Almost every Tuesday night my mom tells someone in my family to put the trash bins outside for the garbage man. While one of us drags the bin outside, does it ever occurs to us that “garbage man” isn’t even the employee’s official job title? Or that the employee does more than take our garbage away? Probably not, as Americans often overlook and under appreciate the impact that Recycling Tech’s and Waste Collector’s have on the environment and economic state of our nation.

The men and women working for the trash companies have helped contribute to reaching a national recycling rate of 34.1 percent, while collecting and processing more than 65 million tons of recyclables and composted 20 million tons of yard and waste. These big numbers are more meaningful when you look at the deeper impact. Recycling conserves vital natural resources and saves energy.

There are many benefits that come as a result to recycling. Some of the results include conserving landfill compactly, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing energy costs of recyclable materials.

Recycling is one of America’s greatest positive environmental factors. The employees dedicated to the success of the waste and recycle companies are always looking to more efficiently manage waste, as they continue to benefit our communities. They also try to continue to educate customers on the benefits of recycling and the progress that has been made.

While recycling has come a long way, there still are many improvements and innovations that the waste companies are working on. The men and women who pick up the garbage have a bigger impact on the community and the world than we realize. They are much more than the garbage man. I would encourage everyone to get to know their garbage collector and learn about the big contributions they are making in their neighborhood and ultimately the world.