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A waste collector, also known as a garbage man, garbage collector, trashman (in the U.S), binman or 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 American English, United States and rubbish in British English, Britain, is a List of waste types, waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. ...
(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 Waste disposal, disposal. This includes the Waste collection, collection, transport, Sewage treatment, treatm ...
. Specialised waste collection vehicles (also known as garbage trucks in the U.S., 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, 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 systems ...
technology.World Bank, ILO, WaterAid, and WHO (2019)
Health, Safety and Dignity of Sanitation Workers: An Initial Assessment
World Bank, Washington, DC.


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 Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...
and ranch and farm work. On-the-job hazards include broken glass, medical waste 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 ...
s, caustic chemicals, objects falling out of overloaded containers, diseases that may accompany solid waste,
asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
, 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. Risks also exist from working in close proximity to traffic hazards and using heavy machinery (such as container lifters and compactors) on collection vehicles.


Refuse Collection Vehicle Safety

In most countries worldwide, waste collectors operate moving vehicles to aid in gathering garbage. There are several types of waste-collecting vehicles: front-load trucks, rear-load trucks, side-load trucks, and roll-on-off trucks. Waste collecting trucks can be automatic or semi-automatic, lessening the ergonomic challenges for workers. Lifting and loading waste bins remains the main ergonomic stressor associated with the waste-collecting occupation. Collectors are at risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). Risk for injury includes a risk of falling off the truck while it is moving, being run-over by passing motor vehicles, being run over when a waste-collecting truck is reversing, slipping and falling off the refuse vehicle, and losing or otherwise injuring limbs due to getting caught in equipment. Waste-collecting vehicles can expose workers to higher amounts of
exhaust Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to: Law * Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law ** Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law ** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, i ...
as many have exhaust pipes located on the back of the vehicle.


Safety Hazards of Waste

Waste collecting involves the collection of municipal waste and
hazardous waste Hazardous waste is waste that must be handled properly to avoid damaging human health or the environment. Waste can be hazardous because it is Toxicity, toxic, Chemical reaction, reacts violently with other chemicals, or is Corrosion, corrosive, ...
, which can introduce exposure to biological, chemical, physical, and psychosocial hazards. In the U.S., hazardous waste collection is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Alongside the EPA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) works closely to establish guidelines for hazardous waste disposal. Municipal waste collectors often are exposed to amounts of hazardous waste because a degree of hazardous waste is permissible in municipal waste;
developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed Secondary sector of the economy, industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. ...
have a higher risk of hazardous waste contaminating municipal waste due to early infrastructure and less tightly regulated systems. Different waste collecting jobs may have additional hazards or job-specific hazards.
Hazardous waste Hazardous waste is waste that must be handled properly to avoid damaging human health or the environment. Waste can be hazardous because it is Toxicity, toxic, Chemical reaction, reacts violently with other chemicals, or is Corrosion, corrosive, ...
collectors handle highly toxic waste and have an increased risk of exposure to chemical hazards. Medical waste collectors have an increased risk of exposure to biological waste hazards as they handle
biomedical waste Biomedical waste or hospital waste is any kind of waste containing Infection, infectious (or potentially infectious) materials generated during the treatment of humans or animals as well as during research involving biologics. It may also include ...
. Hazards associated with waste-collection include increased exposure to chemical hazards associated with diesel exhaust,
heavy metals upright=1.2, Crystals of lead.html" ;"title="osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead Heavy metals is a controversial and ambiguous term for metallic elements with relatively h ...
, VOCs, PCBs, and
dust Dust is made of particle size, fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian processes, aeolian process), Types of volcan ...
; and
biological hazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat (or is a hazard) to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect huma ...
s such as
microorganism A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic scale, microscopic size, which may exist in its unicellular organism, single-celled form or as a Colony (biology)#Microbial colonies, colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen ...
s like bacteria, fungi and spores, viruses, and protozoa; and physical hazards such as sharp objects, broken objects, heavy objects, and machinery. Physical hazards include ergonomic hazards such as development of WMSD such as sprains, strains, and tears. The job requires much repetitive lifting and pulling of waste material of varying weight, bending over, and movement in awkward positions. Despite assistance from refuse collection trucks, waste collectors often must haul garbage and recyclables to the truck and most still engage in a degree of lifting waste into the vehicle. Many waste collecting jobs are conducted outside, exposing workers to weather conditions, such as extreme heat or cold, that can pose additional health risks, while also putting waster collectors in close proximity to moving vehicles, which can result in them being hit by cars. With a multitude of tangible hazards, waste collectors are at risk for psychosocial hazards as it is a physically taxing job involving long hours, median pay, and not well socially supported.


Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

For the U.S., OSHA provides guidelines for PPE. Those disposing of waste, including hazardous waste, medical waste, municipal waste, and other waste from collection sites, are encouraged to follow OSHA guidelines as necessary. Basic PPE includes wearing gloves, goggles or other eye protection equipment, coveralls, face-shield and steel-toed boots or shoes. Proper training is an essential part of protecting waste collectors from injury or illness. RCRA training is required of those who handle hazardous waste.


Society and culture


Regional names

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


People


Former waste collectors

* Derf Backderf worked as a garbageman after finishing high school and wrote a comic called ''Trashed'' based on his experiences. *
Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981), also known by his initials GSP, is a Canadian former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-divi ...
a
mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...
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. It features the fourteenth generation of Cures. It is directed by ...
'' collected trash for a living due to her poor skills assessment before becoming Cure Milky.''Star Twinkle PreCure'' episode 29


See also

* Beach cleaner *
Rag-and-bone man A rag-and-bone man or ragpicker (UK English) or ragman, old-clothesman, junkman, or junk dealer (US English), also called a bone-grubber, bone-picker, chiffonnier, rag-gatherer, rag-picker, bag board, or totter, collects unwanted household items ...
* Curbside collection * Fecal sludge management *
Litter Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. The waste is objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, food wrappers, cardboard boxes or plastic bottles, but ...
*
Memphis sanitation strike The Memphis sanitation strike began on February 12, 1968, in response to the deaths of sanitation workers Death of Echol Cole and Robert Walker, Echol Cole and Robert Walker.  The deaths served as a breaking point for more than 1,300 African ...
, U.S.1968 *
Waste management 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 monitor ...
* Waste picker


Notes


References


Further reading

* {{Waste Cleaning and maintenance occupations Occupational safety and health