Garbage Collectors Are Sharing Things People Do That They Hate And We Should All Take Notes

"Loose needles."

The people who deal with our trash are unsung heroes of society, keeping the world tidy for not a lot of praise or appreciation.

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Redditor u/motordemon gave them the mic and asked, "Garbage collectors of Reddit, what do people do with their trash that frustrates you the most?"

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Some answers were "duh," and others are like, "No way!" All help us think about the folks on the other end and how to make life a little easier for them.

1. "Liquids."

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"People need to realize that liquids do not belong in a trash bag. Liquid always finds a way, either to inside the basket or much worse, the floor. Liquid always finds a way." — u/andsendunits

2. "Cat litter."

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"I don't really know a good way to dispose of it, but it is so heavy and rips trash bags so easily. One house always bagged theirs in several grocery bags, which I greatly preferred to the house that put a hundred pounds worth in one trash bag every. single. week." — u/benormal

3. "Needles."

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"My father was a garbage man/driver back in the '90s. He said a worker of his was pricked by a hypodermic needle. Turned out to be okay, but yeah, don't do that." — u/ImNoSheeple

"Put your used needles (insulin, heroin, etc.) into a coffee or Pringles can. If we get stuck with a dirty needle, we're in for a bad day." — u/SaabinDeep

4. "Bleach."

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"My dad was a garbage man and a dog catcher for our small town when I was really young... He said people putting bleach on top of the bags in their trash cans to stop opossums and other wildlife from getting in them was the worst." — u/ikwatchua

5. "Rainwater."

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"As far as I know, garbage cans come with lids. So why is it people don't use them, especially when it is raining? Nothing says you're an asshole like a can filled to the brim with water." — u/ErikaCD

6. "Rotting fish."

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"I worked as a garbage collector when I was in high school. The number one annoyance was fish that had been left out to rot in the summer heat. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you have to dispose of fish and other marine animals, put them in several layers of bags or whatever, especially in the summer months." — u/drjimshorts

7. "Impatient drivers."

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"I'm currently an NYC Sanitation Worker with 17 years of experience. The biggest problem isn't with the garbage — it's with the people trying to pass me in their cars doing 40 mph and coming within inches of ending my life because they can't wait five minutes for me and my partner to finish up and get our truck out of the way. I wake up early to give myself extra time to get to work; I suggest you do the same." — u/98FordContour

8. "Loose diapers."

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"People who put diapers in the trash but don't bother to tie or bag them: I hate these people." — u/Vamporko

9. "Loose/unbagged poop."

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"People will wait till trash morning to scoop up all their dog's poop and dump it right on top of the trash in the can. Not in a bag....not in the woods...right on top of the bags in the can. There's nothing worse than taking a lid off and finding a man-sized pile of dog crap waiting for you." — u/SaabinDeep

10. "Household garbage."

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"Number-one annoying thing is people's house garbage in a public receptacle. That shit fills up the can so fucking fast, makes the bag extra heavy, and is illegal as well. Don't be a turd, and dispose of your own trash properly. So that, and for some reason I find lots of sand." — u/AggregateMelons

11. "Animals...in the recycling?!"

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"It was genuinely incredible, the things that people think are recyclable. Some highlights: pit bulls in black plastic bags (dead); kittens (live — we adopted some personally and called the animal shelter to come take the rest)." — u/bongklute

12. "Chemicals/hazardous waste."

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"My eyesight was 20/15 in both eyes when I was younger. One fateful day, someone had disposed of a product called 'Therm-Tec' in a loose bag. My coworker ripped the bag open, and this stuff went everywhere — it was like someone had set off a smoke bomb. This stuff is horrible — tiny particles get in your eyes, nose, throat, lungs — and they burn.

My eyes became infected within an hour, and despite attempts to clean my eyes with boric acid solution, the damage had been done. By the time I got to the eye surgeon two hours later, my vision had been permanently damaged. I am now 20/80 in my right eye, and 20/100 in my left. I am not the only one. All my coworkers on that shift had to see an eye doctor. All of us suffered permanent vision loss. The effect on my eyes was not as severe as [on] some of the others'.

