Comments on: An Unsung Hero

By: Dexm

Dexm — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:46:09 +0000

I remember the days of the guy swinging on the back of the truck when I was a kid.

My parents used to give them a case of beer at Christmas

By: Mister Mike

Mister Mike — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 02:02:51 +0000

Want to know the real story of trash? Go read:

Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte
ISBN-10: 031615461X

She explains all the details on the how and why of TRASH and the people who handle it in America. And these people deserve respect for the work they do for us. Garbage is already a major problem here but go look at the places in the world that have no civic sanitation. A lot of those mountains of garbage come from the crap our country offloads to foreign countries.

By: Coach James

Coach James — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:59:04 +0000

According to facfarm.com, garbage man pay for three cities averages:

$80,000 in New York City
$48,000 in Milwaukee, Wis.
$35,000 in Pensacola, Fla.

In our city, they start at about $12 an hour plus benefis.

By: Kif

Kif — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:28:33 +0000

If guys in “waste management” are so underpaid, why do they wear gold jewelry with their jogging suits and drive Town Cars?

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:15:09 +0000

I just want to ride on the back of one just once. I have never seen a garbageman (nor have I ever seen a garbage woman…I might have, but I could not positively identify her as woman…) having a bad time while on the back of a truck, even in traffic. Big ol’ stoned smiles.

By: Mr.Miz

Mr.Miz — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:43:44 +0000

It’s hard not to be frustrated with these guys at times. My only problem with them is that they usually forget me once a month, and if I have a bunch of huge cardboard boxes from all the wonderful tools I buy, they just leave them and never get out of the truck. I recently found an Instructable that shows how to make materials out of cardboard so I should be cutting back, but they could at least hop out of the truck and grab a few boxes. Trash on a whole is a bigger problem than what these guys are getting paid for, but never getting out of the truck isn’t exactly good customer service.

By: FredB

FredB — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:38:13 +0000

The smell of money as the saying goes…

By: Coach James

Coach James — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:37:29 +0000

I have a friend that owns a septic pumping business. Actually it’s just him and his truck. 2008 income…$165,000. He averages 6 jobs a day at $110 per job and works 50 weeks a year. Plus a lot of his income is in cash.

By: george

george — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:35:30 +0000

our guys do a great job. do extra at times and to me have been friendly.

By: Dano

Dano — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:28:39 +0000

The guys who pump out septic tanks or port-o potties have it the worst. These guys have it so easy.

By: Fred Boness

Fred Boness — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:18:27 +0000

Cities that still have people lifting trash cans have high workmans’ comp expenses for their injured trash haulers. On that basis, trash hauling is more hazardous than police or fire service.

Once you get past the initial cost of trucks and special containers the system operates economically and safely. It’s a big win for everyone.

By: Mike47

Mike47 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:32:20 +0000

I doubt these guys are paid much for what they do. It’s not glamorous, either. How they go home each day with any sense of self-accomplishment is hard to imagine. If they do a good job, they deserve a wave and our good thoughts. It doesn’t cost a thing for that.

By: Jim German

Jim German — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:04:32 +0000

I have no respect for these guys. I pay a fortune for them to either lazily drive by with the truck and hit the button (for the recycling), twice having broken the bin by driving off before it was out of the gripper. Or other wise I have to pray that they will be in a good mood and take the trash I put out and not leave my cans in the middle of the street, to be run over by some cars. The mess they leave behind is unbelievable, it looks like a tornado went through the neighborhood an hour after they are done.