A waste collector, also known as a garbageman, garbage collector, trashman (in the US), binman or (rarely) dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of

municipal solid waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food wast ...

(refuse) and recyclables from residential, commercial, industrial or other collection sites for further processing and

waste disposal Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitorin ...

. Specialised waste collection vehicles (also known as garbage trucks in the US, bin lorries in the UK) featuring an array of automated functions are often deployed to assist waste collectors in reducing collection and transport time and for protection from exposure. Waste and recycling pickup work is physically demanding and usually exposes workers to an occupational hazard. The first known waste collectors were said to come from Britain in the 1350s, coinciding with the

Black Plague The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

and were called "rakers." A related occupation is that of a

sanitation worker A sanitation worker (or sanitary worker) is a person responsible for cleaning, maintaining, operating, or emptying the equipment or technology at any step of the sanitation chain.World Bank, ILO, WaterAid, and WHO (2019)Health, Safety and Dignity ...

who operates and maintains

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation syste ...

technology.World Bank, ILO, WaterAid, and WHO (2019)
Health, Safety and Dignity of Sanitation Workers: An Initial Assessment
World Bank, Washington, DC. Milan Naviglio ecological operators 24-11-21

Milan Naviglio ecological operators 24-11-21

Health and safety hazards

Statistics show that waste collection is one of the most dangerous jobs, at times more dangerous than police work, but consistently less dangerous than

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must oft ...

and ranch and farm work. On-the-job hazards include broken glass,

medical waste Biomedical waste or hospital waste is any kind of waste containing infectious (or potentially infectious) materials. It may also include waste associated with the generation of biomedical waste that visually appears to be of medical or laborator ...

such as

syringe A syringe is a simple reciprocating pump consisting of a plunger (though in modern syringes, it is actually a piston) that fits tightly within a cylindrical tube called a barrel. The plunger can be linearly pulled and pushed along the inside o ...

s, caustic chemicals, objects falling out of overloaded containers, diseases that may accompany solid waste, asbestos, dog attacks and

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

, inhaling dust, smoke and chemical fumes, severe weather, traffic accidents, and unpleasant smells that can make someone physically sick.

Society and culture

Regional names

Many

varieties of English Dialects are linguistic varieties that may differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling and grammar. For the classification of varieties of English only in terms of pronunciation, see regional accents of English. Overview Dialects can be def ...

have a range of names for waste collectors, from formal job titles for municipal employees, to colloquial and regional terms.

People

Former waste collectors

* Georges St-Pierre

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and UFC Welterweight Champion, (worked as a garbage man for 6 months).

Fictional waste collectors

*The films '' Blood Feast'', '' Scanners III: The Takeover'' and '' Child's Play 3'' all feature minor characters being murdered with refuse trucks. *Lala Hagoromo from the 2019 anime ''

Star Twinkle PreCure is a Japanese magical girl anime series by Toei Animation. It is the sixteenth installment in the '' Pretty Cure'' franchise, and the last series released in the Heisei period. and the sixteenth installment of the franchise, featuring the fo ...

'' collected trash for a living due to her poor skills assessment before becoming Cure Milky.''Star Twinkle PreCure'' episode 29

Health and safety hazards

Society and culture

Regional names

People

Former waste collectors

Fictional waste collectors

See also

Notes

References

Further reading