The other morning on our dog walk, the Wapsi Waste truck was out doing its Wednesday rounds in our neighborhood. We were coming home as they were picking up our recycling. We waited until they had pulled away and crossed the street, moving on to the next house.
As we walked into our yard we heard lots of glass being picked up and emptied into the truck. Glass makes a lot of noise and the air currents were just right so the sound carried our direction. During the clatter (imagine glass breaking sounds) we heard the driver say to his assistant, the young man who rides on the back, “We’re going to lose this town.”
Mount Vernon residents have expressed interest in a change in garbage collection service. Since this talk of change, I think about the people of Wapsi Waste and how they might feel about the possible change.
The young man who rides on the back of the truck waves when we wave, and he has also complimented us on our dogs as they have learned not to bark when the truck stops in front of our house and the dogs watch the pick up.
When I heard the words, “We are going to lose this town” I was again reminded that there are people behind the service.
For every action there’s a reaction. At that house near ours, while the glass was being recycled, something happened to cause the driver to get out of the truck and help the young man with the glass. Something happened to cause him to say, “We are going to lose this town” loud enough for us to hear. And then we heard more glass being put/thrown/added to the truck as we unleashed the dogs and went inside.
If Mount Vernon residents appreciate Wapsi Waste, I think they should reach out and say so. Tell the men who remove our waste and recycling that they are appreciated.
We are fortunate to have a service that cleans up after us.
Gretchen Reeh-Robinson
Mount Vernon