If you think it’s only your friends and family who know a lot about you, think again. There might be strangers out there who know more of your secrets than you realize, including the not-so-nice stuff. We’re talking about the guys that pay your home a visit about once a week, to collect the nasty things you no longer want in your space.
Trash collectors have been sharing some disturbing, sad and gross stories about the worst things they’ve encountered on the job. From cute abandoned puppies to live ammunition, many might have you wondering what your neighbors are up to when no-one's looking.
Bored Panda has compiled a list of the most eye-opening answers from a series of online threads, in which netizens asked garbage collectors to spill all the stale tea. So make sure your trash bags are securely fastened, sit back, and keep scrolling. Upvote the ones you found most unexpected.
#1
My uncle was a policeman, and was flagged down by a scaffy (binman, trashman, whatever you call them) on his morning beat. The guy told him that there's a black bag next to some commercial dumpsters, and it's moving.
The guy was too scared to open it, so my uncle did and it turned out to be a very small, malnourished Golden Retriever puppy. He took him back to the station, and the Police advertised that he was found and asked his owner to come forward. Obviously, nobody is going to come forward after dumping the poor thing next to a dumpster to die. After the statutory period of waiting for his owner to call in, my uncle's superior (I don't know what rank he was at this point) told him that the pup was going to the animal shelter... unless David and his family wanted him.
So they took him home. He was an amazing dog, a real lovable g**f. He lived for 13 years until he died from cancer, but in those 13 years he was so loved. Not bad for a trash dog.
The guy was too scared to open it, so my uncle did and it turned out to be a very small, malnourished Golden Retriever puppy. He took him back to the station, and the Police advertised that he was found and asked his owner to come forward. Obviously, nobody is going to come forward after dumping the poor thing next to a dumpster to die. After the statutory period of waiting for his owner to call in, my uncle's superior (I don't know what rank he was at this point) told him that the pup was going to the animal shelter... unless David and his family wanted him.
So they took him home. He was an amazing dog, a real lovable g**f. He lived for 13 years until he died from cancer, but in those 13 years he was so loved. Not bad for a trash dog.
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45points
What would we do without trash collectors? It’s a job that some might turn their noses up at but yet, if it’s left undone, our homes would be crawling with maggots, rats, rotting meat and disgusting smells.
The global population dumps around 2.12 billion tons of waste every year. To put that into perspective, if we were to pile that waste on trucks, they would go around the world 24 times each year. That’s according to environmental site, theworldcounts.com.
The site adds that it wouldn’t be this bad were we not trashing 99% of the stuff we buy within 6 months of purchase.
#2
My friends brother is a trashman.....he had burns and melted skin all over his shoulders and upper back. Some a****t threw out a bottle of Hydrochloric Acid and when it was being crushed in the truck, the bottle exploded and shot acid all over him as he was walking away.
25points
#3
I should have called the cops but took the matter into my own hands.
A few years ago I had a dumpster outside of my business right next to a trailer park. Every month or so I would show up in the morning to an overflowing dumpster. Trash blowing around, dirty diapers and the whole deal. One morning I was in a particularly foul mood and was again greeted with another mess. I dug through the pile until I found some mail with an address, scoop shoveled the pile into the back of my one-ton dump truck and delivered it to the offending address. Backed right up on to the grassy spot in front of the place and dumped it.
Never had any more problems with an overflowing dumpster but over the next couple of months my dump truck was vandalized and broken into several times.
A few years ago I had a dumpster outside of my business right next to a trailer park. Every month or so I would show up in the morning to an overflowing dumpster. Trash blowing around, dirty diapers and the whole deal. One morning I was in a particularly foul mood and was again greeted with another mess. I dug through the pile until I found some mail with an address, scoop shoveled the pile into the back of my one-ton dump truck and delivered it to the offending address. Backed right up on to the grassy spot in front of the place and dumped it.
Never had any more problems with an overflowing dumpster but over the next couple of months my dump truck was vandalized and broken into several times.
25points
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has previously reported that the average person in America produces 4.9 pounds of trash per day. That's nearly enough in one year to fill a small dumpster rental. Of course, this figure differs around the world because of people's lifestyles, economic statuses, way of life and how different countries manage waste.
