17 Fictional Characters We’d Love To Take Out Our Trash

Wall-E was too pure for this world.

Ugh! Taking out the trash has got to be one of the worst chores. There’s the awful stench, the chance of garbage juice running down your arm, and the game of Jenga to avoid bits of waste food falling out when the bin’s overflowing. It’s one of those grim jobs that’s gotta be done when it’s your turn.

Peacock / NBC / Via giphy.com

But what if you could get someone (or something) else to do it? Well, the world of TV and movies has a surprising number of colorful characters who’d make this smelly task a lot more entertaining (or horrifying):

1. Oscar the Grouch (Sesame Street)

PBS

Is there anyone more famous who lives in a trash can? The furry green muppet might be in a bad mood most of the time, but it’s not because of the incredible amount of waste the world produces or because he lives in a garbage can, as he loves trash. Chatting with Oscar every time you throw something away would be great!

2. The Trash Man (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia)

FX

Frank Reynolds’ wrestling character is a real American hero and the champion as the gang wrestles for the troops. True, he never actually takes out any trash (and, in another episode, asks to be thrown in the garbage when he dies, suggesting he knows little about proper waste management). But he’d be highly entertaining, if not erratic, taking out rubbish.

3. Muck (Bob the Builder)

Nickelodeon

Never has a big red dump truck with a bulldozer blade seemed more friendly than Muck. He might be a bit silly and not the cleanest character, but he’d quickly get rid of garbage in one go with a smile. Just make sure he’s taking out the trash in daylight, as despite his size, Muck’s afraid of the dark!

4. Wall-E (Wall-E)

Disney Pixar

Has there ever been a cuter robot responsible for picking up garbage? Until Eve comes into his life, Wall-E is a great little worker, picking up trash across what remains of Earth. Having a friendly robot like him emptying your bins would be a joy. I just hope he doesn’t fall in love and disregard his trash-compacting duties again.

5. Harold the Garbage Goober (Rick and Morty)

Adult Swim

“Mmm, trash. I love trash. Yum yum trash!” The alien Harold sings that as he chomps through the Smith family’s garbage. It seems like a win-win situation as he’s happy to eat up their trash, and it’s more environmentally friendly than sending it to landfill. However, when it turns out he’s a doctor, and his wife isn’t thrilled with Harold munching on waste, it puts a slightly sadder spin on things.

6. The Wombles

Michael Putland / Getty Images

"Make good use of bad rubbish" was the motto for the Wombles, a group of pointy-nosed furry creatures that lived and picked up rubbish on Wimbledon Common in London in the 1970s. They were full of old-school British charm and liked to sing as they collected trash and made good use of it in fun and inventive ways. Due to their small size, they couldn't wholly remove much waste.

7. Family Guy's Garbage Man (Family Guy)

FOX

At first, the sanitation worker with no nose is pleased and efficient, someone you'd love to smile and say hello to in the morning as he clears your trash. However, it's more than worrying when he decides to take some receipts out of the bins and steal an identity. Still, maybe the person should have been more careful and shredded their confidential waste.

8. Francine's Dad (Arthur)

PBS

In the episode "My Dad, the Garbage Man," Francine and her mom are both initially ashamed of her dad's profession. But after a field trip where he shows them the fun of driving a bulldozer and what can be made from compacted garbage (in this case, a playground), Francine becomes proud of him. Her dad, Oliver Frensky, is so passionate about his sanitation job that he'd be a joy removing waste from any home.

9. The Garbage Man (The Simpsons)

FOX

These are possibly some of the best-dressed sanitation workers around (although white suits for guys dealing with trash all day reeks of a terrible Homer Simpson idea). The all-singing, all-dancing troop would be great fun to take away your rubbish every week. Alas, the high cost as Homer burned through the annual budget in one month means such dapper sanitation workers aren't sustainable.

10. Bin (Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared)

YouTube

An anthropomorphic wastepaper basket from the wild world of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared would be slightly creepy to throw garbage into. Looking into those big eyes and hearing it get excited about firing people could make disposing of trash a trickier task than usual. Still, it’d certainly liven things up in the workplace.

11. Sal (Futurama)

FOX

Ok, he’s a little cranky and lazy — and it’s not entirely clear why he seems to have many different jobs (is he a clone or constantly fired?) — but Sal should be more than capable of taking out the trash. He’s seen working as a janitor, cleaner, sewage treatment, and sanitation worker, so he has plenty of experience. Plus, his boorish attitude will add a bit of spice to the task.

12. Jerry (Malcolm in the Middle)

FOX

Jerry is one sanitation worker you don't want to piss off. Hal finds this out when they fall out over his refusal to remove an old scratching post, which typically escalates and leads to Jerry dumping waste on the family's lawn. Revengeful and anger aren't the traits you want for whoever's taking away your rubbish.

13. Sid (Toy Story)

Disney Pixar

It seems like a little easter egg in Toy Story 3 that the sanitation worker is the despicable Sid, but now he’s all grown up. But would he wear the same T-shirt he wore as a child? Who does that? Either way, he competently empties the bins in his brief cameo, so maybe he’s turned his life around.

14. Men at Work

Triumph Releasing Corporation

In or out of character, having Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez (Carl Taylor and the ludicrously named James St. James here) remove your household waste will cause chaos. As chief mischief makers in this action-comedy movie, they spend more time disturbing the peace than emptying bins. It's not ideal if you live on a quiet street.

15. Dianoga (Star Wars)

Disney

These creatures from the planet Vodran are regularly called garbage squids, sewage squids, or trash monsters. Their sharp teeth help them devour smaller animals like fish, crabs, bones, and plants. But most Dianoga aren’t fussy and will eat all sorts of organic materials and are. They’d be as effective, but a little scarier, as an alternative trash compactor at home.

16. Garbageman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Nickelodeon

One of the minor bad guys that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had to deal with regularly was the unoriginally named Garbageman. He's a slob with no legs, and he often appears in a tank with two claws that would be great at picking up trash. Instead, he uses them to kidnap people and make them his workers on his landfill island. He moved underwater to Junkatlantis at some point and rode around in a submarine. He's last seen falling into a trench on the ocean floor, which is probably for the best!

17. And Trash Can (Futurama)

FOX / Via images.app.goo.gl

Not much is known about this trash can that Fry interacts with in an alley. But she must be a great multitasker, as she tells Fry that he should “try catching garbage in your head and raising six kids.” That sassiness would make for plenty of great one-liners to lighten the load of emptying the trash.