According to Clean Air Council.com, over seven billion pounds of trash are thrown away each year and 18 million pounds of bottles and paper are recycled each year.  In the United States alone, there are approximately eight different jobs that specifically work on a daily basis to keep our environments clean—through removing this litter.  The most common of these jobs are garbage men.

On the outside, the occupation of garbage men seem simple—drive trucks, collect the garbage from their routes, and dispose of the garbage in the nearest dump.  But on a closer look, garbage men play a much more important role in society.

According to World Ocean Review.com, if garbage men did not do their job, more garbage than the already 6.4 million tons of litter would build up in the oceans.  And Begin with the Bin (http://beginwiththebin.org) says, “More than 80% of the ocean debris is from land-based sources.”

Thankfully, garbage men report to each town or county weekly in an effort to dispose as much of this garbage as they can.

Garbage does more than pollute our planet, it also kills innocent marine organisms.

Plastic is the main concern of environmentalists.  Unlike natural materials such as metal or paper, plastic takes up to 400 years to dissolve.  That’s 400 years worth of potential animal deaths.  Its plastic’s durable and resistant qualities that make this such a dangerous material to find in the ocean.

This is just one reason why the jobs of garbage men are so important to our world.  Along with keeping our society clean, they also save the lives of millions of marine animals.  This is why garbage men deserve more appreciation than they receive nowadays in our culture.

Personally, I had not given much thought to my garbage men and the important work that they partake in every day.  After writing this essay, I realized that those workers deserve the recognition for their contribution to society.

People should go out of their way to thank and acknowledge garbage men whenever the opportunity presents itself.  Without garbage men, even more litter would pile up in the streets, the parks, and the oceans.

There are various ways to illustrate appreciation towards your local garbage men.  You could periodically leave thank you notes for them, give them a present, or—best of all—say thank you in person.

References

http://beginwiththebin.org/environment-friendly-waste-disposal/litter-prevention.php

http://www.cleanair.org/program/waste_and_recycling

http://beginwiththebin.org

http://worldoceanreview.com/en/wor-1/pollution/litter/