This week in our ongoing exploration of original street style, photographer Sarah Blais hunts down pre-privatization garbage workers, who are harder to find than you might think. She even chased one down on her bicycle for 10 minutes: JOURNALISM.
Sharlene is a 38-year-old mom of three girls, the oldest of whom starts university next year. She never had the chance to attend secondary school herself, and has been with the city three and a half years, working in the west end. Anything you could think of–from perfectly good furniture to clothes–is seen on the curb, she says.
The workers’ uniform consists of a few sweaters, t-shirts, and work pants. It’s meant to protect them from any dangerous waste and keep them visible on the dark mornings they work, beginning at 7 a.m.
Grant, 33, is a part-time bass player and proud father of two little girls who’s in his fourth year working for the city. He’s always been an environmentalist and got ragged on by his friends for taking this job. The way he sees it is, although there are a lot of options for recycling, it’s not on the top of peoples’ minds. Everyone is trying to run their family, their own little worlds, and you can’t fault them for it. Everyone would be better off if we could all just cut down a bit. In the meantime, someone’s gotta keep the streets clean.
Grant says wearing glasses is really important: fluorescent bulbs blow up in his face on the daily, and he isn’t going to risk losing his eyes. In Toronto, he shops at American Apparel, American Eagle, H&M, and some other downtown retailers, but he tries to buy from the local shops around the Beaches where he lives.
Ozzy, 52, hails from Central America and has been working with the City of Toronto for almost 10 years. He’s very content with his job. His everyday clothing is usually from The Bay, and his everyday lunch is seafood.
Sean has a Maltese background, but was born and raised in Toronto. He has two stepdaughters and is looking forward to one day retiring in this city. Ozzy and Sean, who’s 32, spend all their time at work together and consider each other family.
Todd Keates is the “media whore” of the garbage force, with his photo in a number of different papers over the eight years he’s worked for the city. His favourite place to shop is Marks Work Warehouse. Todd and his supervisor Frank, who was driving me around, were once crushing the garbage and heard the sound of a baby crying. It was just a doll being crushed, but the doll was making baby noises, and they were convinced they had just crushed a baby–woah.
Todd loves January on the job for the Christmas tree pick-up duty. “It’s such a contrast when people walk by and stop to really take in the smell of the truck, just a bunch of crushed pine? That’s my favourite.”
Romeo, 43, is Todd’s partner. He owned a tractor trailer company, but it tanked in 2008. A police sargeant made his and his wife’s wedding rings, and he says he likes to sport the “grungy” look in garbage-wear.
Previously in the Uniform Project: bike messengers, Branksome girls, fashion publicists, yogis, and Bay Streeters,
