‘Those days are long gone’: Much-loved Aussie Christmas tradition now dead

For Aussie garbo Dave, getting a six-pack of beer on his morning run was normal. Now, hardly anyone says hello. 

Gone are the days of leaving a six-pack out for your garbo. Image: Lucas - urban photographer / Kidspot

People who grew up in the eighties and nineties will fondly remember the days of waving to their garbo hanging off the back of their truck as they came to empty the rubbish bins on the curb bright and early in the morning. 

They'll also remember leaving out a six-pack of beers as they approached the festive season. A kind gesture to their local collector for doing such a hard but much-needed job. 

But fast forward to 2023, and it appears as though the Aussie Christmas tradition has died. 

An Aussie took to Reddit recently to ask other locals if they still leave a coldie or two (or six) out for their garbo at Christmas time. 

"I've been trying to teach my four-year-old compassion and generosity, and Christmas presents a great opportunity to do so. My question is, is beer for the rubbish truck guys still a thing?" the poster asked.

The thread attracted a mix of comments. 

"This is a bit of nostalgia for me... Dad used to always bring a 6 pack and give it to the guy at the dump when we would go," one person remembered. 

Sadly, not many others realised it was a thing. 

"Never heard of that tradition, how old is it? Would they get in trouble for accepting beer or anything?" one person asked. 

"I can understand back in the day when they jumped out of the truck to do it by hand, but it doesn't make sense these days," another added. 

And another local wrote: "It's still a thing but not as big as it once was."

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The Aussie tradition was one garbos loved. Lucas - urban photographer / Kidspot

Can you still leave a six-pack of beer for your garbo? 

According to Veolia ANC Chief Operating Officer Environmental Services, Tony Roderick, while leaving a six-pack of beers out for your local garbo is a much-loved tradition, it is one that is sadly not as popular as it once was.

"Sadly, the tradition of giving your garbo a Christmas beer is now a thing of the past," Tony tells Kidspot. 

"The reason it's not possible to leave out gifts on the kerbside for garbos is because of health and safety concerns for drivers and the public. Packages of beer become missiles in the cabin of the truck under emergency braking. Emergency braking happens more often than you expect when someone is running to put out a bin at dawn or unexpectedly opening a car door on a narrow street. 

The gift of alcohol is also one that isn't particularly supported. 

"Like many others in our business, we have a company-wide dry workplace policy," he adds. 

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Aussie garbos want the good old days back

Aussie garbo and Lucas Heights local, Dave Reid, 59, fondly remembers the days of collecting cases and cases of beers from residents during his morning run around Christmas time. 

"Getting a six-pack would’ve been one of the worst days. We used to get beer every day - five days a week regardless if it was Christmas," Dave tells Kidspot with a chuckle. 

"You always had someone offer you a beer. If it wasn’t a cold bottle of beer, it was a cold bottle of soft drink or water. It wasn’t unusual to go home with a six-pack. It wasn’t uncommon between three blokes to get 120 dozen bottles of beer at Christmas. Cases, bottles of whiskey, clothing, envelopes with money to take your family out for a meal. People would be lined up the street to give you something.

"I remember sometimes we’d sit on the back step of the garbage truck because there was so much grog in the front seat and the cage and bowl of the truck!"

But as the garbage industry changed over the 30-odd years Dave worked in the area, so too did the camaraderie between the residents and the workers. 

"When I first started, it was three men in the truck. The truck drove down to the middle of the road, the two men on the back of the truck ran out to the edge, picked the bin up, emptied the bin and put the bin back," he remembers. 

"The resident was always there to say hello and happy to see you. The minute they put side-arm trucks in that all stopped. Now, there’s no personalisation. I miss those days. If I could go back to those days, I would go back tomorrow. I hate to say it but those days are long gone."

RELATED: Families share their own weird traditions

Say hi to your local garbo. Image: iStock

How you can still give a gift to your garbo

While a gift placed on top of the bin is a thing of the past, there is a way you can still show your appreciation to your local rubbish collector. 

"This doesn't mean you can't give a gift to them in some other way. Should people want to leave a small gift for their local driver it is possible to leave it at the local depot where the driver can collect it at the end of shift," Tony from Veolia recommends. 

But while the suggestion is appreciated, it's one the local workers are scoffing at because, put simply, no one will ever do it. 

"I can guarantee you I’ve never seen anyone drop anything off at the depot. It will just never happen," Dave laughs. 

Instead, to show your appreciation, Dave suggests just going back a few decades and starting with a friendly "G'day" or "Merry Christmas." It’s something the local workers miss - possibly even more than that six-pack of beer.

"Times are tight at the moment so some people just come out and give me a Christmas card, which means just as much to me as anything else," he shares. 

“Just show some appreciation - you know it’s not the cleanest job in the world.”

Originally published as ‘Those days are long gone’: Much-loved Aussie Christmas tradition now dead