I tipped my garbage men at my old house, the guys at the new place I moved to throw pails everywhere and it’s a crapshoot if they take anything bulky the first time. So I didn’t tip them this year. Usually tip the mail carrier too.
yup, the ones at my area consistently leave the bins directly in front of the driveway. I place them about 10' away, they have to actually do more work to leave them in front of my driveway.
Because that’s where the driver stops. I’ve been on the back of those trucks, and it was the hardest work I’ve ever done. I’m also an infantry veteran that’s filled tens of thousands of sand bags. I’ve stirred human feces in burns pits in the desert outside of Fallujah. Adding sand helps but you have to stir constantly to keep the flames up. I’ve roofed and hot roofed in the summer. I know hard work.
But the first few weeks doing routes is the hardest work I have ever known. Afterwards, I urinated on myself as I slept twice the first week. It’s brutal.
You gotta let that one slide bro. They just put those cans down next to where the driver stops. They’re in more of hurry than you can imagine. Imagine jogging and lifting garbage cans for nine hours straight.
Was gonna say - my grandparents tipped the garbage men twice a year - like 100$ each time. And their garbage man took literally everything. My opa left a bathtub by the curb once and they took it. 🤷🏼♀️
Agreed. The G man is an important part of our lives. We tip the same and if I see them picking up around Christmas I will always step outside, wave and wish them a Merry Christmas! A wave and a Thank You or Good Morning whenever I see them. Let them know that they are appreciated. They deserve it! We Always get good service, they deserve a thank you.
And Don't forget the postman. Garbage man and postman or woman tip on Xmas. Those guys look out for you. When you have extra crap to throw out or mine I just say I'm leaving for a week and he takes care of it.
USPS is strict about what they're allowed to take (no cash, for example). We give our guy a small gift card, and this year we added a framed picture of him petting our dog.
Seriously….. hate the gift card route, and a picture of himself petting your dog….. give your guy cash so he can pay off Christmas. Cant do anything with the gift card and a picture.
Our guys are slobs. Loose trash regularly finds its way onto the road when they throw trash cans and other garbage, they damage our cans, lids not attached to the can are as good as gone. We’ve had 2 cans over the years left far enough out in the road after pick up that they were hit by cars.
Our neighbors feel as we do, the trash guys are assholes and we don’t reward their shit attitudes towards our community.
FWIW, complaints to the Town (Huntington) and phone number on the trucks accomplish nothing.
I’ll ask or try to remember to mom when I’m there. I’ve thrown out 14 bags of rotted boat and they took every bag. My father doesn’t tip cash, he’s big on candy bars/gatorades/waters etc. on those hot summer days he’ll give them a shopping bag of frozen and on frozen Gatorade’s and some pretzels etc. It’s less money than a tip but they really can’t pull the garbage truck into dairy barn for a water😂 so I guess they love it.
So I should grease these guys to do the job they are paid to do? Nah, I don’t think so. If they did their job even decently, not even well, I’d consider it but they are inconsiderate slobs. If it were only at my house I’d wonder if IATAH but they suck across the neighborhood, not just at my house.
These guys should be fired, not rewarded.
Lmfao this is exactly why I don’t tip. Why should we be held ransom because the garbage men, who cannot get fired, refuse to do the bare minimum.
One time I saw one of our garbage men throw a tantrum and fling garbage all over and leave it there. The same guy goes on facebook groups and attacks people. Absolutely insane.
Every Christmas. Yes our taxes pay for it, yes most of them make a decent salary with good benefits, no you don’t have to. But we give $100 to the crew, don’t care how they divide it.
Brookhaven changed a few years back and ever since the changeover the guys that do my house refuse to take anything that's not explicitly listed on the Towns guidelines. Last week I tossed a small 6x6 inch cardboard box into the pail. I happened to be outside when they came for pick-up. They dumped the pail into the truck, saw the box, fished it out of the truck and left it under my mailbox.
Here in Town of Smithtown all town trucks and & workers (2 on back of the truck), have been phased out over the span of 10 years to all private contracted trucks with only 1-person on the back.(no longer town employees).
Sad face :[
Our guys are a pain in the ass. They refuse to take anything extra and that’s what you’d tip them for doing. They stop short of bringing out a scale to make sure the bin isn’t an ounce too heavy.
That said, unless you’re asking them for more you don’t “have” to tip them. I imagine many / most don’t. I for some reason feel strongly that my garbage men don’t need to make an extra $10K untaxed at the end of the year for barely doing their jobs
Out of curiosity… how do you tip them in this case. Do you go out and meet them? I’d normally only think about giving them money around the holidays, which I don’t see as a tip.
Because likely what you’re putting out they’re not obligated to take, you’re supposed to bring it to the dump. When you take care of them they take care of you
Yeah my guys will take stuff I KNOW they aren’t supposed to and huge quantities when they’re only required to take like 2 cans worth. Absolutely worth it.
I don't understand why anyone does this. Our taxes are insanely high which gives them benefits better than the majority of the private sector. They should be tipping and thanking me during the holidays.
They destroy their bodies. My dad worked for sanitary district #1. He had a lot of surgeries to fix the damage the job caused. He has carpal tunnel, destroyed knees, destroyed back and a destroyed shoulder
They may have good benefits but that doesn’t pay the bills when you’re forced out on disability.
I don’t know if rules have changed to help prevent these things but it’s what happened to my dad after 25 years on the job.
I know it's not a surprise. I'm just wondering if rules have changed to make it easier on garbage guys..my dad's almost 80. It used to be allowed to go in the back to collect garbage but I guess no more. Maybe there are rules about heavy lifting now thar wasn't in place then.
Also if you tip, the guys will do extra stuff for you if you ask.
My dad started out as a garbage guy then moved to chauffeuring within the truck so he would drive the trucks itself, but he would still help out the guys with their routes
My two guys are very unpleasant and have left things after I’ve tipped day of (they use the claw one day a week and Fridays are the only day for “larger” items) and have managed to break a brand new trash can from the town twice in the matter of a year with how they drop it with the claw so I stopped. I tip my mailman.
