Did You Know? National Garbage Man Day is celebrated the week of June 17th!

The world would be a disgusting place without a garbage man around. Over the years, people either burned, buried, tossed over the shoulder, or fed garbage to animals. Many cities became buried in filth and disease and it became necessary to do something about the debris. That’s when garbage men came into play! Garbage men don’t simply take care of the garbage around our homes, they keep our environment and the air we breathe healthy and clean.

National Garbage Man Day

John D. Arwood, CEO of Arwood Waste, invites everyone to celebrate all trash collectors and anyone else who does the dirty jobs that we would rather not do. He is raising awareness for the men and women who make our cities clean.

Garbage men are vital for life. Without garbage men, what would you do with all of your trash? Would you throw it in the streets, in the river, or would you burn or let your animals get into it? These aren’t questions anyone wants to come across because no one wants to deal with their own trash. Garbage men have done amazing jobs keeping the environment clean from debris and disorder. Be sure to thank yours!

Whether it’s hair spray, air freshener, Cheez-Wiz, or silly spray, chances are you have plenty of aerosol cans lying around your home. Most homeowners don’t think twice before throwing these right into the garbage can when they are empty. Did you know, however, that there are precautions you should take before simply throwing away an aerosol can?

1. Be sure the can is totally empty. If that means you have to eat a few more crackers with Cheez-Wiz on top, then so be it. Empty cans are much easier to dispose of than those that are not. Empty cans can either be recycled (and some centers will even pay for your aluminum or steel cans) or tossed in the trash.
2. Partially empty or full cans are a different story. First, try to use the product to empty the can. If you cannot stomach the smell of the air freshener anymore or if the hair spray just isn’t keeping your hair as full as you’d like, consider donating the product. A local art school, for example, may want your spray paint.
3. A spray paint can is easily emptied by taking it outside, spreading some newspaper on the grass, and spraying away until you no longer hear a hissing sound. If the can contains hazardous materials like paint or oil and you cannot empty and/or donate it, try your city’s hazardous waste collection site. Although there may be a small fee for disposal here, you can rest easy knowing you did your part to keep the environment (and others) safe.
4. DO NOT puncture an aerosol can. This also means do not remove the nozzle before you throw it away. You could hurt yourself or someone else. Trust us on this one. Don’t do it.
5. Aerosol cans are packed under pressure and can cause explosions if exposed to heat. That is why it is so important to fully empty the cans before tossing in the recycling or garbage. You don’t want to be “that guy” that injures a landfill worker because you didn’t take a few seconds to empty the can before you threw it away. Be considerate!
6. The only aerosols that should be recycled are those that contained non-hazardous materials such as health products, food products, laundry products, and asthma medications. Those that contained insecticides, spray paint, lubricants, or other hazardous materials should not be recycled.

As the MLB All-Star Game nears closer, the City of Cincinnati has been stepping up its own game; when it comes to trash. Road crews have been doing some extra tidying around major highways and roads that were once littered with trash. Cincinnati has also created more anti-littering campaigns to clean up around the city by encouraging everyone to do their share.

It’s All About Image

The question is, why put so much money towards cleanup and litter elimination? When a city hosts large events they want to show off their culture, provide local entertainment and be accommodating to visitors, all to create a good image for the city. One of the largest aspects of image can not be overlooked though, and that is cleanliness.

Highways: The Gateways to the City

The reason the City of CIncinnati has been paying so much attention to the litter problem on the highways is that the roads are the first experience a tourist will have when visiting a city. Let’s say you just got off the plane at CVG and are headed into the city on northbound I-71; if your first impression comes from trash sacks people have dumped on the side of the highway, you’re image of the city is already fairly negative. Making sure roadways are clear of trash and debris show that the city maintains their roads well and gives off the impression of cleanliness even if people don’t directly notice it.

Cleanliness is a State of Mind

It’s also important for the residents of the city to have a “clean” attitude. Anti-littering programs are incredibly important because the best way to solve the litter problem is to get to the source. Imagine you’re walking to Great American Ballpark for the game and on your way there you pass by people who nonchalantly toss their trash into the street. You then begin to notice all of the litter on the sidewalks and suddenly the city seems incredibly dirty. It’s also a turn-off for businesses in the area because if their is trash piled outside of a restaurant or bar, you’ll most likely infer that they don’t care for their building and must not care about their product and or service.

It’s Up to You

• Dispose of garbage in public trashcans
• Don’t litter cigarette butts
• Keep garbage in your car until you stop to throw it out
• Encourage others to be responsible too

To get involved, visit Keep Cincinnati Beautiful’s website