I was sifting through the piles of junk emails clogging my Pumper mailbox the other day and I clicked to flush away a message just as the contents were starting to register in my brain. Something told me to retrieve it and have another look.

The email headline was “National Garbage Man Day … Keeping You and the Environment Safe. Love Your Garbage Man.’’

At first I chuckled to myself. They’ll dedicate a day to anything, I thought. I was about to click the message into oblivion when a thought occurred to me: If solid waste sanitation workers can have their own day, why not hard-working septic service workers?

Pumpers do thankless work every day. It’s necessary work; much of the world couldn’t get along without it. So why not single out a day to – as the National Garbage Man Day (NGMD) website suggests – show appreciation for septic service contractors with words of encouragement, baked goods and T-shirts carrying a positive message about septic tank cleaning?

For a moment I pondered the idea of delivering fresh cinnamon rolls to my septic service technician. What a nice gesture that would be. When is the last time a customer baked you fresh cookies or invited you in for afternoon tea after a pumpout?

APPRECIATE THE UNDERAPPRECIATED

The idea of an unofficial holiday to celebrate the garbage man was concocted by trash company executive John Arwood, CEO of Arwood Waste (learn more at www.garbagemanday.org). The NGMD website suggests many ways to recognize your garbage man, shares the history of garbage men, and includes a wall of honor where trash industry luminaries can finally get the respect they deserve.

And the website also has a link to a “Sesame Street” clip that honors trash haulers with the singing of the “Garbage Man’s Blues.” Why did “Sesame Street” ignore the liquid waste industry anyway?

While I see the amusement behind National Garbage Man Day, there is something laudable about taking time out to appreciate the underappreciated. It’s true that folks don’t have much of a reason to think about garbage men or septic pumpers … until they have a real serious reason to think of them. What happens when the sanitation workers go on strike in a major city? It’s chaos. By the same token, what happens when a septic system stops working due to neglect and a full tank? At that moment, nothing is more important to a homeowner than his or her pumping professional.

Pumpers, like garbage men, might appreciate having their own day where maybe a media outlet or two will make a minor splash with an “It’s a dirty job but somebody’s gotta do it’’ report. A sincere pat on the back is sorely lacking in this industry, where the media invariably lowers itself to repeating tired old bathroom humor whenever any aspect of septic service makes the news. But that’s the subject of another editor’s column.

KEEPIN’ IT CLEAN

While honoring the individuals who keep this industry humming along is a great idea, I’m not sure most pumpers would see the benefit in that gesture. More important than building up the self-esteem of individual pumpers, I think the industry would rather dedicate a day to stress the importance of septic tank maintenance. Rather than getting a bag of donuts and an attaboy once a year, the pumpers I know would rather send the message to homeowners that a septic tank is not a set-it-and-forget-it proposition.

The best way to validate the important work of pumpers is to keep them busy on the job. Taking the time to remind homeowners about the value of a properly operating septic system doesn’t just help their neighborhood septic service contractor. Periodic septic tank pumping protects their significant investment in decentralized wastewater treatment by keeping solids out of the drainfield. And perhaps most important, it protects the environment all around them.

We all know the lingering myth that septic tanks never need to be pumped; that a septic system is designed to last the life of a home with little or no care or maintenance. Some folks stubbornly hold to this misconception because, frankly, they don’t want to pay a few hundred dollars every three to five years to make sure these systems work efficiently. When it comes to septic systems, there’s still a huge “out of sight, out of mind’’ mentality among some users. If groundwater contamination and poorly functioning drainfields are hidden from view, homeowners can remain blissfully ignorant about the trouble brewing in their onsite systems.

GET IT IN GEAR

That needs to change. And maybe setting aside a day to remind folks about the importance of system maintenance is part of the solution. I would propose calling for a Septic System Awareness Day, possibly in May, after spring thaw and as people are starting to go outside to work in the yard. Pumpers could take this opportunity to raise awareness in a number of ways:

• Send a postcard mailer to customers, thanking those who have kept current with their septic tank maintenance and encouraging others to call for an inspection and pumpout. Reinforce the message that periodic pumping is good for the system and good for the environment.
• Call the local media and offer to share your expertise for a story about septic system maintenance. Your local newspaper, radio station or TV news program may welcome the opportunity to help promote this important environmental cause, and introduce your business to a wider audience.
• Reach out to your local county or municipal health officials and organize a homeowner seminar about onsite system care. You could plan the event around an actual inspection and pumping to show firsthand the benefits of a thorough tank cleaning and demonstrate your expertise and the capabilities of your equipment.

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

Is it time to devote a day to educating the public about proper septic system care? Can we band together as an industry and encourage homeowners to adhere to a basic interval for pumping and inspection to ensure a cleaner environment? Can we utilize the media to build professionalism for septic service contractors? I think we can, and I invite you to share your opinions about a national day for septic system awareness. Send your replies to me at editor@pumper.com.