Are your trashmen/women trustworthy?

No offense, but I’m not sure what this has to do with “trashmen”? They don’t have any more access to a person’s property than anyone else walking or driving by, right? You caught a guy doing a bad thing. What’s the connection to his profession?

I trust ours . They were chosen to collect trash 2X a week and have entry into the gates. @tom_g , John mentioned trash collectors because he arrested a trash collector and that doesn’t happen everyday. And I feel they do have access to our homes since they stop at driveways and get out of their truck. @john65pennington , you need to be 100% politically correct on Fluther! LOL

@Aster – Did you just accuse me of being “politically correct” in my response to this question? Please take this offline (message me) if you think you can backup that accusation. Wow. Suggestion: Read the four sentences I wrote again. If you’re still feeling confused, reference the specific thing(s) I said that made you think this has anything do with “political correctness”.

@Aster: ” And I feel they do have access to our homes since they stop at driveways and get out of their truck.”

I completely disagree, which is why I stated it above. Everyone and their grandmother can – and do – stop their car near my driveway. And that location has nothing to do with the story. The guy broke in to the back door. Please explain what’s going through your mind right now.

Waste Management Person would have been nicer, John. But then, we refer to them as trash men!

Tom, this guy was new and the trash cans were at the end of their driveway, so what reason did he have to go behind their house?

@john65pennington: “Tom, this guy was new and the trash cans were at the end of their driveway, so what reason did he have to go behind their house?”

Exactly! I commend you on catching this guy. I only posed the question about the “trashmen” connection because it seemed odd. I didn’t see the connection between “trashmen” and the crime.

Well, anyway my neighbor was happy and thats all that counts.

@tom_g could you send me or snail mail me a questionnaire to answer all those questions? LOL Oh; there’s our trash men right now! Really!

Since I am the trash collector here, I do feel I am trustworthy. No pick-up in my neck of the woods. The local transfer station is almost like a village pub. I don’t’ get a sense that anyone is pawing through the refuse, either.

Our trash collectors are good people. My dad has given them used electronics before (they like taking apart old televisions and computers for scrap parts.) We have never encountered anything questionable from them before. Now, my neighbors, on the other hand..

@john65pennington People do tend to not question when they see/notice any service vehicle. This has been an issue in the upper-class end of the ‘burb I live in. Several crime sprees have been successful until one neighbor reports that their “out-of-town” neighbor has a service truck in their driveway.

This has been an M.O. for years. It appears to go in spurts.

Our particular garbage collectos make oodles of money in tips each year, so NO, I am not concerned with our garbage collectors at all. I do watch my neighborhood carefully. It helps that I’m home all day and live on the same block as the Cop Shop & the police chief’s house, though. ;)

I think the question could also apply to oil delivery people, electric meter readers, the mailperson and the cable company. They all come on to my property to one degree or another.

Do I trust them? I never thought about it. I guess we have to, right? 99% of the time I’m not home when they come – so what choice do I have?

I suppose I could set up surveillance cameras around the property, but it seems a bit paranoid to me (at least based on where I live).

PS: Nice job John.

Never really thought about it, much less cared.
They are bloody noisy buggers though, I suggest they do it on tippy toes.

I’m not certain. They always leave with more than they came with.

I guess that’s a big fluke that happened to you John, or it was your policeman instinct. Most garbage dudes are just out there to do their job, and even if they have the same run, I don’t think they have much time to scope out a place, and learn when someone is or isn’t home. But yeah, I would find it odd if the garbagemen went anywhere near a person’s home where there wasn’t any garbage to collect.
I trust mine anyway. Then again I’ve never even seen them, their run is way too early.

Trash collectors are no different than electric meter readers, house cleaners, auto mechanics, dog groomers or cops, there are some who are extremely trustworthy and some who are not.

Our trash company is local and the workers are likely to be owners of the company. They have been in business for about 100 years and are not likely to steal or damage you property. As an extra service, they go down my driveway to pick up my trash. I expect that if I gave the the combination, they’d go into my garage and I’d have no fear that they’d rob us.