Jack’s Trash staying on schedule as an essential service

Courtesy photo

This is another in a series of articles on how local businesses are currently coping with the coronavirus and its related issues.

With families encouraged to shelter in place as necessary to help slow the spread of COVID-19, there will still be trash to get rid of.

To meet the demand, Jack’s Trash Service is continuing to make their rounds in Putnam County as an essential service.

“We have to run,” co-owner Joetta Scanland said matter-of-factly in a Tuesday call to the Banner Graphic. “We really have no choice. It has to be done.”

Scanland said that Jack’s has seen an increase in the amount of trash, about two-to-three times as normal. She attributed this to families just being at home and throwing more stuff away.

Jack’s Trash wants its customers refrain from throwing out loose trash, including large items such as furniture. As such, only bagged trash waiting at the curb will be picked up during this time.

“We’re doing our best to maintain social distance and to keep our space,” she said. “We want to keep our guys and our customers safe as much as possible.”

To better their own safety, workers are provided with new gloves every day, and are regularly using Lysol wipes to disinfect surfaces. They can wear masks if they want, but this has not been a concern.

Scanland provided that husband and co-owner Jack had recently met with the company’s employees. He told them they could stay home if they felt unsafe or unwell. However, no one has missed a day.

“They all have shown up,” she said. “No one wants to miss a paycheck, that’s for sure.”

Seeing as there will continue to be no shortage of business, Scanland added that no jobs have been cut at Jack’s. She assured that their everyday routes will remain the same.

“We’re committed to getting the job done, no matter what we have to do,” she concluded.