Global Garbage Man Day
When is Global Garbage Man Day? This holiday is always celebrated on June 17
Everyone deserves a day of recognition for the important work they do. Hauling away our unwanted and often odiferous waste is a tough job. But, somebody has to do it. So, today, we are celebrating and giving recognition to our trash men and women on Global Garbage Man Day. On this June 17 global holiday, spend some time reflecting upon the role of sanitation workers. And, show your appreciation to the men and women who help to keep our world clean, healthy, and disease-free. And, whatever you do, do not take their work for granted. If you live in a big city, you may have experienced a strike by sanitation workers. Now, that quickly becomes an odiferous littered, and rat-infested mess.
It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it. So, today we’re trash talkin’. The first trash vehicles were carts, often horse or ox-drivien. Garbage men piled trash into the carts by hand and disposed of it outside of towns and villages. Plastic bags did not exist. So, garbage removal was a messy, disease-filled job. Today’s modern garbage truck has automatic loaders, allowing garbage men to sit inside their vehicle and lift trash bins up mechanically, emptying the contents into the top of the truck. While direct contact with trash is usually minimized, it is still a hard job. So, let’s give our garbage man a big “TY”.
Other Names: The Garbage Man is sometimes referred to by a number of other names. Among them are: Trash Man, Trash Collector, Garbage Collector, Refuse Collector, and Sanitation Engineer.
Garbage Men and Woman Have a Dangerous Job
Some jobs are more dangerous than others. Those directly involved in trash collection and disposal are in a risky business. This is a career field filled with health risks. Here are some of them:
- Odors and fumes are sometimes toxic. It can lead to a variety of ailments.
- Insects, rats, and a variety of animals can be in trash containers. They are a threat to garbage collectors.
- Broken glass, cans, and other sharp objects can cut workers severely. Rusty nails are a danger, too. And, it leads to infections.
- Spoiled, rotten and moldy food, and other materials can cause disease and other ailments.
Trashy Trivia and Facts
Without a doubt, the waste humans produce is a global crisis. Use this trash trivia to enlighten yourself and others, and to encourage others to minimize waste.
- Garbage men have picked up and removed trash for thousands of years. In 500 B.C., Athens, Greece had a basic form of residential garbage service.
- Garbage trucks were originally called bin wagons and dustbin lorries.
- Americans send over 290 million tons of trash to the waste stream each year.
- The average American throws out 4.9 pounds of trash each and every day.
- Trash is bad for your mental health. Looking at trash along roadways, parks, and beaches angers and saddens us.
- Cardboard can be recycled 7 or more times.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that grass clippings and yard waste is the second-largest portion of landfill waste in the U.S. This is an amazing fact. Grass clipping and yard waste are compostable. Most, if not all of these items should never go to a landfill.
- Aluminum cans are the most recycled item in the U.S.
- Recycling one ton of aluminum cans saves 21 barrels of oil.
- Approximately 2.5 million plastic bottles are used every hour in the U.S. Let’s recycle all of it.
- One ton of recycled plastic saves around 685 gallons of oil.
- Today’s average garbage truck can hold up to 10 tons of trash.
- In New York City, the cost of recycling a ton of trash is $300 more than the cost of sending it to a landfill.
- Many years after closing, landfills are sometimes turned into parks.
- Sweden only sends about 1% of trash to landfills. It incinerates trash to make energy. Sweden even imports trash from other countries to generate energy.
How to Celebrate Global Garbage Man Day
Here are some ways to celebrate and participate in Global Garbage Man Day:
- Reduce, reuse, and recycle. The efforts you take help to minimize the trash going into the waste stream. And, it makes your garbage man’s task a little easier.
- Be conscious of how you put trash out by the curb. Are rusty nails protruding from the old boards you’re finally tossing out? Did you bag all the trash before putting it into the bin?
- Put everything into the bin so The garbage man doesn’t have to get out of the truck and handle it.
- If they pick up today, run out to the road and tell them “Thanks”.
- Really surprise your garbage man. When he or she comes by, give them a gift card.
- Encourage and support legislation and government efforts at recycling.
Today's Quote
“The person who dumps garbage into your mind will do you considerably more harm than the person who dumps garbage on your floor, because each load of mind garbage negatively impacts your possibilities and lowers your expectations.” – – Zig Zigler
History and Origin of Global Garbage Man Day
In 2011 John Arwood, an American businessman and the CEO of JDA company, created Global Garbage Man Day. The company specializes in garbage disposal and demolition. He created this holiday to give recognition to underappreciated men and women in the sanitation field. It is a global holiday because proper trash handling and disposal is an important job all over the world. The holiday serves to recognize all workers in this field. And, it also extends to those in the growing recycling industry.
This Day in History
Here are some things that happened on this day:
- The Battle of Bunker Hill took place, one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” (1775)
- The Statute of Liberty arrived in New York City. (1885)
- Actor and singer Dean Martin was born on this day in 1917.
Related Holidays and Articles
People who like Global Garbage Man Day will also like:
Learn About Composting Day It’s a great way to keep things out of the waste stream.
More June 17 Holidays
In addition to Global Garbage Man Day, here ae more June 17 holidays for you to enjoy:
More About Today
Learn more about the “goings on” on this date.
Today’s Recipe: Vegetable Dip
Flower of the Day: Lavender
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