If you have any hazardous wastes, especially particulate matter, which creates a fine dust, or anything which generates strong fumes...please read up on how to responsibly dispose of it, and then take appropriate action." — u/LadyFajra

13. "No bags."

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"Going Commando — people who don't use garbage bags. Yeah, they exist. These fucking savages just throw their shit all loose in the can." — u/ErikaCD

14. "Untied bags."

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"Tie. Your. Fucking. Bags." — u/Ataraxias

15. "Bricks."

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"Not a 'garbage man,' but I do take out the trash and manage dumpsters at work. Following an incident where someone decided to LINE THE CARDBOARD/PAPER DUMPSTER WITH BRICKS, we needed to lock them." -- u/Monotonegent

16. "Trash outside the trash can."

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"'Seriously, the amount of people that would drop their shit on the floor within feet to a few inches of the trash cans was insane. We'd periodically try adding more general disposal bins to more populated areas. Know what happened? You just ended up with more shit strewn about the floor rather than in the one or two corners. Just put your trash in the fucking trash." — u/shArkh

"My dad is a trashman, and I used to go in the truck with him on his shifts. The thing that used to annoy me, just watching, was the people that threw huge trash bags on the floor instead of the dumpster. He had to get out of his truck, throw in so many trash bags, then go in the truck to lift up the dumpster and throw everything away. Seriously people, throwing your stuff away in the right place isn't that hard. At least try to make it easier for people like my dad." — u/PiNKCaNDYxOxO

17. "Overflowing dumpsters."

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"Next time you see a dumpster filled 12' over the top, just think about the guy who has to climb up and throw all the shit off that; the dumb people just piled to the sky. Seriously, you pour a drink and stop when it gets full...you don't keep pouring and letting it all overflow..." — u/Silverdice54

18. "Wrong materials in the wrong container."

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"I'm a dispatcher for a garbage company, and my drivers get soooo pissed when the customer puts the wrong materials in each container...trash in the yard waste, concrete in the trash...I had a driver call in one time that a customer had poured liquid paint into their recycling toter and it had solidified. It takes like, two seconds to look at each container and make sure you're putting it in the right one. They're even different colors in case you don't feel like reading the stickers! And if you aren't sure whether something can be disposed curbside just call us...we can tell you how to get rid of it or schedule a special pickup for some items." — u/LadyFajra

19. "Yard waste!!!"

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"People fill up their huge yard-waste cans with dirt, sod, grass, leaves, then they top the whole thing off by jamming sticks in there. All they've done is create a wooden, makeshift net to trap everything in the can!!

So then I'm swearing and bang the can on the side of truck to try and break the wooden net! AND THEN a resident calls and complains cuz their garbage man was cursing in the street while staring into a bunch of CRAP! AND THEN MY BOSS CALLS ME THE NEXT DAY CUZ THE FUCKING CAN IS BROKEN AND THE WHEELS FELL OFF CUZ I WAS BANGING IT ON THE TRUCK TRYING TO GET THE WOODEN NET TO BREAK SO I COULD MOVE ON WITH MY SHIT-FILLED DAY!!

So please, place your sticks next to your cans and bags OR break them into smaller pieces. Good day." — u/DontPanic40Too

20. "Remodeling type stuff."

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"If you're throwing away something heavy or doing some remodeling type stuff, PLEASE use heavy-duty trash bags. Nothing like having to pick up a shit ton of dry wall/wood/glass/whatever out of the street because the tiny kitchen bag it was stuffed into ripped open. If you're doing a really big job inside the house, you're probably better off renting a dumpster anyway." — u/benormal

21. "Printer toners."

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"Please stop putting that shit in there — I'd like to keep my lungs for a bit longer." -- u/MisfitSkull

Note: Many chemicals in printer ink are toxic! Most companies have a simple recycling program for their cartridges.

Now I know to pour out my half-finished coffee so that it doesn't end up on a garbage collector! Do you have any trash nightmares to share? Add 'em in the comments!

Note: Some answers have been edited for length/clarity.