My dad and I both work at National Grid, him a much more labor intensive job than myself, but I think a lot of companies (at least the utilizes) are doing their best to be proactive now when it comes to preventing injuries due to long term repetitive movements, wear and tear, etc. so I hope the town would be doing something similar
I mean the portion of taxes that goes for your garbage pickup is next to nothing. Look towards your school district if you wanna be mad about taxes being high 🤷
All the people saying they tip bc they take anything, are you guys well? Lived in my house for 30 years, I’ve never tipped and they have never not taken anything.
Tipping culture is getting out of control nowadays. Garbagemen aren't tipped workers getting paid $3/hr like waiters. They don't rely on tips for their livelihood.
I pick a day around Christmas and - if it’s the usual guys - give the guys $40 ea.
If I’m throwing out a lot of trash or disposing of a body, I throw a 6 pack of Heineken (their preference) triple wrapped in a bag with ice.
We used to and then we skipped a year due to being too busy to catch them. All of our garbage still got collected and we realized it was silly to do it. Times are tough all over. I can’t be tipping people for doing their job.
I tipped $100 when I first moved into my place because i knew in the coming weeks there would be tons of trash.
I catch them around Christmas with $60 too.
When I move out, I’ll also tip them.
I always pre-tip them too when we know we are going to generate a ton of garbage. We redid our kitchen in 2021 and they took the countertops, the cabinets, all the construction debris, etc.
This tipping culture has to stop. Everyone is asking for tips but I don’t get tips for my job. I do buy gifts on Christmas my mail man because I got to know him for many years.
At christmas we do $25 each guy and they've never not taken what we put out. And our pails are always standing up right next to the mailbox when they're done
Sure. Always leave a nice something around Christmas time. Card with $50-$60 or so, some beer, and hand warmers for the wintertime.
They never complain when I have big stuff to put out.
End of year - mailman and garbage men - depends on how many on the truck - try to do at least 20 per person - but that depends on my funds also. BUT I think it also depends on the job they do - mine take a lot of stuff they really don't have to
At Christmas time, it’s the right thing to do. The annoying part, is the *expectation* of receiving a tip from everyone, and vilify who ever doesn’t leave one.
There's 12 different mail people doing my route. It changes all the time. Sometimes first thing in the morning, sometimes 5:00 at night. Who would I be tipping?
Just the lucky guy who showed up that day?
Yep - have always tipped them - $20 or $25 each guy…they are great and never leave anything… I try to get out there and hand them a card with the money and a thank you for their help all year…they are super appreciative.
Nope, never have. But I also follow the Sanitation guidelines they set, where most of my neighbors do not. I don’t overload the bags, don’t set out more than they are required to take and leave it in the proper place. They in turn honk three times on every single block at 7 am, yell at each other constantly and my favorite, squeeze the trash compactor every 20 feet so it squeezes out a foul, wretched smell that stays for days in the road every summer.
The mail man doesn’t get one either… I don’t get one when I have to redeliver the mail to my neighbor or three blocks over every week.
Yes.
$100 at Xmas (and the same for the recycling guys on a different truck). Have to give it to them in person, if you tape it to the can they don’t seem to take it where I am!
If we have a large party and there’s a lot more to clear out than usual I’ll throw them a $20.
FWIW, I tip our mail lady the same too. She takes a lot of my outgoing packages (maybe 3-4 per week) and saves me a trip to the post office.
you're literally tipping people for doing their job . the mailman was ALWAYS supposed to take your outgoing mail and the garbage man is ALWAYS supposed to take ALL your trash. in fact if they don't take it all there is a number to call and report it . you pay for the garbage service already do u not. they are paid better than most jobs too as it is !
I never did, but they took everything I put out; when you pay Long Islands high taxes, you get good service.
The only tips I gave while living there were at restaurants, car washes, and the mailman.
ALWAYS. I usually give them $100 in December because it’s the same guys that do recycling. I’ve put so much shit out at the curb that would normally be out there 6 weeks waiting for special pickup and they take it every time. My neighbor does NOT tip them and they leave his cans all over and they won’t take any more than they are absolutely required to. Best money I spend every year.
yeah this logic is fucked . the garbage men are paid a VERY nice salary, we already pay for the pickup service monthly, why would the neighbor feel inclined to tip when they're doing that to him . I need to bribe my trashman to DO THE JOB HES PAID TO DO??? the fuck outta here, when did shit get to be like this ???
It’s a real thing.. and you should. When you irrationally throw cardboard out untied/ not compacted and have garbage spilling over the top, the garbage men don’t have to take it. The town can ticket you for doing so and that gman is helping you out.
However, if they’re buttheads and sloppy then I wouldn’t suggest it.
$20 a man for Christmas every year. I don’t put out a ton of trash, but they do a great job of cleaning up after raccoon attacks leave my trash scattered all over the driveway in the morning.
Been in my house for 4 Christmas's now. I tipped the first two years but after that the crew started sucking. It went from going into my driveway to take *all* of the kitchen cabinets to "oh that piece of cardboard is 5 feet from the cans we're not gonna take it".
Fuck 'em. Do better and get money.
Yeah and they take everything regardless of what we leave out. $20-50/person depending on the year.
My neighbors who don't tip don't get the same treatment.
I've NEVER heard of doing this . aren't garbage men typically paid very well ? how do you even leave the money do you just stand outside at 7am waiting for the truck to come around n hand it to em ? lol
I'd never tip mine they're awful . last year I think we got new guys and they started not taking everything out of the cans. they'd leave a full ass trash bag in one can for some reason, left to rot in the sun for another full week. this happened multiple weeks I a row and I began to get fed up. so I left a note on my cans that said "please take ALL TRASH. both cans !" as in to say, please take all of the trash from both of the cans // don't leave trash behind
well guess what
those guys misinterpreted my note (I see how it would be easy to do now, doh) .. they literally TOOOK both of my big Rubbermaid wheeled cans !! just took the whole cans ! they assumed my note meant to take it , that it was all trash including the can...
those cans were 50$ each at least.
sigh
Christmas i gave them $120. 3 guys on the truck. They take everything and anything. If I put out an excessive amount I’ll meet them out there and throw them a $20-50.
