A day in the life of a trash man
City workers Ken Carlson and Jeremy Hamm spend all day with Hillsboro's trash
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
When trash day comes, most people generally don't give it much thought. They bundle up their bags, stuff their poly carts, shove everything out to the curb, and dash off to work.
Most people don't stop to think about how that trash mysteriously disappears from their homes and businesses every day.
But the next time you see that cart or commercial Dumpster free of nasty garbage, think of these two Hillsboro men: Ken Carlson and Jeremy Hamm.
Because they're the ones who, day in and day out, pick up Hillsboro's trash.
Carlson is the supervisor of the garbage crew, and Hamm works alongside him during the day. Together they spend their work days climbing in and out of a massive trash truck. They dump in a container or bag, pack it, and repeat the process over and over — and over.
Their day starts at 8 a.m., when they get on the road to Hillsboro's businesses. All of the commercial trash bins are dumped in the morning, usually before 11 a.m., Carlson says.
On Monday morning, it's the first day after the weekend, so many of the bins Carlson and Hamm encounter are full to overflowing. Their very first stop of the day is at Casey's, where they encounter a slight delay: A blue Bronco has parked right in front of the bin.
Hamm heads inside the gas station to find the driver of the vehicle, and in a few minutes they've got a clear path to the bin.
For each bin, Carlson has to carefully maneuver the trash truck into position, just in front of the bin. Then the corners of the bin fit into a locking mechanism on the truck. Once that's secure, Hamm pulls down a lever to start a huge hydraulic lift, which lifts up the metal bin and tilts its contents — a.k.a., garbage — into the back of the truck.
And if you think that's loud, you ain't heard nothin' yet.
Before releasing the bin from the dump truck's mechanical hands, Hamm "shakes" the bin, using a lever again. This is to make sure every last bit of trash is out of the bin.
Standing outside while Hamm shakes the huge metal bin makes you wish you wore earplugs. But if you're inside the truck cab, it feels like an earthquake that's hit eight on the Richter Scale.
Once all the trash has been dumped out, another lever starts a huge mechanical "packer," which pushes the trash into the main holding area of the truck.
It's a powerful mechanism that can crush virtually anything, Hamm says.
But there are some items that are definitely not taken with the trash — such as rocks, cement blocks, appliances, tires, or dangerous chemicals. They do take microwaves and furniture, but most people take bags of leaves and yard waste to the city compost pile.
After Casey's, it's on to Hillsboro Heights, out by Highway 56. Dollar General is next — that's where Carlson's wife works as a manger. After Dollar General the truck heads for Country Haven Inn and Sonic.
Carlson and Hamm don't stop at each of these places every day. They go to Dollar General three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But there are some businesses they visit every single day, like Alco, Golden Heritage Foods, the Hillsboro Community Medical Center, Irv Schroeder County Motors, and Hillsboro Industries.
Once the bin at Alco is dumped, Carlson and Hamm head for town. Their next job is to collect the trash behind Main Street businesses.
Now that they're in town, many of these businesses have poly carts or just bag their trash. So Hamm stands on the back of the truck, throwing in garbage bags as Carlson continues to drive.
The city owns two dump trucks, Carlson says. This one is a Freightliner, which the city has owned for one and a half years. It can hold 12 tons of garbage, which means that the men can collect all day long and not empty their truck at the Marion transfer station until the end of the day.
It's a massive truck to look at — and also a massive truck to get into. In the cab, the seats are at least five feet off the ground. If you want to get into the cab, prepare yourself for a climb.
As the truck continues behind Hillsboro's businesses on the west side of Main Street, a couple observations come to mind.
First, it's hard to figure out where you are. Stores look a lot different from the back than they do from the front.
And second, you can find out some interesting things from the trash. For example: A trash can containing both Sonic bags and a Healthy Choice dinner box shows that someone's struggling with that diet.
Once the truck finishes at First Street, it's time to head to the other side. And once that side is done, ending with Vogt's IGA, Main Street Ministries is next.
During their time as "trash men," both Carlson and Hamm have found some things that didn't need to be thrown out.
Once, Carlson found a $100 watch, he says. He also found a nice recliner, which he gave to his son.
Hamm has found all sorts of electronics, from VCRs to stereos. Many of them are in good condition and still work, he says. He doesn't know why people would throw out a perfectly good stereo.
But although working with trash isn't the most glamorous job in the world, both Carlson and Hamm say they like their work. And with Hillsboro continuing to grow, there will always be more trash to pick up, Carlson says.
Hamm enjoys being outside — he doesn't want to be cooped up in an office.
But it's the weather that can make things more difficult. On rainy or cold days, they have to break out the rain coats and long johns.
And on windy days, the gusts can blow trash all over the place.
"It's just like a hurricane," Carlson says.
So Carlson has to angle the trash truck just right against the wind — something he's gotten very good at over the years. It's not easy to drive such a huge vehicle.
It was very strange, Carlson says, when his family owned a Ford Escort. When you get used to driving the truck all day and being so high off the ground, the Escort seemed tiny.
After stops at Main Street Ministries, Irv Schroeder's, the American Legion, the hospital, and Parkside, Carlson and Hamm head back to the office for a break. But their day is far from over — they'll probably finish the commercial pickups by 11 a.m., and continue the rest of the day picking up trash at houses.
Winter and fall are the slower times, Carlson says. That's because in the summer, everybody's doing home improvement projects. But the holidays are also busy because people are throwing away gift boxes and wrapping paper.
The department also keeps busy after holidays. When there is no trash pickup on a holiday — for example, Veteran's Day last week — two crews run the next day to catch up. Carlson and Hamm run their regular route, and two other city workers take the other city trash truck and get what wasn't picked up the previous day.
Some of the men who help out with trash are Gary Penner, Bobby Patterson, and Mike Sturgeon. They all work for the street department.
But most likely, when you see the trash truck coming down the street and two men wearing gloves throwing trash in the back, you'll know who it is: Ken Carlson and Jeremy Hamm.
