The longer and warmer days of Summer bring more people out to enjoy our wonderful City's beautiful spaces.
And more people out mean our public bins fill up faster and more often. This is a perfect time to meet Paul and Jimmy, one of several crews working to keep our public spaces clean for everyone to enjoy.
Paul and Jimmy get up at 3am on weekdays and some weekends to service Greater Geelong's 1,400 public bins.
What is one of the things you like most about your job?
When people are nice and say thank you, particularly on the busy summer days when we have to clean up a lot of mess. Eastern Beach especially gets a lot of rubbish.
Starting work when the City is still asleep and finishing our day when most people are in the middle of their day is good. It means less traffic travelling to and from work, and we have the afternoon to do things we want.
You must see some incredible sunrises.
Yes we do! Especially when we're down in Drysdale or St Leonards.
We're also lucky that we get along well and work with good people. We laugh every day and sing along to the radio. (Jimmy likes electronic dance music and Paul is a fan of alternative rock.)
Some people might call your job unusual. Can you tell us about some of the interesting things you've seen?
The bins often have weird things in them, like possums who have jumped in looking for food scraps. We realise they are there when the bin is growling - open the lid and a possum jumps out!
Being out so early and all over Geelong, we see a very different side to this place. We know a lot of the rough sleepers well, they often come up to have a chat or even tell us we're doing a good job.
What are some of the misconceptions that people have about waste workers?
That we are dirty! We wear gloves if we touch the bins, so the gloves get dirty, not us. We finish the day as clean as we start it.
What do you wish the community knew that could help you with your job?
Always keep a space between the bins big enough to walk between them when you put them out. Please don't put them close to poles or anything else that stops the arm of the truck from grabbing hold of the bin.
What's challenging about your job?
Other drivers on the road can be dangerous. We notice it a lot more now we're heading into the holidays - everyone is in a hurry and they can do some radical things on the road.
Concealed sharps in bins is another risk. (Sharps should never be thrown into normal bins, there are free disposal points across Greater Geelong.)
What would your perfect day (when not at work) look like?
Jimmy: Go to the gym, walk my dog, catch up with friends at the pub, have some laughs and a good feed. Sometimes I go to music events in Melbourne.
Paul: Playing virtual reality games. I play many different games with people online from all over the world.
Do you have any tips for people to reduce their waste?
Use reusable containers instead of getting takeaway containers, recycle as much as you can, and be nice to us!