Waste collector


A waste collector, also known as a dustman, binman, garbageman or trashman, is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste and recyclables from residential, commercial, industrial or other collection sites for further processing and waste disposal. The first known waste collectors were said to come from Britain in the 1350s, coinciding with the Black Plague and were called "rakers." Specialized waste collection vehicles 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.
A related occupation is that of a sanitation worker who operates and maintains sanitation technology.

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 and ranch and farm work. On-the-job hazards include broken glass, medical waste such as syringes, caustic chemicals, objects falling out of overloaded containers, diseases that may accompany solid waste, asbestos, dog attacks and pests, inhaling dust, smoke and chemical fumes, severe weather, traffic accidents, and unpleasant smells that can make someone physically sick.

Developing countries

In many developing countries, the first people to tackle the waste collection are pickers working in the informal economy, i.e. they may be self-financing through recycling, repairing, and reselling. Examples include the bottley-wallah, recycler of many sorts of materials in India, castes such as the Zabbaleen in Egypt, or tip scavenger groups in Brazil such as documented in the film Hauling.

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.
Australian English:American and Canadian English:British and Irish English:

  • Garbage collector
  • Garbageman
  • Garbo
  • Garbologist
  • Jockey or runner
  • Garbageman
  • Garbage collector
  • Trash collector
  • Trashman
  • Recycling tech
  • Toter tipper
  • Shaker
  • Sanman
  • Sanitation engineer

    • Dustbin man
    • Bin man
    • Rubbish man
    • Midden man
    • Refuse collection officer
    • Dustman

    People

    Notable individuals