The man is divided as he clears his driveway with sand from the bin – but who’s right?
A MAN has sparked a heated debate online after he filmed himself scooping sand out of a municipal rubbish bin to clear his client’s driveways.
Savvy auto scrapper Talasis has divided social media users with its controversial hack to prevent its customers from slipping on the ice.
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The businessman explained he found a way to minimize the risk of home visits in freezing temperatures.
He has filmed a TikTok showing him shoveling sand from a council rubbish bin on a public road in Exeter, Devon, where his company is based.
Talasis, who runs Talasi’s Detailing, urged other valeters to heed his advice and stop driveways “turning into an ice rink” while cleaning.
He announced to his followers: “To all my other valets.
“If you’re struggling this year with customers’ driveways turning into an ice rink as you clean their cars, head down to your local road salt container and just fill up a bucket full.
“And then hopefully no more ice rinks for rides and no more possible insurance claims.”
The valet then steps away with a black bucket full of sand.
He cheekily captioned the clip, “Good tip but not sure if it’s legal.”
The rhetorical question inevitably invited a legion of social media users to offer their opinions on his stray tip.
One wrote: “Go and buy your own! It’s not for you to use as a business on private drives. That’s stealing.”
Another raged: “This annoys me. The grit container is not for everyone on this street.”
A third added: “It’s theft, it belongs to the council. However, I doubt that the police will arrest you for this.”
And a fourth moaned, “Buy your damn own in your business account.”
But others praised Talasis’ suggestion, slamming commenters who branded the guy a thief.
One said: “Better than leaving ice cream on the street. People who say it’s ‘theft’ must get a life, he cares about his customers and the public.”
A second chimed in: “If you’re paying taxes, you’ve already paid them.”
A third wrote: “How are people so dumb? The council provides the salt so you can take it and get rid of ice cream, it’s not a fancy decoration.”
And another joked: “Great – if they filled it up!”
Others warned Talasis that the grit could damage the concrete on his client’s driveways, to which he replied, “Better than a client breaking his neck, I suppose.”
According to Devon County Council’s website, grit containers are “intended for use on public roads and not on private lanes and paths”.
More than 3,500 grit bins are located in the Coastal District.
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