Ask anyone at the Tioga City Hall about Gerald Washington, and their faces will light up as they say, “We love Washington!”
It’s the kind of reputation he’s built over a decade of service as a waste technician—a name him and his coworkers jokingly say—otherwise known as a garbage collector.
The bond between him and the residents is priceless.
He’s had this position for nearly 16 years now, but for over 14 years, he’s driven around Tioga and nearby towns, collecting garbage cans.
But Tioga holds a special place in his heart.
“I feel like it’s my home,” Washington said. “I know every inch, every crack in Tioga.”
He heads out every Monday and Thursday, around 4 a.m., before the sun rises to avoid morning traffic in Frisco for his 6 a.m. shift.
Though he lives a bit farther away, he doesn’t mind the commute; he enjoys driving.
“The air is so clean,” Washington said. “I mean, you just smell honeydew in the morning. I like it.”
Driving through the rural countryside on open roads makes the journey worthwhile, he said.
Washington said the scenic drives are the best in the morning.
From 6 a.m. until around 7 or 8 p.m., he and his helper service about 2,000 homes each day.
Washington, who has always enjoyed traveling and seeing the world, initially was a truck driver like his father.
He also learned about the waste industry from his dad, but at first, he had reservations.
“I said, no, I’m not going to be a trashman; I’m going to be an old driver,” Washington said. “I’m gonna see the world.”
His father started as a truck driver and then entered the waste business in the early ’90s.
The summers spent riding in his dad’s waste disposal truck were good experiences for Washington.
Little did he expect that he’d work in waste himself someday.
Even with his father’s encouragement, he was hesitant.
“He always told me, ‘Come get in the waste business. Come get in the waste business,’” he said.
But Washington was deterred by the stigma he learned in school about the industry from his teachers: Washington, quoting his teacher, said, “You keep on [acting up], you’re gonna be working in a trash truck.”
Those words stayed with him into adulthood.
Instead, he became a truck driver, meaning he was on the road for weeks, sometimes even a month.
“Boy, only if I knew what I do now, I could have been driving waste, making way more money,” he said.
With young children at home, long haul truck driving was no longer sus- tainable.
Waste collector adopts Tioga as his own
He needed a job with better hours so he could spend more time with his kids.
After a while, it was time to try something different.
He saw an opportunity in waste management with Waste Management, applied and, two weeks later, he got the job.
However, Waste Management subcontracted with Republic to take over the local contract, including Tioga, he said.
So, Washington was faced with a dilemma.
He either would stay with Waste Management and give up his beloved route and relocate or transition to Republic Service.
“I like my route,” Washington said. “I like where I was staying, and I don’t want to relocate, so I stayed with the city and the Republic.”
Now in his 16th year, residents have become very familiar with his work, appreciating both his friendly personality and diligence and care.
After finishing his route and before heading home, Washington often stops by City Hall to see if someone called about a missed house or to ask if he can visit because a resident was late putting out their trash.
While there, he makes it a point to see city officials.
“I know the chief of police, I know the fire chief, the mayor, the secretary and the assistant secretary,” Washington said. “I know most everyone in Tioga City Hall,” he said, adding, “Tioga, Texas, is probably the friendliest place I’ve ever been. … They’re my people.”
He has watched the city and neighboring areas develop, noticing changes in the neighborhood and the people he encounters daily.
Seeing the same faces on his route is a chance to catch up.
“I joke about this all the time,” he said. “I said, you know what? I raised half these kids. They look like little 5- or 6-year-olds. They grow up, become teenagers and go to college. Man, I’m getting old.”
Some changes are positive, like new neighbors moving in, while others are more difficult, like residents leaving unexpectedly.
For Washington, the hardest part of the job is saying goodbye or missing the chance to say goodbye.
“Many of the good friends I’ve made have passed away,” he said. “… They disappear on me.”
He takes the losses to heart. “It feels like I’ve lost a family member because you get to know them and grow proud of them,” Washington said. “Twice a week, I speak to some of them. We talk about fishing, the weather and other things, but then, suddenly— they’re gone—and that hurts. It really hurts, and it takes a little part of you.”
Despite these emotional moments, he wouldn’t trade his role in the community for anything.
Washington also shared some PSAs on waste etiquette:
•Organize bulk trash for easier pickup;
•Make dangerous or broken pieces obvious to reduce risk to waste collectors;
•Put loose trash in bags, especially on windy days.
The community in Tioga has embraced him just as he has embraced them.
“I’d say I love what I do,” Washington said. “I love the city, I love this town and I love making them happy. And I really appreciate that they appreciate me. That makes me feel good.”