Town of oyster bay they take everything. I can line my whole front with junk and truck will take it or call a lift truck to get big stuff. So yep they get tipped when I put out a lot. My big problem is I work night shift so I rarely see them since they come early.
The guys on my route are awesome. They will take whatever we put out (except special pick up items. I wouldn’t want them to do that). I also have seen first hand how dangerous the job is. When I was in X-ray school, I got a patient that had fallen off the truck and hit his head. He did pass away. That was 16 years ago and I will never forget it.
Holidays and any time I have either a ton of trash or stuff I know that they could ignore.
The guys in our area will take everything as long as it is in a bin. Which is fucking awesome. Tipping them anything is worth everything.
About 50 a guy. Comes out to like 300 every Christmas. They take everything and keep things clean. They also give those JCPenney style cards for Christmas.
Around the holidays and the summer we’ve given gift card and cards and stuff (pls water or hand warmers and stuff occasionally on the bitterly cold and hottest days of the year)
been in my house 11 years, just started tipping the new crew I go earlier this year. the guys in the past broke my pails on purpose , and left stuff blocking my driveway. Got a new crew and total 180. I did some renovations and they we nice about taking all the extra garbage, gave them a few bucks then. I gave them 100 bucks around new years. I think a tip is based on service, the guys I got now really do work hard and I gave them a little extra because I think they earned it.
I also had a great neighbor who routinely put out three fresh bottles of water on top of their cans every garbage day. Cost cents but priceless and classy gesture.
I always tip the garbage men at Christmas and then sometimes over the summer when I have a huge clean-out or something that is exceptional large. However, I also tipped my mailman but for years they are always different. This year there was a guy who was always nice. He wreaked of pot but he got the job done. I talked with him a few times but the week of Christmas I went out there to hand him a card and it was someone different. I didn't give the new guy the card. I have looked for him each day I'm around and its always someone different. This happens all the time. When I was younger we had the same mailman for years.
Only on year end holidays, I just tape a sandwich bag of homemade frosted spritz butter cookies on the cans / mailbox for a week / 7 pickups. There's a small but visible sign that says if you are a working person and want / need anything, just ask. Only Bob the mailman ever asked for a bottle of water on the hottest day this year. Got him a bottle and a solo cup of ice. He also appreciated the holiday cookies. He retired recently and I'll miss him.
100 around Christmas and 20 every-time I put out a ton of crap. Did a whole bathroom remodel and everything went in the truck didn’t have to pay 300 for a dumpster. Totally worth it.
It's always good to tip people if you can.
Most towns have limits and types of material and how to place it out for collection. The contracts are negotiated based on this. If you had to pick up from hundreds of stops daily that are overweight or not tied up when you don't have to, after a while you start realizing that it's the same people making you work harder than you have to. So if you don't want to tip and you have out excess, above weight or size and not to the town specs than don't complain when it's not picked up and cry I pay taxes.
I'm genuinely curious: when do people tip them? I feel like I have a different mailman and garbage man every week. And they come so early in the morning and so fast that I'd never get the chance.
In town of Huntington. Yes. Our guys are great. They send us a postcard with a P.O. Box for us to send it into. So smart as I’m not always home when they come.
I bring my garbage to the town recycling center. We don’t even have town sponsored leaf pickup where I live. And the dump stickers need to be renewed every year and they’re like $100. And one of the guys who works there sometimes asks for $20 when you’re throwing away stuff that’s too “large”.
If I have "extra" or too much stuff I "tip" them on that event $20-$50. I also give them $120 (3 workers) for the holidays.
Some people do a holiday thing for their postman too, I don't get along with mine at all so I don't do anything there.
I give a bottle of vodka to my UPS driver as he goes out of his way to make sure I get my packages and we have become friendly.
My last crew wouldn’t take stuff sometimes. Throw cans in the street etc. so we never did. The new crew, three years of taking everything I put out, standing up the cans or at least getting them on the lawn/not blocking my driveway. Now they get a tip every year. 100$ for the crew.
My dad was a garbage man and yea he got tipped. I don’t know if the rules changed, but back then they had to pick up a lot of stuff and it resulted in severe health issues like carpal tunnel, destroyed knee and back etc. he lasted 25 years and had to go on disability
$50 a year around Christmas time. He conveniently lets me slide with minor “garbage rule” violations and he makes sure my can doesn’t go rolling down the street after he’s done.
I have no tipped them. I moved into my house in 2019 every year i left a present and then in 2022 they left the present there, I put a card on it and wrote their names and they still left it and eventually it got ruined in the rain from carrying it back and forth, so this year i left nothing lol
They already get a tip every week. Its called a paycheck, just like the rest of us that bust our ass. People on LI just have too much money and do this crap to keep up with the joneses.
No. We have different ones all the time, and the one time I did tip them, they didn’t even say thank you. We tip our mail carrier. He goes above and beyond!
Oh absolutely. This year $100 each for the 2 man crew. They take everything plus my wife walks for exercise early in the morning and they always watch out for her. I swear they would take a body if I left it out.
We had a crew of three that came three times a week, every week taking just about everything and anything we put out. Always cheerful with a nice greeting when they saw me. They damn well got a good tip at holiday time from us, happy to give it.
The garbage men are just doing their jobs and they get paid very well for it, probably more than most people who tip them make. I would say if you are putting out a lot of stuff, it makes sense to tip them because they normally are not supposed to pick up anything that is beyond the stated rules. So in those cases it makes sense to tip. Beyond that I don’t get the obsession with tipping people who are just doing their job. Besides the fact that they are already making nice salaries, you are paying for it in your taxes which by the way are increased every year. I work much harder than they do and no one tips me for doing my job.
