You might find a solid waste worker driving a truck through pouring down rain to pick up 20 tons of garbage, you might find one outside monitoring water and creating reports, or you might just find one writing this column. There are plenty of jobs in the solid waste industry and they all take skills, time and hard work, but these jobs often go overlooked and can often leave these workers feeling invisible or unappreciated.
Handling solid waste and recycling is critical for our community health. In the 2019 movie “Joker” there is a trash strike and you see the garbage piled up in huge stacks in the street. Think about what an impact this would have on us. Piles of garbage around like this would cause horrible smells every time you step outside, pests such as rats and ants crawling around, and hurt both humans and animals through pollutants in the land, air and water.
We each create almost five pounds of garbage a day and it is crucial for that to get managed through waste management and recycling. Let’s make sure these workers that help keep us healthy don’t have a thankless job.
To help show appreciation, the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority is joining with the Solid Waste Association of North America Georgia Chapter in celebrating 2024 Waste & Recycling Workers Week. This year Waste & Recycling Workers Week is June 16-22. This effort is focused on solid waste workers as professionals.
The theme this year is focused on “Elevating Solid Waste Workers.”
Participation in Waste & Recycling Workers Week means that the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority has joined with the association’s Georgia Chapter and other municipalities, organizations and companies throughout the state, committing to elevating the status of solid waste management workers and thanking them for keeping us safe and healthy.
Do you want to get involved to show your appreciation? Consider dropping off a small gift at your local convenience center or greeting your driver with a cold bottle of water. You could also bring a “thank you” card or tape one to your trash or recycling can for your pickup driver. If you have children, helping them make their own cards can help teach them the importance of showing their appreciation and valuing hard and often sometimes dirty work.
Don’t have time to pick up a gift or make a card? Just greet the workers and say your thanks the next time you see them or give the office a call with a thank you or a compliment. A little kindness can go a long way to show that you are aware of their everyday efforts.
“SWANA-Georgia Chapter is working to elevate the solid waste profession in Georgia by featuring stories that focus on our history, stories of the individual worker that elevate our profession. Solid waste professionals have degrees, certifications, licensing and skills to operate trucks and heavy equipment that handle trash, recycling and compostables every day to protect the health of Georgia communities,” said Matt Dolan, Solid Waste Association of North America Georgia Chapter president.
The Georgia Chapter wants to bring awareness to protect solid waste workers and elevate the importance of the tasks they perform for Georgia residents. The chapter thanks all solid waste workers for staffing landfills, transfer stations and recycling centers, driving trucks and picking up litter. If you would like to know more about Waste & Recycling Workers Week or the Georgia Chapter, please visit gaswana.org or visit the Georgia Chapter on Facebook.
The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority will share photos and stories on its mascot Recycling Ben’s Facebook and Instagram. You can tune in throughout the week to learn about what happens to our trash and waste behind the scenes and about the people that make it happen.
Amy Hartline is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Have a recycling question? Contact her at (706) 278-5001 or ahartline@dwswa.org.