As I’ve mentioned my son is in the hardcore trash truck phase of his life. We are all very supportive of this since trash trucks are pretty cool.
While Rex and I were doing our usual hunt for trash trucks in our new neighborhood we were surprised when the trash truck stopped in front of us. Not to pick up debris, but for a chat. We met Luis. The nicest sanitation worker in Los Angeles ( perhaps there are others, but I haven’t met them). He told us that the following day ( Saturday) the sanitation yard was having an open house. He wrote down the info as he had given out all of the flyers.
I phoned Mark immediatly, “we have an important field trip tomorrow.”
The event started at 11am, and if I go again which I would, I say get there at the start. Some of the free stuff is gone by 1pm. They had a DJ, free hot dogs and hamburgers and a line of gleaming new trash trucks. Big ones, small ones. The kids could climb in the cab.
They could push the controls to grab a trash can and then who did we see? Luis, the nicest sanitation worker in Los Angeles ( or LTNSWILA for short).
He let both the kids ( Rex was on Mark’s lap) get in the cab and control that mechanical arm that grabs the cans and shoots them up and over. It was thrilling. Vivien proved quite adept at it.
I tried it and it was harder than it looked.
There was a also a truck for huge object retrieval. It was more like construction equipment, but the line was too long for us.
There were tents set up where eager sanitation workers were trying to educate us all about the different types of trash pick ups and things like what to do with medicine. Don’t flush it down the toilet. It’s toxic waste. I told them I had been driving around town with my batteries. I had hoped they would take them from me. They did not offer. But, an organization was there that said they would plant trees for free on our parkway if we liked.
Mark made me poise for this picture.
Yes, ironic, as a mom at a trash day event is always looking her best.
Vivien filed this brief, yet succinct report
Your daughter is awesome. She said it so matter of factly, get her into ACTING!
Anyway, where do you live where people go visit the Garbage Open House?
If you didn’t have a kid that was into that stuff, I might be getting weird thoughts about you.
Fortunately for my hopes and dreams for her, she does NOT have the acting bug. I’m hoping for mechanical engineer.
We shouldn’t take sanitation for granted. ever been to a place that doesn’t have a good system? Not fun. It’s in Los Angeles, I lmeant to link to it. http://www.lacitysan.org/solid_resources/open_house.htm
OMG! My son and some of my students would have loved this!
Awesome post!
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