A lot of this waste is what's classified as municipal solid waste (MSW). This includes things like plastics, metals and organic matter. "Globally, your daily contribution to municipal solid waste (MSW) stands on average at around 0.74 kilograms, which translates to approximately 1.63 pounds," notes Waste Removal U.S.A.
The site adds that average Americans produce a lot more. "On a daily basis, you are likely to produce upwards of 4.4 pounds of waste – a stark contrast when compared to the average global citizen," it reveals.
#4
Not a trashman, but I told this story before. I use to work at a huge movie theatre chain back 15 years ago. we had a giant mechanical trash compactors located outside near the parking lot. Fenced and chained during the day of course. Every night, we'd take out the trash and put it in the compactor and close it shut and press the button. One night of closing, did our usual routine and I was bailing some trash and threw it all in the compactor. Closed it shut and pressed the button. Few seconds later, I hear "HEY!!!! STOP HELLLLPPPP" I stopped the compactor and opened the container. A hobo was there trying to sleep. I almost squished a hobo.
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23points
#5
Not a trashman but when I was younger my sister had a bettery-powered baby doll that would cry and do other stuff. We tried to give it a bath, which was a no-no for batteries, and the thing broke, so my mom threw it away. Well it started crying in the trashcan, and the thing had a very realistic cry. We had the trash guys digging through our trash to rescue the 'baby'.
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19points
#6
When I lived in Houston I remember once they had a explosion inside a garbage truck and it turned out it was caused because someone had thrown away live ammunition.
The neighborhood it happened in was surrounding the university I went to and someone who I went to school with knew family friends of the older lady who had done it and thus found out more about what happened.
The old woman had found her late husband's ammo that was green and old so she put it in the trash not knowing any better, after the explosion and assuming it was her fault, she called and confessed to the police. I don't think anything happened to her but I don't remember exactly.
The police department later had an article in the Chronicle and a news segment about how if you don't want or need ammunition you have you can call the police and they'll come pick it up no problem.
The neighborhood it happened in was surrounding the university I went to and someone who I went to school with knew family friends of the older lady who had done it and thus found out more about what happened.
The old woman had found her late husband's ammo that was green and old so she put it in the trash not knowing any better, after the explosion and assuming it was her fault, she called and confessed to the police. I don't think anything happened to her but I don't remember exactly.
The police department later had an article in the Chronicle and a news segment about how if you don't want or need ammunition you have you can call the police and they'll come pick it up no problem.
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19points
It goes without saying that all this waste is harming the environment... in more ways than one. When you throw organic matter like food scraps in the trash, it ends up decomposing in landfills. What follows is the release of a potent greenhouse gas called methane.
The Environmental Protection Agency has warned that municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States. And it doesn't stop there...
#7
My Dad worked for the DSNY for 20 years. Told me several stories of weird things he experienced and saw. The one that comes to mind is him and his partners found a human foot at some point in the mid 70's. A large black foot. They didn't know what to do, they put it in a bag and brought it to the closest police precinct and brought it to the desk sergeant. Desk Sgt asked what he could do for them, they pointed to the bag. He promptly looked into the bag and and closed it. Told them to just cycle it through the trash. That the person missing the foot, likely pissed off a d**g d****r and that this was a penalty/ warning. There wasn't much they could do. Since they moved the foot from where it was found, they had messed up anything that could be done as far as a potential crime scene.
They cycled the foot.
They cycled the foot.
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18points
#8
Finally one I can add a decent story too!
I worked in a recycling plant in U.K. Recycling would come in, in bags same size as trash bags. They'd get fed into a hopper and ripped open. Went through a series of conveyor belts and we hand sorted through the recycling. Found a number of things. Dirty nappies, needles, p**n mags, and regular recycling stuff.
One day we found a turtle. A real live turtle about the size of a side plate. Stopped the line to retrieve it safely, called supervisor and gave it to him. RSPCA were called and gave it to them. A couple of days later, an actress by the name of Ruth Jones (perhaps most famously started in TV show Gavin and Stacey with James Corden) came in to the plant with the turtle. It was hers that had gone missing and somehow ended up in her recycling. God knows how. Some of the other guys got pictures with her I didn't.
