Celebrating Waste and Recycling Workers Week
Published on June 15, 2026
A Solid Waste Services' crew member helping put yard waste bags into the back of a truck.
The Charlotte Solid Waste Services team delivers exceptional service to residents on a daily basis, in the heat of summer, in the dead of winter and in every type of weather in between. In some areas, that service is even provided 24 hours a day. From those out operating trucks, to those scouring the streets of Uptown, to those at headquarters making sure everything runs smoothly, they are all committed to keeping Charlotte clean and beautiful.
In June, we celebrate Waste and Recycling Workers Week, which is an opportunity to acknowledge the relentless dedication of our Solid Waste team. In what is becoming a tradition, we gave the Queen City the opportunity to shout out these incredible employees.
Some submissions edited for brevity, clarity, and to keep personal details private.*
“These guys are some of the hardest and most dedicated workers in the city. My neighbors and I are so grateful for the service they provide.”
“We just want to say today how grateful we are for our Solid Waste Services crew. It's a hard, tough, yet important job. And we appreciate them being consistent, reliable and dedicated. Well done!”
“I know this is basic praise, but I really do appreciate the people that are coming around every day cleaning up after everybody else. Thank you.”
“Our streets are narrow with no sidewalks, but the men and women of Charlotte Solid Waste Services do an amazing job week after week. They are so reliable, dependable and so essential. They deserve every dollar and then some of their pay.”
“Every year we have several large events at our church. During this Recognition Week, I would like to acknowledge Robert D. Mahoney III and his operations manager, Darryl. I want to express my sincere appreciation for the excellent customer service each time I call. They are always friendly and helpful! The containers are always delivered on time. Your hard work behind the scenes is a great help to us! Thank you for your dedication to serving our community! We are grateful for the job you do!”
A Solid Waste Services crew member checking out his truck.
“We live on a larger lot with many trees, and at times the volume of yard waste exceeds our ability to load it all into piles on our property while staying within the pile-size limits. We greatly appreciate that, in almost every instance, the yard waste crews are attentive, thorough, and responsive in helping process the material in a timely manner. The service they provide is critical. While it takes care and caution on our part to prepare the yard waste, it takes even more care from the crews, who often have no way of knowing the composition of the material they must handle. Their workload is significant and highly variable, and we are truly grateful for the effort and professionalism they bring to this important service funded by our tax dollars.”
“Charlotte is the cleanest city I've seen in the U.S.! You do such a good job keeping the streets and sidewalks clean of litter and debris.”
“I don't have a specific instance to share, but I always appreciate the dedication of the guys that pick up our trash and recycling. The ones who pick up my yard waste always take everything, no matter how much or how little I put out. A big thank you to the employees who always do a great job.”
“We admire and appreciate the great Solid Waste Services team, which work through bad weather and never-ending stuff to pick up!”
“My health has declined, and I am unable to pull my trash receptable to the curb. After several telephone calls to 311 to advise them that my receptable was not being emptied, Mr. Leon Lampkin called me to follow up that my garbage was picked up. He would call to make sure the gentlemen that were servicing me had gotten my garbage, and he told me to call him if there were any problems with the pickup. I know they have a busy schedule, but I appreciated him going OVER the call of duty to make sure I was being serviced timely. Thank you so very much to all the team members that played a part in getting the problem resolved.”
“I don't know [their] names, but they are always friendly and responsive!!”
“Thanks to all for the door-to-door trash pick-up for the older people in my area (Hidden Valley community).”
“My story is 10 or more years old, and we have a different crew now, but I thought I would share anyway. At the time, my two daughters were quite young, either in daycare or kindergarten. They loved watching the crews drive up like clockwork every Wednesday morning while they ate their breakfast in the front window of the house. The crew always waved at them and made their day.”
“Working in Code Enforcement, we tend to be the catchall for a lot of unique requests. But when we don't have the answer, we always lean on our catchall, Solid Waste Services. Operations Supervisor Dontarius Lockhart and his crew respond and help before our email is finished! We would like to acknowledge the prompt, diligent and swift response by Mr. Lockhart and his crew for being a pillar of support and collaboration for and with the Code Enforcement Division.”
“Earlier this year, my recycling bin accidentally got taken by the recycling truck entirely. The workers could've just gone about their day and I would've been left wondering where my bin went, but they were kind enough to take the time to write me a note explaining what happened and how to get a replacement. Thank you so much!”
Happy Waste and Recycling Workers Week to our Solid Waste Services team and thank you to the residents who shared their stories. If you have your own story to share, submit online and we will get it to the team.