Kids Approach Garbage Collector, Mom Captures What Happens Next on Camera

When a group of three neighborhood kids approached their local garbage collector with a request, he could never have predicted what it would be.

Refuse collection is an essential service, but it’s one that can be difficult for those on the front line of it. Though evidence is limited, some studies have highlighted the toll that work of this kind can have.

In 2021, a study, published in the journal PLOS One, sought to explore the psychological stress experienced by municipal solid waste collectors in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Though conditions undoubtedly differ considerably to those of refuse collectors in the U.S., the study did highlight some concerning statistics. Chief among them was the figure revealing 13.4 percent of waste collectors surveyed reported experiencing stress symptoms.

Among this number, 3.3 percent said they endured severe stress on the job.

Though the proportions would undoubtedly differ in the U.S. the study does serve as a reminder of the difficulties those working in this field face and the importance of treating them with kindness and consideration.

That is what makes the video captured by Meagan Schrecengost out in her local neighborhood in Colorado so special. It is a clip that showcases the most welcome of interactions between a group of neighborhood kids and a garbage collector doing his rounds.

The footage begins with the three kids approaching one of two garbage workers with a request. It is not clear what they want at this point, but the man they go to happily points them in the direction of his nearby colleague.

They approach the second man, who is decked out in a high-vis jacket and hat. He immediately appears game for whatever they are asking. It doesn’t take long for the nature of their request to become apparent either.

For reasons unknown, the trio are asking the garbage collector to indulge them in a game of the classic playground favorite “Rock, paper, scissors.” It’s a request he is only too happy to oblige, with the garbage collector stopping in his tracks to play two of the three kids at the game before heading off on his way.

The video ends with the three children retreating back toward the house Schrecengost appears to be filming from. The kids’ delight at the fact the worker obliged their request is clear to see with all three smiling from ear to ear in a moment that only adds to the wholesome nature of the footage.

This isn’t the first time someone in this particular line of work has been celebrated on social media. In May, a Florida mom captured her toddler’s sweet interaction with a local sanitation worker.

Back in October 2024, internet users rallied around a 24-year-old man after he expressed embarrassment at the fact he was a garbage collector. Over in the U.K. in January, meanwhile, a garbage collector earned praise for his innovative approach to moving trash cans.