Also on a different occasion s*****n shells were found about 20 of them in a bag. Whole plant shut down and evacuated. Police were called who cordoned off the whole site and Royal Navy or Royal Air Force (can't remember which) arrived and took the bag. Took it on to the landfill site and blew it up!
I worked in a recycling plant in U.K. Recycling would come in, in bags same size as trash bags. They'd get fed into a hopper and ripped open. Went through a series of conveyor belts and we hand sorted through the recycling. Found a number of things. Dirty nappies, needles, p**n mags, and regular recycling stuff.
One day we found a turtle. A real live turtle about the size of a side plate. Stopped the line to retrieve it safely, called supervisor and gave it to him. RSPCA were called and gave it to them. A couple of days later, an actress by the name of Ruth Jones (perhaps most famously started in TV show Gavin and Stacey with James Corden) came in to the plant with the turtle. It was hers that had gone missing and somehow ended up in her recycling. God knows how. Some of the other guys got pictures with her I didn't.
Also on a different occasion s*****n shells were found about 20 of them in a bag. Whole plant shut down and evacuated. Police were called who cordoned off the whole site and Royal Navy or Royal Air Force (can't remember which) arrived and took the bag. Took it on to the landfill site and blew it up!
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18points
#9
Someone called my apartment manager on me because they had seen me disposing of needles.
They were for medication and I was putting them in the collection container where they were supposed to go.
They were for medication and I was putting them in the collection container where they were supposed to go.
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17points
Other items in your trash, like water bottles or plastic containers also contribute to landfill space. They don't decompose and instead, encroach upon natural habitats.
"Additionally, improper disposal of waste can lead to air pollution," cautions Waste Removal U.S.A. "When plastics and other garbage are burned, they release toxic substances into the air, which you might inadvertently breathe in, directly affecting your health and the quality of the air around you."
#10
Not a trash collector but when I was in grade 6 or 7 we lived in an apartment complex that had large bins for communal garbage. I went to throw a bag in and heard what sounded like a baby crying coming from inside. I got my mother to come out and she listened and went to get a police officer from the nearby community office.
While she went for help, I jumped into the bin and located the source of the sound. I pulled out a white plastic bag and handed it to the officer as he arrived.
The officer opened it to reveal a cloth bag damp and tied. He opened that bag and discovered a litter of puppies with, if I remember correctly, 3 of the 8 or 9 still alive.
Turns out that a guy in the neighborhood decided to k**l the puppies by trying to drown them. Thinking he did, he threw them out. His dog was taken away from him and he was banned from owning any pets for a few years.
TLDR: heard crying from a dumpster, turned out to be half drowned puppies.
While she went for help, I jumped into the bin and located the source of the sound. I pulled out a white plastic bag and handed it to the officer as he arrived.
The officer opened it to reveal a cloth bag damp and tied. He opened that bag and discovered a litter of puppies with, if I remember correctly, 3 of the 8 or 9 still alive.
Turns out that a guy in the neighborhood decided to k**l the puppies by trying to drown them. Thinking he did, he threw them out. His dog was taken away from him and he was banned from owning any pets for a few years.
TLDR: heard crying from a dumpster, turned out to be half drowned puppies.
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16points
#11
Worked at a waste water treatment facility back in my teens. I wasn't the one who found it, but was on site for the investigation. There are these giant mechanical rakes that plunge down into the sewer lines under the plant and pick up any trash. Rags, d***s, needles, condoms, dead animals. All kinds of stuff. The d***s and money seen aren't an issue. The baby that the rake pulled up was a concern. The cops were called and an investigation was started from there. Not sure what happened after that though. Nobody was updated once detectives left.
15points
#12
I use to be a garbageman. One day we were working and the police pulled over two of my colleagues and their truck. Few minutes later another officer arrived and they confiscated the truck. Turns out a woman, had a baby and no longer wanted the child. Suffocated the child and threw her in the garbage.
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15points
#13
Not a trashman, but I came home one time and the garbage truck was still in front of my house and there were a bunch of cops all posted around the area.
