A waste management company has issued a directive to its workers to open and check all bins before they empty them.

It follows an incident in Athlone yesterday when workers found a homeless man sleeping in one of their containers, which was about to be emptied.

AES says the man was awoken and got out of the skip - and did not come in contact with the truck.

"It's happening now in the waste industry, and we're collectively trying to do something" head of safety with AES, Michael Whelan, told Newstalk.

Mr Whelan says some of the proposals they are considering is to put stickers or locks on the bins to act as a deterrent.

He says they are working with the Irish Waste Management Association to implement policies.