Detroit Sanitation Worker on Keeping the City Clean

We see it all: old furniture, rugs, construction debris. One time, some people pulled up right behind me as I was talking with my supervisor on the phone. They started throwing old TVs over a fence onto a vacant property. On another day there was this guy emptying his trailer out on the street as I was sitting there in my city sanitation truck. He motioned to me to come clean it up. People try to report the illegal dumpers in the act so we can catch them and make them stop. But I can’t stop anyone from dumping. It could become unpleasant if I confronted them.

I’ll be going back to the truck once people come back to work. I’m no hero, though maybe my truck is. It does all the heavy work. I do my job to make the city cleaner. There are about 15 guys who do this job. I’m just one of them.

— As told to Michael Anft