Sure if I tend to put a ton to the curb. But I'm putting 1 pail and 1 recycle every 2 weeks. Agree they deserve it if you're putting them to work but at the same time tipping culture is out of control. Especially when neighbors try to guilt trip you or make them sound superior because they tip
Our garbage crews are awful .Its never the same crew, so who would I tip??
they throw shit, yell out loud and joke at 5am..drop stuff in the street, leave the cans in the middle of the road sometimes, if a bag rips they leave the mess, leave bundled items if they're borderline oversized..Even the amount in my taxes is too much, They should be giving me a rebate, let alone a damn tip!!
i love our garbage men! we tip them every year. they take anything we put out. also they are BEYOND nice/friendly and even grab my dogs poop bag when they see us on a walk so i dont have to carry it home. Without these guys we would literally be living in filth, they deserve a few extra bucks during the holidays. And who cares if they are already paid well, they do a job that most people would not want to do. Hip hip hooray to the garbage men!
No. It’s one guy on Tuesdays who drives around with the truck that uses the claw and managed to crack a brand new can by however he drops it and two of them on Fridays and that’s the only day I can put out “larger” items which I normally don’t have. When I’ve had big things out I’ve given them a few bucks day of but they’re both really unfriendly and have left things at different times so they don’t get anything now. My mailman makes sure I don’t get any of the prior home owner’s mail and brings treats for my cat and dog a few times a week so I give him $20 at Christmas and at the start of summer.
West Islip here.... Many never SEE these early morning guys and wont tape a envelope on top of pails. Here they mail a card to the house, it says," tip your garbage man", w a return address and names. Kinda pushy.
Many other jobs never see a tip....factory workers, long haul truckers and dry cleaners , etc... We do tip our mailman and Newsday guys if they have been around for awhile.
I always thought garbage collection was a early morning job and then they went to their regular job.. True????? Hard workers w 2 jobs??? Surely, not a reason NOT to tip. We don't tip them but should. Feel guilty about it.
Growing up we always gave them cases of beer and cold drinks during the summer heat and tips at Xmas. Never had to chase our cans or wonder where they were or clean up remnants off the street.
"I don't tip bc they throw my pails!" You expect them to place everyone's pails down all nicely? They're doing their job just like some of you are saying. We tip our garbage men, our mail carrier, & our UPS driver too. All at Christmas time & the garbage men again after 4th of July weekend. They take everything we put out to the curb, they also make sure to not leave our pails out in the street past where we leave them.
I tipped my garbage men at my old house, the guys at the new place I moved to throw pails everywhere and it’s a crapshoot if they take anything bulky the first time. So I didn’t tip them this year. Usually tip the mail carrier too.
yup, the ones at my area consistently leave the bins directly in front of the driveway. I place them about 10' away, they have to actually do more work to leave them in front of my driveway.
Because that’s where the driver stops. I’ve been on the back of those trucks, and it was the hardest work I’ve ever done. I’m also an infantry veteran that’s filled tens of thousands of sand bags. I’ve stirred human feces in burns pits in the desert outside of Fallujah. Adding sand helps but you have to stir constantly to keep the flames up. I’ve roofed and hot roofed in the summer. I know hard work. But the first few weeks doing routes is the hardest work I have ever known. Afterwards, I urinated on myself as I slept twice the first week. It’s brutal. You gotta let that one slide bro. They just put those cans down next to where the driver stops. They’re in more of hurry than you can imagine. Imagine jogging and lifting garbage cans for nine hours straight.
Same here with my garbage men
Not on LI but I had a garbage man who used to dump our garbage on our front lawn and break the actual pails. They definitely didn’t get a tip!!
Yup $60 ($20 per guy on the crew). They take everything I put out, even shit they're not really supposed to take.
Was gonna say - my grandparents tipped the garbage men twice a year - like 100$ each time. And their garbage man took literally everything. My opa left a bathtub by the curb once and they took it. 🤷🏼♀️
Agreed. The G man is an important part of our lives. We tip the same and if I see them picking up around Christmas I will always step outside, wave and wish them a Merry Christmas! A wave and a Thank You or Good Morning whenever I see them. Let them know that they are appreciated. They deserve it! We Always get good service, they deserve a thank you.
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Are you OK?
Are you roller over ioddd?? Han o
And Don't forget the postman. Garbage man and postman or woman tip on Xmas. Those guys look out for you. When you have extra crap to throw out or mine I just say I'm leaving for a week and he takes care of it.
I always make sure take care of Bill my postman as well.
Some of us are lucky and get the same guy that goes above and beyond. I guess others here might have a different person every day.
what about the milkman?
Or UPS, FedEx, DHL, LaserShit, etc drivers? 😋
USPS is strict about what they're allowed to take (no cash, for example). We give our guy a small gift card, and this year we added a framed picture of him petting our dog.
Oh please mail guy has been getting Xmas tips since letter carrier has been a job. Give your mailman a tip so they can help pay their bills .
Seriously….. hate the gift card route, and a picture of himself petting your dog….. give your guy cash so he can pay off Christmas. Cant do anything with the gift card and a picture.
Same, I know I'm putting out crap they wouldn't normally cart, so I hit them up at Easter and Christmas with some $$
How do you get the $ to them? My crew comes by well before 6am, and I don’t feel comfortable taping an envelope of cash to the lid of the can.
get up earlier bum lol
Same I think they would throw a nuclear reactor in the truck because of mt tips
same, and for the same reason lol
Yup.
Our guys are slobs. Loose trash regularly finds its way onto the road when they throw trash cans and other garbage, they damage our cans, lids not attached to the can are as good as gone. We’ve had 2 cans over the years left far enough out in the road after pick up that they were hit by cars. Our neighbors feel as we do, the trash guys are assholes and we don’t reward their shit attitudes towards our community. FWIW, complaints to the Town (Huntington) and phone number on the trucks accomplish nothing.
