Who are the Garbage Men?
Who are the Garbage Men?
The Men and Women who Pick Up our Trash
The men and women who pick up our garbage are some of the most hard working and dedicated people. From the two men above, to those who drive roll offs, transfer trucks, or whatever, this job is far from easy.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of work fatalities of a garbage collector was 41.4 per 100,000 in 2023. In comparison, truck drivers had a 26.8 fatalities per 100,000.
Despite those numbers, many men and women dedicate their lives to keeping America clean. As I stated in a pervious blog, I hauled trash for four years and the people that I worked with were some of the most amazing people. They were hard working and took pride in their job.
Some of the first garbage collectors were called the Gong Farmers or Rakers. They removed human waste from privies and outhouses and dumped it outside the city. This practice started in the 1350's during the bubonic plague. These were not safe jobs and in comparison today, the death and injury rates were much higher. For one, modern PPE was not required.
You can notice that a modern garbage collector has a hard hat, gloves, boots, and reflective vest. This PPE prevents nasty germs from making the worker sick or getting hurt on the job. On the job injuries cost an average of $161.5 billion per year and that accounts for medical costs and loss of productivity according to the National Safety Council.
Many Rakers would take the waste to certain areas and dump them. Sometimes that was in holes outside city walls or even in rivers. Today of course, regulations have changed and much of our trash is placed in landfills, recycled, or burned for electricity.
Another type of garbage collector was called dustmen. Like the Gong Farmers and Rakers, dustmen collected coal ash from furnaces and stoves. They would also take trash and human waste. They mainly worked in Victorian Era London.
Specialized Waste Collectors
Besides the normal garbage collectors you may see on the streets or alleyways using a machine or their own strength to haul it away, there are specialized garbage collectors. These can include:
Hazardous Waste Collectors
This can also include medical waste and chemicals.
Sludge Collectors
How is specialized waste dealt with?
Not all waste can go into the landfill. Batteries and other hazardous materials need to be handled with special caution. Many times, batteries are broken down into different components and disposed of separately if they cannot be recycled. As for medical waste, it can be incinerated or cleaned and then sent to landfills. This is also true for biohazard waste.
Waste collection is a dirty, dangerous, and often rewarding job if you are the right individual. I believe it is a noble job that does not get the thanks that it deserves.
So, let me say thank you to everyone who helps keep this great nation clean. Without you, we would be swimming in trash like we saw in Idiocracy...
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