Trash Guy Has the Best Job in Town

When the sun rises on a Monday morning, it brings with it the start of Steve Schulteis’s work week and the favorite part of his job. Garbage pickup for the Village of Fox Point.

“I do 300 homes a day,” said 53-year-old Schulteis, who has worked in the department of public works at Fox Point since 1986 but did not start collecting trash until 2010. “It’s a great workout and it’s great working outside. I just love what I do.”

No one ever aspires to be a garbage man. Having to get rid of the waste of complete strangers has a servitude feeling that is hard to get past. On top of that there are the pungent smells, filthy trash bags, and dirty garbage cans. It is a job that some believe resides near the bottom of the occupational totem pole and people try their best to avoid sinking that low. But Schulteis does not feel that way.

“It is the most favorite thing that I do,” said Schulteis. “No one else in our department wanted to do, it was like the plague. So I just started doing it and I wanted to do it.”

What also made Schulteis’s decision easier is that the residents of Fox Point take pride in having clean trash.

“I stay cleaner on my route than in anything else that I do. Sure, in the heat of summer there’s an odor,” said Schulteis. “This is a high end community, the people here go the extra mile to have things organized and in the rights spots. It really is ideal.”

What is also ideal for Schulteis, is working in a municipality where people respect him and treat him like he is a part of their family.

“People here are just great and they look forward to when you come. Even when the weather is subzero, people will stick their heads out just to say hello,” said Schulteis. “Kids wave in the windows when you drive by and you get to see these kids grow up.”

Despite the near perfect working conditions and a friendly client base, Schulteis still faces the negative connotations that come with being a garbage man. But he openly welcomes those criticisms.

“Where people are wrong about us. That is where I thrive,” said Schulteis. “We are educated people, who just pick up trash.”

Now with four years of trash collecting under his belt, the passion Schulteis has for his job could not be stronger.

“I’m just a guy who loves what he does,” said Schulteis. “My cheeks are always hurting cause I’m smiling so much.