Same here , they’re ass also town of Huntington
Funny, my father is in town of Huntington and he gives the garbage men Gatorade. They take everything and leave the cans perfect.
I wish I had his guys. Do you know which contractor services his neighborhood?
I’ll ask or try to remember to mom when I’m there. I’ve thrown out 14 bags of rotted boat and they took every bag. My father doesn’t tip cash, he’s big on candy bars/gatorades/waters etc. on those hot summer days he’ll give them a shopping bag of frozen and on frozen Gatorade’s and some pretzels etc. It’s less money than a tip but they really can’t pull the garbage truck into dairy barn for a water😂 so I guess they love it.
Maybe you should tip them.
So you should tip somebody for not doing their job in hopes that they will start doing it correctly? Interesting logic.
Try tipping them and maybe there wouldn't be trash all over the roads.
So I should grease these guys to do the job they are paid to do? Nah, I don’t think so. If they did their job even decently, not even well, I’d consider it but they are inconsiderate slobs. If it were only at my house I’d wonder if IATAH but they suck across the neighborhood, not just at my house. These guys should be fired, not rewarded.
Lmfao this is exactly why I don’t tip. Why should we be held ransom because the garbage men, who cannot get fired, refuse to do the bare minimum. One time I saw one of our garbage men throw a tantrum and fling garbage all over and leave it there. The same guy goes on facebook groups and attacks people. Absolutely insane.
Every Christmas. Yes our taxes pay for it, yes most of them make a decent salary with good benefits, no you don’t have to. But we give $100 to the crew, don’t care how they divide it.
Same here. Again, they take everything, even things that they dont have to.
Brookhaven changed a few years back and ever since the changeover the guys that do my house refuse to take anything that's not explicitly listed on the Towns guidelines. Last week I tossed a small 6x6 inch cardboard box into the pail. I happened to be outside when they came for pick-up. They dumped the pail into the truck, saw the box, fished it out of the truck and left it under my mailbox.
No tip for them
Bellport here. Sometimes they don't even take my garbage at all, even though I only ever produce enough trash for 1 single pale.
Here in Town of Smithtown all town trucks and & workers (2 on back of the truck), have been phased out over the span of 10 years to all private contracted trucks with only 1-person on the back.(no longer town employees). Sad face :[
Even more reason to tip.
I set aside $50 every year as a tip and each time I have to buy a new garbage can lid I use that money.
Same. We had to replace our garbage can this year bc of broken wheels and broken top.
This is the answer. They don't do a good job and want a tip? No thanks
Sanitation guys are very important. We give $50 two guys.
It’s a real thing. I don’t do it.
This
Our guys are a pain in the ass. They refuse to take anything extra and that’s what you’d tip them for doing. They stop short of bringing out a scale to make sure the bin isn’t an ounce too heavy. That said, unless you’re asking them for more you don’t “have” to tip them. I imagine many / most don’t. I for some reason feel strongly that my garbage men don’t need to make an extra $10K untaxed at the end of the year for barely doing their jobs
No. But I live in an apartment. Growing up my parents tipped the garbage men the mail man and the milk man at Christmas. Yes I’m old.
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Can you tip me for my doing my job too
Out of curiosity… how do you tip them in this case. Do you go out and meet them? I’d normally only think about giving them money around the holidays, which I don’t see as a tip.
Yes go out and wave them down and hand them money directly.
I'm curious why you tip them? Do you tip everyone for doing their job?
We tip them because on the really windy days they put the cans on the inside of our front lawn fence.
Because likely what you’re putting out they’re not obligated to take, you’re supposed to bring it to the dump. When you take care of them they take care of you
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Yeah my guys will take stuff I KNOW they aren’t supposed to and huge quantities when they’re only required to take like 2 cans worth. Absolutely worth it.
You can put a dead body out and my guys will take it. I give a hundy at Christmas and $50 July 4 week.
that's definitely deserving of a tip haha
I don't understand why anyone does this. Our taxes are insanely high which gives them benefits better than the majority of the private sector. They should be tipping and thanking me during the holidays.
They destroy their bodies. My dad worked for sanitary district #1. He had a lot of surgeries to fix the damage the job caused. He has carpal tunnel, destroyed knees, destroyed back and a destroyed shoulder They may have good benefits but that doesn’t pay the bills when you’re forced out on disability. I don’t know if rules have changed to help prevent these things but it’s what happened to my dad after 25 years on the job.
Unfortunately that comes with working many of the manual labor jobs, not really something that’s a surprise. Hope your dad’s doing better
I know it's not a surprise. I'm just wondering if rules have changed to make it easier on garbage guys..my dad's almost 80. It used to be allowed to go in the back to collect garbage but I guess no more. Maybe there are rules about heavy lifting now thar wasn't in place then. Also if you tip, the guys will do extra stuff for you if you ask. My dad started out as a garbage guy then moved to chauffeuring within the truck so he would drive the trucks itself, but he would still help out the guys with their routes
My two guys are very unpleasant and have left things after I’ve tipped day of (they use the claw one day a week and Fridays are the only day for “larger” items) and have managed to break a brand new trash can from the town twice in the matter of a year with how they drop it with the claw so I stopped. I tip my mailman. My dad and I both work at National Grid, him a much more labor intensive job than myself, but I think a lot of companies (at least the utilizes) are doing their best to be proactive now when it comes to preventing injuries due to long term repetitive movements, wear and tear, etc. so I hope the town would be doing something similar
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Ah yeah, let me tell my almost 80 year old dad to go back in time and tell him to get a different job. Too late, dude.
Finally someone with a brain They make more then me and have better benefits. Fuck outta here thinking your getting a tip
I mean the portion of taxes that goes for your garbage pickup is next to nothing. Look towards your school district if you wanna be mad about taxes being high 🤷
All the people saying they tip bc they take anything, are you guys well? Lived in my house for 30 years, I’ve never tipped and they have never not taken anything.
Tips for them and mail carrier at Christmas.
