Overview

• CCTV showed Vitalij Maceljuch, 36, entering a cardboard recycling bin near a Wren store in Chester at about 4am on May 10, 2024.
• The Biffa driver carried out checks, including looking inside, calling out, and shaking the bin on the forks, but did not detect anyone before emptying it.
• The Health and Safety Executive reported a visible 'danger of death' warning on the bin and concluded neither the driver nor the companies breached safety duties.
• Toxicology found cannabis and amphetamines; a Home Office pathologist said the substances could have contributed to drowsiness, with fatal head and neck injuries consistent with crushing.
• His body was later discovered on a conveyor at the Thorncliffe waste site in Alltami, where staff initially mistook it for a mannequin.