Waste & Recycling Workers Week – Recap!
On June 22nd, 2018, ADSI celebrated Waste and Recycling Workers Week. Learn about our dedicated team and how we thanked them in our latest blog post. Read more http://ow.ly/rdPj30l333t
How often do you think about your garbage?
Probably only when it stinks or you’re dragging it outside to be collected. Maybe when your dog tears into it to find that one piece of bacon you didn’t eat. Otherwise, it’s most likely the last thing you’ll find crossing your mind. Don’t worry; that’s perfectly normal.
But, that’s not the case for the crew picking it up.
For them, it’s simply what they do, just another part of their daily routine. They start before the sun rises, as early as 2 am in some cases, and their routes can be long, leaving them little time with their families after work.
If you’re quick enough to catch them, you’ll find them lifting and dumping containers full of waste or recyclables over and over again no matter the weather. They carry no umbrellas for the rain and sometimes have to trudge through deep snow and ice to get to your cans. Not to mention how hot it can get during the summer months.
This may already seem like a lot to handle on a daily basis, and when you add in the danger involved, you may find yourself looking at the job in a whole new light. USA Today rated waste collection the 5th most dangerous job in the country in 2018. The main dangers are hazardous materials placed with household trash/recycling and road incidents. With over 500,000 customers to service, things can get tricky if other drivers and pedestrians aren’t aware of their surroundings or are distracted. Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)’s campaign motto sums it up nicely: “Slow Down to Get Around.”
Despite all of this, our crews are some of the happiest and most humble people you will ever meet. American Disposal’s driver and labor crews can be described as kind, funny, and helpful. We get calls daily from our wonderful customers letting us know how courteous our crews were that day. This week, the compliments ranged from “helped customer bring trash to the curb” to “ [ADSI] crew went above and beyond.” Each compliment is documented, each route looked up, and each crew praised by management. It’s important to us to make sure they know how much ADSI and our customers appreciate them.
This year, we gifted our drivers and laborers with heavy duty backpacks customized ADSI style. They came in for their shifts to find the entranceway and lunch room decorated with thank you notes and balloons along with bowls full of their favorite candy. We hope that these gestures convey how much we appreciate all the work that they do.
We think ADSI General Manager, Kevin Edwards said it best,
“The men and women of the waste hauling industry don’t receive the recognition they deserve…We are pleased to see they have earned their own special day.”
If you have a little extra time today or even next week, see if you can catch your ADSI crew and give them your thanks personally or maybe even give them something cool to drink. A small token of appreciation goes a long way and what better time to give it than around Waste and Recycling Workers Week.
Written by Hillary Campbell