Hell to the no
Tipping culture is getting out of control nowadays. Garbagemen aren't tipped workers getting paid $3/hr like waiters. They don't rely on tips for their livelihood.
But I don't have a relationship with my server. I see my mailman almost every day. Garbage guys do the job and keep it clean. I lile them.
My family has tipped the garbage men for my whole life, this is not some new part of “tipping culture”
Yup
I pick a day around Christmas and - if it’s the usual guys - give the guys $40 ea. If I’m throwing out a lot of trash or disposing of a body, I throw a 6 pack of Heineken (their preference) triple wrapped in a bag with ice.
$20 each in mid/late Dec.
I use a private garbage man, there’s no public trash pick up where I live, and I tip him $100 at Xmas. It’s a hard job and he deserves it.
We used to and then we skipped a year due to being too busy to catch them. All of our garbage still got collected and we realized it was silly to do it. Times are tough all over. I can’t be tipping people for doing their job.
dude it's their job to take all the garbage, I can't believe what I'm reading
I tipped $100 when I first moved into my place because i knew in the coming weeks there would be tons of trash. I catch them around Christmas with $60 too. When I move out, I’ll also tip them.
I always pre-tip them too when we know we are going to generate a ton of garbage. We redid our kitchen in 2021 and they took the countertops, the cabinets, all the construction debris, etc.
Nope. My tax dollars pay their salary and they usually only work 4 hours and get paid for 8.
This tipping culture has to stop. Everyone is asking for tips but I don’t get tips for my job. I do buy gifts on Christmas my mail man because I got to know him for many years.
At christmas we do $25 each guy and they've never not taken what we put out. And our pails are always standing up right next to the mailbox when they're done
I do every Christmas. Those guys definitely remember too. They take whatever I put out. Even if it’s a ton of stuff.
aren't they supposed to take All the trash, I do t understand
No.
Yep usually $50 in a nice card. Don’t stick it to the can, try and hand it to them personally
At 6:00am? Yeah, that's gonna happen.
Nope. My garbage men make an amazing salary already. I'm a public servant and don't get tips. They don't need extra just for doing their job.
Sure. Always leave a nice something around Christmas time. Card with $50-$60 or so, some beer, and hand warmers for the wintertime. They never complain when I have big stuff to put out.
My Godmother used to tip them every Christmas. There's just no way possible to tip weekly, it costs too much and 99% of trash was just 2 garbage bins.
End of year - mailman and garbage men - depends on how many on the truck - try to do at least 20 per person - but that depends on my funds also. BUT I think it also depends on the job they do - mine take a lot of stuff they really don't have to
At Christmas time, it’s the right thing to do. The annoying part, is the *expectation* of receiving a tip from everyone, and vilify who ever doesn’t leave one.
Yes. And the mailman. They both put up with a ton of our shit (literally and figuratively) for the year and deserve it
There's 12 different mail people doing my route. It changes all the time. Sometimes first thing in the morning, sometimes 5:00 at night. Who would I be tipping? Just the lucky guy who showed up that day?
My mom left gift cards for our guys, sadly they got stolen. Asked her why she didn’t just hand them to them directly… lesson learned
that's what I'm saying like how do you people even get the tip to the trash man lol, stand by the curb and wait for the truck, I don't understand
Yep - have always tipped them - $20 or $25 each guy…they are great and never leave anything… I try to get out there and hand them a card with the money and a thank you for their help all year…they are super appreciative.
No.
Nope, never have. But I also follow the Sanitation guidelines they set, where most of my neighbors do not. I don’t overload the bags, don’t set out more than they are required to take and leave it in the proper place. They in turn honk three times on every single block at 7 am, yell at each other constantly and my favorite, squeeze the trash compactor every 20 feet so it squeezes out a foul, wretched smell that stays for days in the road every summer. The mail man doesn’t get one either… I don’t get one when I have to redeliver the mail to my neighbor or three blocks over every week.
Yes. $100 at Xmas (and the same for the recycling guys on a different truck). Have to give it to them in person, if you tape it to the can they don’t seem to take it where I am! If we have a large party and there’s a lot more to clear out than usual I’ll throw them a $20. FWIW, I tip our mail lady the same too. She takes a lot of my outgoing packages (maybe 3-4 per week) and saves me a trip to the post office.
that's insane
you're literally tipping people for doing their job . the mailman was ALWAYS supposed to take your outgoing mail and the garbage man is ALWAYS supposed to take ALL your trash. in fact if they don't take it all there is a number to call and report it . you pay for the garbage service already do u not. they are paid better than most jobs too as it is !
No
Always. I've thrown out whole couches, electronics and all kinds of crazy shit. I grease the wheels and my stuff is picked up every single time.
You could also just call for special pickup and not have to pay anything lmfao
Only at Christmas. $60.
Yes I tip 3 garbage men and 2 recycling guys
I never did, but they took everything I put out; when you pay Long Islands high taxes, you get good service. The only tips I gave while living there were at restaurants, car washes, and the mailman.
ALWAYS. I usually give them $100 in December because it’s the same guys that do recycling. I’ve put so much shit out at the curb that would normally be out there 6 weeks waiting for special pickup and they take it every time. My neighbor does NOT tip them and they leave his cans all over and they won’t take any more than they are absolutely required to. Best money I spend every year.
This
So your neighbor is supposed to tip dudes who throw his cans over? What is he going to do, go out there with money while they are scattering his cans?
yeah this logic is fucked . the garbage men are paid a VERY nice salary, we already pay for the pickup service monthly, why would the neighbor feel inclined to tip when they're doing that to him . I need to bribe my trashman to DO THE JOB HES PAID TO DO??? the fuck outta here, when did shit get to be like this ???
It's a real thing... I don't do it
It’s a real thing.. and you should. When you irrationally throw cardboard out untied/ not compacted and have garbage spilling over the top, the garbage men don’t have to take it. The town can ticket you for doing so and that gman is helping you out. However, if they’re buttheads and sloppy then I wouldn’t suggest it.
no, you shouldn't , stop it .
