Lafayette County Solid Waste Department Goes the Extra Mile for Kids July 17, 2024

The Lafayette County Solid Waste department is on a mission to bring smiles to the county’s youngest residents by engaging them in a fun way: through the friendly county garbage truck! For the past year, garbage truck crews have been handing out special goodie bags to children who greet them during their routes.

“I’ve got several kids who get excited when I come around in the truck,” says Foreman Brian Crockette, who’s been with the county for 24 years. “They just get so excited to see the truck work. If we see them waving, we’ll blow the horn and try to give them a bag, if we can. They love that.”

The official Lafayette County Solid Waste department goodie bags contain a coloring book on preventing littering, a cup, and an official letter thanking the child for their kindness towards the garbage collectors.

The program’s impact is evident. Local resident Mary Catherine Porter describes how her two-year-old son, Clayton, became fascinated with garbage trucks after receiving one as a birthday gift.

“We started waiting outside for the county garbage truck to come by, so Clayton could see how it works,” Porter says, “and when [the garbage collector] saw Clayton waving, he honked and gave him a little bag with happies. He was so sweet.”

“It absolutely made all of our days,” she says, “so now every Friday, we’re always out here in time to see the garbage truck.”

Porter says there are other children in their neighborhood who will stand outside and wave at the garbage collectors in their truck, too. “They’ll honk at every one of them and wave. It’s so nice that they take the time to do that because it’s a tough job, and the fact that they stop and pay some attention to the kids is so sweet.”

This simple act of acknowledgement goes a long way. “Building positive connections with our community is a core value at our department,” explains Jody Harrison, manager of Solid Waste in Lafayette County. “A honk, a wave, a little gift—those moments make our days at the department just as much as theirs.”

Crockette encourages children to be outside and wave at the garbage trucks. “I try to tell my guys if you see the kids outside, let us know, and we’ll fix them up a bag,” he says.

For Crockette and the Solid Waste Department, these interactions with excited kids are a source of joy. “It just uplifts the kids, and we love it too,” he says. “We see a lot of these kids when they’re small, and then before long, they’ve grown up, and we can all remember them from when they were little!”