Wondering if you need to tip your garbage collector this Christmas? Keep reading to find out WHY you need to tip your garbage man!
Real World confessional time: before my husband was garbage collector (in 2019 for an entire 10 months) I had never tipped my garbageman before! Awful I know. But I just didn’t know it was a thing.
My husband is one of the hardest working people I know, and he has worked MANY types of dirty jobs: a slaughterhouse, a wiring factory, a meat processing plant, a preserving technician (literally preserving dead animals for dissection), cleaning gigantic frog tanks (probably close to 500 gallon tanks), an over-the-road truck driver (seriously how clean are truck stops?!), and an LTL truck driver.
LTL stands for less than truckload. It’s the transportation of small freight or freight that doesn’t require an entire trailer. It’s kind of like a UPS driver but with a semi. Basically, it entails running around like a maniac all day trying to empty your trailer before you start getting calls about the items you need to pick-up to fill your trailer all over again. They are fast-paced, stressful, and long days.
Actually, if you have anything delivered off a straight truck or a semi, tip those guys too. They deserve it and rarely get tipped when they should.
All this to say, my husband has done all these other dirty jobs and couldn’t hack it as a garbage man. It’s THAT hard! His old boss told him it takes about 18 months to become proficient and really have a handle on the job.
I, for one, never realized how hard of a job it was! I put my toters out on the curb, the wonderful drivers pick up the trash, and then went about my day.
Why trash collectors deserve a tip
But garbage collecting is so much more than that. It is thankless work. It’s very dangerous, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s waaaaaaaaay dirtier than we realize.
For example, just because there is a mechanical claw dumping you garbage doesn’t mean the don’t have to touch the garbage. And lastly, people treat you like a servant.
People flag down drivers after they haven’t had their trash picked up. Customers argue about bulk pick-up. They call in to dispatch to ask why their garbage hasn’t been picked up. It is 8 am after all!! People park their cars right in front of the toters so even if it’s not a hand-pick route, the driver is adding time to his day.
And some people, honestly, are really gross. They don’t bag their garbage, they have 742 cats, they have an overflowing toter every single week, or they don’t follow the rules for disposing of hazardous material.
Do you need to give your garbage man a gift?
In the words of Ron Swanson, “I can do what I want.” This is America, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. BUT! I’m guessing if you are reading this article you are curious what to get for your garbage collector.
You don’t HAVE to do anything. But I assure that any gift you leave will be appreciated more than you know.
What to Give the Garbage Man for Christmas
Cash
Cash is king as they say! How much you want to tip is entirely up to you. Anything is appreciated. Don’t worry about the cash not being seen. If you put it on top of the bin, they are gonna see it. Especially around the holidays. They know tips are coming 😉
Gift cards
Specifically gift cards for local gas stations or fast food places. They are driving around town all day, and they have to use the restroom at some point. They frequent gas stations so it is nice to give them some business.
Homemade (or store bought) goodies
Fresh Christmas treats like chocolate and cookies are very welcomed during the holidays. Pair it with a nice thank you note or a drawing from your kids, and your trash collector will be so grateful!
Beer or liquor
If you would like to gift some beer or liquor, make sure you check with them first. A lot of company’s have policies on the drivers picking up the booze themselves. If they not allowed to pick it up, it may be possible to be sent to their terminal.
If you don’t feel comfortable gifting alcohol, soda or water is perfectly fine. If they double as mixers, even better.
Household Items
Things like hand wipes, paper towels, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, hand warmers, cough drops, chapstick, etc. Drivers are in their trucks all day and need a way to clean-up. Basically, anything that will make them feel human.
What your garbage man really wants!
Wash out your bins.
Seriously. Wash them out. Bags leak, break, and all sorts of awful things break out of the bags.
Bag your garbage
I didn’t realize people DIDN’T bag their garbage, but if you don’t, please do. It’s much less of a hassle.
Say thank you throughout the year
Summer is H.O.T. in a garbage truck so drivers are very grateful for bottle of water or a soda during the dog days of summer.
Learn what you can and can’t throw away
“My dad said you can throw a body away if you put a 6-pack on top.” 1000% not true. There are many, many things that can’t be thrown away, and if they are, guess who has to fish it out of the bucket. That’s right. The trash man.
My husband had to fish so many things out of the trash bucket that aren’t allowed: paint cans, construction debris, tvs, . . . . So even if you think your garbage man never gets out of the truck. He probably does.
Learn about bulk disposal.
What day of the month it is, what you are allowed to throw out, how much you are allowed to throw out, and don’t abuse it. Garbage collectors will give people the benefit of the doubt, but they also don’t want people abusing the system.
How do I tip the garbage man?
You can put it right on top of the toter! I was shocked by this as well. But around the holiday season (or anytime of year) they are looking closely at the toter and will notice if something ISN’T garbage.
You can also go out and hand them the gift. They are always willing to stop for things that aren’t complaints 😉
You may want to ask beforehand about things like liquor. They will gladly accept them, but some company policies state that they can’t pick it up. The way my husband’s company did it, is the driver would call dispatch and someone from the terminal would come out and pick it up.
Even though my husband is no longer a garbage man, he still has so much respect for the job and the hardworking men and women who work in the sanitation field. As he says, “I will ALWAYS tip my garbage man.”
