Sweet 3-year-old idolizes city garbage men: 'He really makes my day'
"It was an intense interest from the very beginning," mom Liz Smith said.
For 3-year-old Crew Smith, trash collection day is the most exciting morning at his house.
Without fail, Crew waits each Thursday in his driveway to greet the local sanitation workers. Crew's fascination with trash day began when he was able to walk, his mother Liz Smith told ABC News.
"He just got so flipping excited whenever the garbage truck would come," Smith of Clive, Iowa, said. "It was an intense interest from the very beginning. Now he understands that there's a person behind the truck and that person's become his hero."
Once a week at 10 a.m., Crew waves to the different garbage men that empty his family's trash can. Many of the workers have become familiar with him, sharing high-fives and even leaving treats for Crew at his doorstep.
“One of the most rewarding parts of this job is interacting with our customers and residents on the route, but Crew takes it to a whole new level," Waste Management driver Eric Jefferies said in a statement to ABC News. "When I see him he is all smiles and waving cheerfully. I was happy to make his day but the truth is, he really makes my day."
Crew's love for the garbage men has evolved. Crew dresses in his own sanitation worker's costume. He also had a garbage-themed birthday party and now has a garbage truck-themed bedroom decorated in paintings of trucks and Waste Management's company color of green.
And it's no surprise that Crew has a dream to be a garbage truck driver when he grows up, Smith said.
"I'm really moved that he's so passionate and interested in this," Smith added of her son. "To a degree he can see so much more than adults can --that [sanitation workers] are so committed to their jobs and their community. I can understand why kids see this role as the everyday hero."