Susan Meyer - Getting a Job in Sanitation

Published in 2014 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2014 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Meyer, Susan, 1986-.
Getting a job in sanitation/by Susan Meyer.1st ed.New York : Rosen, c2014 p. cm.(Job basics: getting the job you need)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4488-9607-3
1. Sanitary engineeringVocational guidanceJuvenile literature. 2. Refuse and refuse disposalVocational guidanceJuvenile literature. 3. Environmental engineeringVocational guidanceJuvenile literature. 4. Vocational guidance Juvenile literature. I. Title.
TD156.M49 2014 628.4'023M5751

Manufactured in the United States of America

CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #S13YA: For further information, contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York, at 1-800-237-9932.

W hen you think about people who work in the community to keep it running smoothly, you might first think of police officers and firefighters who keep people safe. Or you might think of postal workers and crossing guards who provide important services to the community and its citizens. However, one job you might overlook that is essential to your communitys smooth running and well-beingwhether you live in a huge city, a suburban neighborhood, or a small town is that of the sanitation worker.

Youve likely noticed garbage trucks rumbling around your neighborhood a couple of times a week, but if they do their job correctly, you might not give them another thought. However, if they stop doing their job, you notice very quickly. Americans fill sixty-three thousand garbage trucks full of trash each year. Thats enough trucks to stretch from Earth halfway to the moon! Someone has to fill these trucks and drive them away to dispose of trash safely in landfills.

Without modern sanitation, life as we know it would be very different. Garbage and scraps would sit on the streets creating foul odors.Worse still, this accumulating waste would spread diseases. It would be particularly bad in large cities. In the 1800s, before an official program of sanitation and street cleaning was put into effect, New York was one of the dirtiest cities in the world. By 1832, there were reports that New York smelled so bad that travelers 6 miles (9.7 km) away could rely on their noses to tell them when they were approaching the city. Diseases that today are nearly unheard of in the United Stateslike cholera and dysenterywere frequent visitors to the Big Apple. The average lifespan for people in the city at that time was only forty yearscompa-rable to that of medieval, plague-ravaged London. It wasnt until 1903, when the city adopted a system of sanitation and trash collection, that peoples health and well-being began to improve.

Sanitation workers perform an incredibly important function for people around the country. They remove an average of 250 million tons of solid waste each year, keeping our cities and towns clean and safe to live in.

Organized sanitation and trash collecting isnt just important in cities. Today, sanitation workers collect trash in cities, towns, and suburbs all across the country. Sanitation workers arent just the men and women you see driving or loading the trucks. Some sanitation workers are in charge of operations in landfills, while others organize the movement of trucks from offices.

All of these men and women have a tough job. The average day for sanitation workers usually begins long before the sun is up and continues until their route is complete and all the trash in their assigned area is collected. It can be a dangerous and smelly job, but it is also incredibly important. Because of the vital role they play in the community, sanitation workers receive good benefits and salary. The job is difficult and is certainly not for everyone, but it can be a great way to make a good living.

T rash. Garbage. Refuse. Waste. Regardless of what it is called, we produce a lot of it. In fact, the average American produces 29 pounds (13 kg) of trash every single week! Someone has to remove this waste from peoples homes to where it can be disposed of safely. Sanitation worker is the official name for the person who performs this important task.

Sanitation workers maintain and operate various types of equipment involved in street cleaning, waste collection, recycling collection, waste disposal, and, sometimes, snow removal. These workers follow an assigned route that tells them exactly where their work area is. They follow this route and load and unload waste materials. Sometimes they will manually empty trashcans. Other times they will operate the machinery that allows the truck itself to lift and empty residential garbage cans and large dumpsters. Sanitation workers also monitor the collected waste for hazardous or toxic materials. They sweep and clean city streets, usually with specially designed vehicles.

In many places, sanitation workers don't just remove trash. They also transport approved recyclable materials. These materials are taken to a recycling plant where they can be melted down and reused.

In many places, sanitation workers may also be in charge of a citywide recycling program and assist in removing millions of pounds of materials to be brought to recycling plants. During winter months in northern climates, they attach and operate snowplows, remove snow and ice from city streets and important roadways, and spread salt and sand to make driving safer for everyone. In some cities and towns, sanitation workers also perform tasks like removing debris from vacant lots and collecting abandoned cars, other vehicles, and furniture. Not only do they perform these highly visible everyday tasks, but, behind the scenes, some sanitation workers are also in charge of preparing reports, entering data, and maintaining records. As you can see, theres a lot more to being a sanitation worker than you might think.

There are many different jobs available within and throughout the sanitation industry. Some of these involve working for the state or local government. These public workers do everything from driving trucks and loading garbage into them to monitoring vehicle routes, running city or state landfills, and handling overall logistics to help collect the communitys trash.