Whether you are giving cash or homemade treats, the gift you are leaving for your garbage man will be well-received and your garbage collector will remember that you were thoughtful enough to leave him a tip!
Love this! Thank you soooo much for this post! I had no idea this was the situation with garbage haulers. I’ve always appreciated their hard work but also never thought of tipping them, duh! Now that you’ve opened my eyes, my garbage man will get a treat this year for his pocket! Taping an envelope on the of the tote should do the trick, right?
Love this!! And yes, taping the envelope on the top is perfect. This time of year they are on the look out for tips so they should see it no problem. I know they will appreciate it 🙂
Being a garbage man for 15 years. It’s really nice for people to think of us. We really appreciate it.
NOT TACKY! YOUR comment however IS RUDE AS HELL. i feel sorry for YOUR husband, IF you even have one. Many people are happy to have this information. This isn’t begging, it is informative for many people. To the person who wrote this, Thank you for the information, to the woman who made the “Begging” comment, you’re a miserable person.
Thank you for your kind words. I didn’t realize the post had a hater comment and I will be deleting it. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you found this post helpful 🙂
I love this! Our garbage men give us an awesome show every week! My kids love them! We appreciate them so much and I’m looking forward to giving them something extra this year so they know we notice their hard work. Thanks for the post!
According to my husband, the best thing about being a garbage man is the reaction from kids. Kids LOVE garbage trucks!! I’m so glad your kids are the same. Thank you for reading and enjoy your holidays 🙂
My wife and I just got our first home and we are amped to support our neighbors working in garbage collection!
I know you said that how much to give is up to us, but do you have a suggested range? It would be helpful to have a frame of reference.
Thanks for providing this info!!
When my husband was in training, they drove by a house and his trainer said, “That house tips $100-200 at Christmas so make sure you take care of them.” So I would say anything over $50 is a good tip. Thank you for reading!
I’m reluctant to leave cash on top of our ally dumpster because I’m pretty sure it will be stolen and I always miss catching my trash collector. 😕 I’ll work to be close to the dumpster next week!
Totally get that! It’s my fear also, but the good news is garbage collectors are on the look out for tips this time of year so if they see you heading their direction, they will wait for you. Good luck and thank you for reading!!
I am a garbage man. I can say that if you leave a tip, even if it’s not during the holidays, we will take care of you. The fact that you took the time to think of us, we will always think of you and take care of you. Love the article.
I always have “tipped” my sanitation men with cookies or something like that. Only one year was it stolen from the top of the can. I do try to give it to them personally if I can now. I was wondering… how many men are on the truck? One driver and two grabbers? Two in the truck and two outside? I want to make everything easily “dividable” and not leave anyone out.
Homemade treats are always appreciated. As far as how many are on the truck, it depends on the company. Our local company is just one driver for garbage and one for recycling. I would use your best judgement. Sorry I’m not of more help!
When there are multiple guys collecting the garbage, do they divide the cash tips between them or does the one person who picks up my trash that day keep it all?
I am not sure about that. With my husband’s company it was whoever was on the route that day but they were usually on the same route each week. I’m sure difference companies do it different ways. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Thank you! I was looking for exactly this article today! ❤️
Found this article and love it! My daughter is a year and has gone out every Wednesday to wave at the truck and driver. We are now on first name basis haha! He thinks and she smiles so big. Wanted to get a little something and this helps! We always like to get something for the drivers around the holidays but want something a little extra 💕
He honks**
Oh my heart! I love hearing things like this. Thank you for reading and your adorable comment! 🙂
Oh my gosh, what a PERFECT article! I was looking for this kind of information, and not only do I know exactly what I should do for my amazing garbage guys but HOW to give as well! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Our garbage and recycle guys are top notch in our new neighborhood and I wanted to do something special for them…just didn’t know what they could want or was appropriate. Your article was truly helpful and I appreciate you taking the time to write it!
I’m so glad you found it helpful!! And the garbage and recycling workers in your area are so lucky to have suck a nice customer! I’m sure they will appreciate whatever gesture you make. Thank you so much for reading!
Love this post! Quick question how many workers are on a truck? Want to make sure I have enough or do they spilt? How does this work? Thank you!
Thank you for this post. From what I have read, I’m not sure our garbage collectors are allowed to accept cash or like-cask tips, but I wanted to make a care package. The information you shared was very helpful. 🙂
Hi Katie, $50 seems like a lot of money, especially during these times ie: gas prices, utilities just every day cost of living. Is there a more appropriate amount that is less than 50 dollars?
Hi Katie, thanks for the information. My question is how to time the Christmas gift. I’m not usually around at pickup so I don’t know the regular crew on sight. I’m worried that if I tip the pickup before Christmas or New Year’s the regular guys will be on vacation. What’s the best way to make sure it gets to the regular crew?
I missed my collector on Monday the day after Christmas. Would it be appropriate to do it next week? Also would a Starbucks mug with cocoa and a 10.00 gift card be ok? Thanks
I’ve given homemade cookies before and have double bagged them. But, I always am conflicted about giving homemade treats. Would the garbage collectors want to eat them after being in their truck all day and would the smell somehow seep into the goodies?