Keeping The City Clean, Rain or Shine
Monday, July 18th, 2022
"We do everything from sweeping your roads, to picking up your leaves in the fall to picking up garbage and recycling five days a week," said Dwayne Carvell, a foreman for the sanitation division of Dalton's Public Works Department. "We have two brush crews and two rubbish crews, the garbage drivers and recycling drivers, too."
The residents of Dalton might not spend much time thinking about the drivers who work in sanitation for Public Works, but these unsung workers are vital to keeping the City running and beautiful. In all weather conditions throughout the year, they've got a hard job and they work hard to get it done.
At right: Drivers and crew from the Public Works Department's sanitation division pose together after a Friday shift at the Hayden L. Wagers Memorial Facilities
"When the weather's hot, if it's 90, 95 degrees, they've got to be out in it," Carvell said, noting that the drivers of the City's recycling trucks and rubbish trucks have the added challenge of having to do most of the work by hand, getting out of their trucks at each stop to sort recycling from each bin or rake up brush and debris. The recycling truck drivers also have drive their vehicles in a standing position.
"They have to get out at every house and sort every bin by hand," Carvell said. "We recommend that if people have two or three bins that they separate and sort things... but it’s not mandatory. But yeah, most of them have 300 or 400 stops a day, and it’s been growing over the years. A lot of times people don’t consider that they are out in all types of weather, especially the recyclers. But the guys who run the brush trucks, they do the same kinds of thing, they’re out, if it’s pouring down rain we’re still out picking up brush and things like that. They get out of their trucks and rake up piles and things like that."
"It's hot, and they try to get out early so they can have their routes done at a reasonable time, but it's hot."
Carvell estimates that the garbage truck drivers serve approximately 800 households per day while the recycling drivers have at least 300 stops to make per day. Each single family household in the City is serviced once a week for garbage and recycling, with half of the City being serviced for rubbish every other week.
