When you think of all-seeing beings, you probably think of someone like a 100-eyed Greek mythology creature or Santa Claus. Garbage truck drivers probably don’t come to mind.
However, a TikToker and garbage truck driver is here to remind you never to underestimate the power of technology.
TikToker Dave (@trashman.dave) amassed 607,000 views by showing how his truck is equipped with a camera that shows—in full color and detail—what exactly residents are throwing away.
“Just remember, if you ever try to be slick with the trash man, we see everything,” he says in the video. “But for $20, we can forget an awful lot.”
Whether it is a large number of bottles after a wild weekend or an excessive amount of homewares after a breakup, the drivers and operators of trash collection trucks see many angles of a person’s life that are not visible to the public. As pointed out by the driver of a garbage truck, the trash does essentially get laid out pretty plainly for the workers. They can also see customers disposing of things they are not supposed to use the trash service for, such as paint cans or large pickups.
Dave left viewers with a reminder: “Be kind to your neighborhood garbage man.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @trashman.dave via comment on the video.
@trashman.dave Be kind to your neighborhood garbage man ;) #garbage #trashtruck #commitcrimes ♬ original sound – trashmandave
Some might think the lifetime of items in their home or things that they have purchased stops at their trash can or dumpster. So the fact the items they parted with may be on full display left some wide-eyed.
However, many said they felt a sense of security knowing their items got once last look at.
“Gives me a lot of peace of mind,” one commenter wrote. “I always get scared that animals get caught in there.”
“Thank god,” another said. “I found my neighbors cat sleeping on top of mine!”
A garbage truck driver confirmed they have “saved countless raccoons and have two cats right now.”
Others shared how they successfully bribed their truck drivers.
“I put out a $10 bill when I’m a bag or 3 over the limit,” one shared. “Lol they never said anything or not taken it. I love our sanitation guys!”
“I had 20 bags of lawn waste,” another claimed. “Nicely asked if they would take them for $20 and help loading them. They accepted.”
“My mom’s bf taught me a trick when the trash service wouldn’t pick up a load of palm frawns,” a third shared (a palm frond is a palm tree leaf). “Put a six pack of Bud on it and it was gone.”
