Garbage collectors are often looked down upon in our society because it’s considered to be a “dirty job,” but most people don’t know they help us and our environment more than we give them credit for.
The stereotype of a garbage man is that it’s a gross and dirty job that consists of going house to house, dumping buckets of moldy chicken and rotten banana peels into the back of a big green truck early in the morning. But this stereotype couldn’t be farther from reality; garbage collectors do so much more for people and the environment than we actually think.
Garbage collectors have a variety of tasks to accomplish throughout their work day. One man rides in or on garbage trucks, another collects waste and loads it into bins or trucks, another returns empty bins to the owner’s footpath, reports incidences of graffiti, operate forklift and compacting equipment, and yet another uses street sweeping equipment. The average salary of a garbage man varies from state to state but the average garbage man makes about $37,565 a year which is way too small of a salary for an individual who is keeping out land and environment as clean as they can.
Garbage men do a lot more work than we really think; their job requires them to protect the environment, lift heavy materials, do outdoor work that requires a lot of physical effort, and read or write.
Garbage men protect the environment by collecting the trash and also recycling it. Because their work environment contains higher than average levels or dust, pollen, fumes, gases, or other matter which are likely to cause respiratory problems or asthma, garbage men take high risks to serve their environment.
Garbage collectors must be strong and and able to lift heavy materials that weigh over 10 kilograms with our without the use of equipment. They are also required to spend more than three quarters of the year, exposed to the weather.
But the part of the job that might surprise people involves reading and writing. Garbage collectors are required to prepare, understand, or act on written materials, such as letters or reports. Their reading and writing skills are very important.
Garbage collectors mean more than society thinks they mean. They do a variety of tasks that help the environment, even if it causes them harm. They keep the streets clean, they reduce the crimes of graffiti, and they serve our garbage needs. Without garbage collectors, the world would be a filthy place.