shift starts at 5:30 a.m. Our routes are around Berlin-Marienfelde, and the depot is on Gradestraße in Neukölln. But I live in Hohenschönhausen, so I need at least half an hour by car – and almost twice as long in the evening due to traffic. So I get up at 3:30 a.m.

Oof. And then straight into work?

Not quite. First, we get our route and the keys for accessing buildings and bin enclosures. At 5:45 a.m. we head to the trucks, but we can’t start loading until 6:00 – due to nighttime quiet hours. After the final load is dropped off, we return the truck to its parking bay, hand in our paperwork and report anything unusual – like blocked access, overflowing containers, or damaged bins. End of shift is at 1:30 p.m.

The Econic – made for tight urban spaces.

Sounds like a packed day. How many stops do you cover?

We don’t count house numbers, we count "collections". A big black bin counts as one, a small one as half. We usually do several rounds a day. When the truck’s full, we go to the waste-to-energy plant in Ruhleben, near Spandau. Monday is our heaviest day – three rounds and about 300 collections. That’s easily 150 house numbers. Friday is easier, only one round, and then we use the rest of the day for vehicle cleaning – we go to the vehicle wash in Neukölln and pressure-wash the loading mechanism.

You don’t just clean these hands-on workers in orange – you also drive the Econic, right?

Exactly! I recently got my truck driving licence and now drive myself. Right now I’m a backup driver, but I’ve already applied for a permanent spot.

How do you like driving the Econic?

I love driving that thing through the streets. People do a double take when they see a woman behind the wheel. It’s actually the first truck I’ve ever driven – well, aside from the one during my licence training. That one didn’t have the rear-steering axle like our Econic does.

Isn’t driving in Berlin traffic a lot to handle?

Sure, you need practice – and knowing your route helps a ton. A good team is gold. They guide you, spot you, help you back in. Even now, I still need that when I’m on an unfamiliar route. Sometimes you barely have a tissue-width between you and the next wall or car. But the Econic puts you low in the cab – almost like in a van – and that’s a big help. Especially with all the cyclists around. City driving in Berlin can be intense.

Vision Zero: London relies on Econic to cut accidents.

Last question – what do you enjoy most about your job?

It's a job that really guarantees action: no day is the same on the streets of Berlin. You meet people, traffic keeps you on your toes, and there's so much to see. But the absolute best part is when kids watch us work. They're our biggest fans. Some just stand and stare till we leave. Others follow us with their parents for two or three stops.