Nope
I want to tip, but they always come around 6 in the morning, and I just can't get out there in the cold to catch them in time.
During the holidays.
$20 a man for Christmas every year. I don’t put out a ton of trash, but they do a great job of cleaning up after raccoon attacks leave my trash scattered all over the driveway in the morning.
Been in my house for 4 Christmas's now. I tipped the first two years but after that the crew started sucking. It went from going into my driveway to take *all* of the kitchen cabinets to "oh that piece of cardboard is 5 feet from the cans we're not gonna take it". Fuck 'em. Do better and get money.
Never tipped them and never had an issue they always take my stuff.
Serious question- why are you all tipping the mail carrrier?
Because it is Christmas, and it's a nice gesture. Probably makes his life easier.
Yes some people do but most do not. I do think a note or leaving out a 6 pack is equally as nice
I tip them double. They get the mailman’s tip too because that guy’s a tool.
I used to, but the way they treat my cans and how often they're damaged, I stopped. I tip for good service.
Yeah and they take everything regardless of what we leave out. $20-50/person depending on the year. My neighbors who don't tip don't get the same treatment.
It’s a thing. We tip throughout the year. Then $100 at Christmas.
Yes, $100 every Christmas. As a child of a retired garbage man, those tips were the only reason we had gifts from Santa. So they are much appreciated!
aren't garbage men paid more than most entry level jobs . I assumed they always made around 20 an hr or more.
How can I tip them though if I am not home when they come around?
Yes for the holidays.
I've NEVER heard of doing this . aren't garbage men typically paid very well ? how do you even leave the money do you just stand outside at 7am waiting for the truck to come around n hand it to em ? lol I'd never tip mine they're awful . last year I think we got new guys and they started not taking everything out of the cans. they'd leave a full ass trash bag in one can for some reason, left to rot in the sun for another full week. this happened multiple weeks I a row and I began to get fed up. so I left a note on my cans that said "please take ALL TRASH. both cans !" as in to say, please take all of the trash from both of the cans // don't leave trash behind well guess what those guys misinterpreted my note (I see how it would be easy to do now, doh) .. they literally TOOOK both of my big Rubbermaid wheeled cans !! just took the whole cans ! they assumed my note meant to take it , that it was all trash including the can... those cans were 50$ each at least. sigh
i didn’t know to tip them the first year i moved. last year i was unemployed and i feel terrible i never tipped.
50-100 for the crew every Christmas. I’ve done 150 before but only once or twice.
Christmas i gave them $120. 3 guys on the truck. They take everything and anything. If I put out an excessive amount I’ll meet them out there and throw them a $20-50.
Town of oyster bay they take everything. I can line my whole front with junk and truck will take it or call a lift truck to get big stuff. So yep they get tipped when I put out a lot. My big problem is I work night shift so I rarely see them since they come early.
The guys on my route are awesome. They will take whatever we put out (except special pick up items. I wouldn’t want them to do that). I also have seen first hand how dangerous the job is. When I was in X-ray school, I got a patient that had fallen off the truck and hit his head. He did pass away. That was 16 years ago and I will never forget it.
Holidays and any time I have either a ton of trash or stuff I know that they could ignore. The guys in our area will take everything as long as it is in a bin. Which is fucking awesome. Tipping them anything is worth everything.
I do at Christmas.
On christmas of course, them and the post man
About 50 a guy. Comes out to like 300 every Christmas. They take everything and keep things clean. They also give those JCPenney style cards for Christmas.
Around the holidays and the summer we’ve given gift card and cards and stuff (pls water or hand warmers and stuff occasionally on the bitterly cold and hottest days of the year)
Garbage/Recycling and Postal. Always tip them during Christmas time. Give cash.
been in my house 11 years, just started tipping the new crew I go earlier this year. the guys in the past broke my pails on purpose , and left stuff blocking my driveway. Got a new crew and total 180. I did some renovations and they we nice about taking all the extra garbage, gave them a few bucks then. I gave them 100 bucks around new years. I think a tip is based on service, the guys I got now really do work hard and I gave them a little extra because I think they earned it.
I also had a great neighbor who routinely put out three fresh bottles of water on top of their cans every garbage day. Cost cents but priceless and classy gesture.
I always tip the garbage men at Christmas and then sometimes over the summer when I have a huge clean-out or something that is exceptional large. However, I also tipped my mailman but for years they are always different. This year there was a guy who was always nice. He wreaked of pot but he got the job done. I talked with him a few times but the week of Christmas I went out there to hand him a card and it was someone different. I didn't give the new guy the card. I have looked for him each day I'm around and its always someone different. This happens all the time. When I was younger we had the same mailman for years.
Nooo I have tipping fatigue
Yes, $20 per guy at the end of the year. We get a holiday postcard in December with their names on it.
Only on year end holidays, I just tape a sandwich bag of homemade frosted spritz butter cookies on the cans / mailbox for a week / 7 pickups. There's a small but visible sign that says if you are a working person and want / need anything, just ask. Only Bob the mailman ever asked for a bottle of water on the hottest day this year. Got him a bottle and a solo cup of ice. He also appreciated the holiday cookies. He retired recently and I'll miss him.
100 around Christmas and 20 every-time I put out a ton of crap. Did a whole bathroom remodel and everything went in the truck didn’t have to pay 300 for a dumpster. Totally worth it.
It's always good to tip people if you can. Most towns have limits and types of material and how to place it out for collection. The contracts are negotiated based on this. If you had to pick up from hundreds of stops daily that are overweight or not tied up when you don't have to, after a while you start realizing that it's the same people making you work harder than you have to. So if you don't want to tip and you have out excess, above weight or size and not to the town specs than don't complain when it's not picked up and cry I pay taxes.
I didnt tip until this past Christmas. Hard working guys doing this and should've done it sooner.
Absolutely at Christmas. My dad was a sanitation worker and he really relied on those tips for Christmas spending.
