To the editor:
As we move toward July 1, there has been much discussion regarding the major challenge of storing and handling the new, larger town-issued trash and recycling bins. I must admit some difficulty in wrapping my head around how the cost impact of significantly slowing down trucks to position mechanical arms is offset by eliminating the hustling workers who have followed the trucks for years. I am sure this conclusion was based on what was learned from a fair and open bidding process.
However, my thoughts have been elsewhere. My thoughts are with those hardworking sanitation workers we are used to seeing running behind the trucks, emptying receptacles, and, most of the time, returning them safely to our curbs. Maybe this is not the grueling work one aspires to, but I believe it is a profoundly noble endeavor. There is a certain integrity in a worker who shows up on time, regularly, whether facing sub-freezing winter temperatures or tropical summer heat. The physical requirements speak for themselves. We should also be grateful for their patience in dealing with our various personal standards for how we pack our trash.
I will always appreciate the fuss they made over our grandchildren, who would wait weekly by the door to wave to the “garbage men.” During the COVID-19 crisis, as well as the recent waste hauler strike, we were reminded that these workers provide an essential human health service. When we think back to the beginning of the pandemic — absent a full understanding of transmission mechanisms — their simply showing up was an act of bravery that I am not sure they were adequately thanked for. As we face this end of an era, I would like to say a profound thank you. I invite fellow residents of Marblehead to consider doing the same, perhaps even offering a “Christmas-in-June” gesture of appreciation before the automated system takes over.
Charlie Pihokken
Pinecliff Drive
