– HOME COMPANION SERVICE

from Ponca City Monthly March 2023

by Ponca City Monthly

Kids Say the Darnedest Things Sibling Love

580-396-7000 704

SERVICES INCLUDE

Quality, personalized care • Transportation

Day-to-day chores • Preparing meals

Light housekeeping • Medication assistance

Support in dietary needs • Grocery shopping

Supported independence • Companionship

Daily errands • Playing games

Reading • Laundry • MORE!

Residential routes run Monday/ Thursday and Tuesday/Friday. Hays explains the critical nature of the routes. “Everything that’s supposed to be done on Monday has to be done on Monday. We can’t push it off. Because on Tuesday, we’ve got all the Tuesday stuff, so we can’t go back and do Monday.” Procrastination is not an option. When asked what they do in the face of this kind of pressure they say they just deal with it. Daine points out they’re “essential services.” They days. After a holiday when they’re facing multiple times the normal amount of garbage, they just work a longer shift to get it all picked up.

On top of residential garbage, they also empty commercial dumpsters for local businesses. Each truck has one driver and two loaders. The two loaders are the employees who manually get off and dump the barrels or cans. Ponca City trash collection is via “manual dump.” Manual dump is faster than automated dumping. Citizens also have the luxury to get rid of one large item per trash day. This would not be an option with automated trucks. A switch to automated trucks would take so much more time per route that we would have to move to one trash day a week per residence with no extra items able to be dumped.

Daine and Hays both take pride in the work they do. It’s hard work and it’s dangerous work. Few are cut out to be a garbage man. Hays puts it like this, “You’re either made for this job or you’re not. It’s a good job. This job will grab you and suck you in. It’s the camaraderie, the hours, the work. You only have to get along with two other people. And if you’re having a bad day, you can take your frustrations out on the trash, not the cans. We take care of the cans. And you can go home knowing that you did something that was worthwhile. And know that you’re providing for your family.”

Daine and Hays share about the dangers of garbage that one might not consider. People throw away all manner of things – broken glass, live bullets, household chemicals, lithium batteries, hypodermic needles and other biohazards. Any number of things can become dangerous when crushed by the trash compactor. On top of what’s in the trash, there’s also the work itself. They’re dumping residential cans on 14th Street between Hartford and Highland and on Pecan between Hartford and Lake Road. The gentlemen tell me if you hear screeching tires, you don’t take a second to look, you jump in the hopper with all the trash. Whatever might be in the hopper is a better alternative than being hit by a car. Daine says nonchalantly, “I’ve had people almost take me out before. I mean, it’s just part of the job.” Daine goes on to say, “It’s a tough job.” Hays adds, “But I come back every day loving this job.”

Both tell stories of how rewarding their work is. Daine shares, “There are three little girls that come out to the fence almost every time I go through their alley. I get out and talk to them. They go to my church. And that is the highlight of their day.” Hays adds, “We had a little kid that came out all the time just because he loved the trash truck. He brought us out some of his birthday cookies. Next time we came through, I had a giant toy trash truck that I went to Walmart and got him. He thought that was the coolest thing.”

When all six residential trucks are up and running, each route hits about 950 houses per day. If trucks are down, that number goes up. Senior Collectors are required to have their Class B Commercial Driver’s License as well as their Air Brakes License. New Senior Collectors are mentored by more experienced drivers on the ins and outs of driving the trucks and are required to log a set number of hours before driving on their own. Residential customers can have up to three 35-gallon containers of trash out on each pick-up day. Our Solid Waste Department picks up residential leaves from November through January. Spring Cleaning happens in either March or April and residents can put out anything they want except for liquids, chemicals, appliances and tires. The Household Hazardous Waste event is held every other year.

Next time you’re taking out your trash, remember the humans who make it disappear. They work incredibly hard, they put their lives at risk on a regular basis, and they deserve our respect.