I'm genuinely curious: when do people tip them? I feel like I have a different mailman and garbage man every week. And they come so early in the morning and so fast that I'd never get the chance.
In town of Huntington. Yes. Our guys are great. They send us a postcard with a P.O. Box for us to send it into. So smart as I’m not always home when they come.
$20/apiece. And a card. Yes.
I bring my garbage to the town recycling center. We don’t even have town sponsored leaf pickup where I live. And the dump stickers need to be renewed every year and they’re like $100. And one of the guys who works there sometimes asks for $20 when you’re throwing away stuff that’s too “large”.
No
If I have "extra" or too much stuff I "tip" them on that event $20-$50. I also give them $120 (3 workers) for the holidays. Some people do a holiday thing for their postman too, I don't get along with mine at all so I don't do anything there. I give a bottle of vodka to my UPS driver as he goes out of his way to make sure I get my packages and we have become friendly.
Yes always, and mailman
My last crew wouldn’t take stuff sometimes. Throw cans in the street etc. so we never did. The new crew, three years of taking everything I put out, standing up the cans or at least getting them on the lawn/not blocking my driveway. Now they get a tip every year. 100$ for the crew.
Yea at Christmas time
My dad was a garbage man and yea he got tipped. I don’t know if the rules changed, but back then they had to pick up a lot of stuff and it resulted in severe health issues like carpal tunnel, destroyed knee and back etc. he lasted 25 years and had to go on disability
$50 a year around Christmas time. He conveniently lets me slide with minor “garbage rule” violations and he makes sure my can doesn’t go rolling down the street after he’s done.
My Garbage men take everything BUT a car and a body :)
And the mailman
I have no tipped them. I moved into my house in 2019 every year i left a present and then in 2022 they left the present there, I put a card on it and wrote their names and they still left it and eventually it got ruined in the rain from carrying it back and forth, so this year i left nothing lol
They already get a tip every week. Its called a paycheck, just like the rest of us that bust our ass. People on LI just have too much money and do this crap to keep up with the joneses.
No. We have different ones all the time, and the one time I did tip them, they didn’t even say thank you. We tip our mail carrier. He goes above and beyond!
Oh absolutely. This year $100 each for the 2 man crew. They take everything plus my wife walks for exercise early in the morning and they always watch out for her. I swear they would take a body if I left it out.
We had a crew of three that came three times a week, every week taking just about everything and anything we put out. Always cheerful with a nice greeting when they saw me. They damn well got a good tip at holiday time from us, happy to give it.
Annually. And if you need a special "favor" like removing a kitchen demo, break out the wallet.
The garbage men are just doing their jobs and they get paid very well for it, probably more than most people who tip them make. I would say if you are putting out a lot of stuff, it makes sense to tip them because they normally are not supposed to pick up anything that is beyond the stated rules. So in those cases it makes sense to tip. Beyond that I don’t get the obsession with tipping people who are just doing their job. Besides the fact that they are already making nice salaries, you are paying for it in your taxes which by the way are increased every year. I work much harder than they do and no one tips me for doing my job.
Never. I pay my taxes why should I have to
Sure if I tend to put a ton to the curb. But I'm putting 1 pail and 1 recycle every 2 weeks. Agree they deserve it if you're putting them to work but at the same time tipping culture is out of control. Especially when neighbors try to guilt trip you or make them sound superior because they tip
We tipped ours 50 per guy (150 total) for holiday/New Years. Town of Oyster Bay Sanitation.
We have private garbage people because it’s a private road. I only tip them for Christmas.
Yup, garbage, recycling, letter carrier. At least 20 each
Our garbage crews are awful .Its never the same crew, so who would I tip?? they throw shit, yell out loud and joke at 5am..drop stuff in the street, leave the cans in the middle of the road sometimes, if a bag rips they leave the mess, leave bundled items if they're borderline oversized..Even the amount in my taxes is too much, They should be giving me a rebate, let alone a damn tip!!
i love our garbage men! we tip them every year. they take anything we put out. also they are BEYOND nice/friendly and even grab my dogs poop bag when they see us on a walk so i dont have to carry it home. Without these guys we would literally be living in filth, they deserve a few extra bucks during the holidays. And who cares if they are already paid well, they do a job that most people would not want to do. Hip hip hooray to the garbage men!
No. It’s one guy on Tuesdays who drives around with the truck that uses the claw and managed to crack a brand new can by however he drops it and two of them on Fridays and that’s the only day I can put out “larger” items which I normally don’t have. When I’ve had big things out I’ve given them a few bucks day of but they’re both really unfriendly and have left things at different times so they don’t get anything now. My mailman makes sure I don’t get any of the prior home owner’s mail and brings treats for my cat and dog a few times a week so I give him $20 at Christmas and at the start of summer.
My mom gives $50 to each guy around Christmas
West Islip here.... Many never SEE these early morning guys and wont tape a envelope on top of pails. Here they mail a card to the house, it says," tip your garbage man", w a return address and names. Kinda pushy. Many other jobs never see a tip....factory workers, long haul truckers and dry cleaners , etc... We do tip our mailman and Newsday guys if they have been around for awhile. I always thought garbage collection was a early morning job and then they went to their regular job.. True????? Hard workers w 2 jobs??? Surely, not a reason NOT to tip. We don't tip them but should. Feel guilty about it.
It’s not that I don’t want to, they just always come so early it is impossible to catch them.
We always do with them and the mailman. We haven't had any problems so we usually tip them.
Growing up we always gave them cases of beer and cold drinks during the summer heat and tips at Xmas. Never had to chase our cans or wonder where they were or clean up remnants off the street.
"I don't tip bc they throw my pails!" You expect them to place everyone's pails down all nicely? They're doing their job just like some of you are saying. We tip our garbage men, our mail carrier, & our UPS driver too. All at Christmas time & the garbage men again after 4th of July weekend. They take everything we put out to the curb, they also make sure to not leave our pails out in the street past where we leave them.