Trash guy was dumping the garbage out and found a handgun someone was trying t throw out.
Tuns out my neighbour was a d**g d****r. Explain how a university student was driving around in a nrw Lexus. Just figuted his family was rich. No idea why he was trying to throw out his handgun, I don know if the gun was ever connected with a crime.
Trash guy was dumping the garbage out and found a handgun someone was trying t throw out.
Tuns out my neighbour was a d**g d****r. Explain how a university student was driving around in a nrw Lexus. Just figuted his family was rich. No idea why he was trying to throw out his handgun, I don know if the gun was ever connected with a crime.
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11points
#14
Trashman at grocery store. I was emptying garbage cans outside of store to take to the dumpster in the back. Found a nice looking backpack sitting on top of a half-full garbage can. It looked in good enough condition for me to use. I took it out of the garbage and found that it was actually pretty heavy. Upon opening the bag, I found hundreds of coins in foreign currency. I informed my manager of my newfound treasure.
Unfortunately for me, manager knew more than I did. Earlier in the day, a guy with a bloody hand cashed in a bunch of coins from a CoinStar in the store. Manager called in the local police. Local police said there was a home break-in and that the perp stole a bunch of coins in the process.
I was now in the possession of blood money. I had to inconspicuously get rid of it, so I handed it over to the unsuspecting investigators and filled out a police report. I got off scot-free, and was even identified as a nameless good samaritan in the local police blotter. I was mostly just happy that this time in the police blotter, I wasn't the suspect.
Unfortunately for me, manager knew more than I did. Earlier in the day, a guy with a bloody hand cashed in a bunch of coins from a CoinStar in the store. Manager called in the local police. Local police said there was a home break-in and that the perp stole a bunch of coins in the process.
I was now in the possession of blood money. I had to inconspicuously get rid of it, so I handed it over to the unsuspecting investigators and filled out a police report. I got off scot-free, and was even identified as a nameless good samaritan in the local police blotter. I was mostly just happy that this time in the police blotter, I wasn't the suspect.
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11points
#15
A co-worker of mine (we're garbage guys) dumped a human into the garbage truck. The survived 3 packing cycles before the driver heard him knocking inside of the back of the truck. The guy had been sleeping in the front end load style dumpster.
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11points
#16
I worked as a janitor at an office complex for a year or two, if that counts: I found a gorgeous glass bong with an upward swirling design almost as big as my thigh thrown into storage room garbage once. No idea why they brought it THERE to throw it away, and truth be told I was very sorely tempted to keep it for myself, but it was simply too big to smuggle out so I HAD to tell my boss and HE called the cops.
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10points
#17
I've called for welfare checks on older customers that haven't put out their trash in a few weeks. Sometimes we're the only people that would notice a problem.
Strangest thing in the trash: Copper lol. How about nastiest: Two large cans in the middle of July full of dead geese. Not even a liner in it.
Strangest thing in the trash: Copper lol. How about nastiest: Two large cans in the middle of July full of dead geese. Not even a liner in it.
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10points
#18
I used to work for a company that did green waste recycling. Mostly grass and other garden waste. We came across countless adult toys and an engine block once. Nothing against the law though.
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8points
#19
Not a sanitation worker but at the time I was working at a non profit donation center. I recieved a computer that had an evidance tag on it and had to call the sheriff's department to make sure it wasn't an active case or anything important still on the hard drive.
8points
#20
My grandmother told me a story about how her Asian neighbors got the cops called on them a bunch of times because of what was in their trash. This was way back in the day and they were basically the only Asian people in the whole neighborhood. One of the times were over ox tail bones. I guess they left some ox tail on the stove and it burned so they just threw the whole thing out. A nosy neighbor peeked inside and thought it was a human spine or something crazy like that because they had never seen ox tail before and called the cops saying they think the neighbors k****d and cooked someone. The cops took it VERY seriously when they came. Every other time it was either someone calling because they think it's dog bones and that the Asians were stealing and eating local dogs, or d***s because of the unfamiliar smells. The owner of the house was an engineer and someone thought he was running around the streets kidnapping dogs to eat.
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6points