Sep. 8--The big blue trucks that roll through Owensboro neighborhoods once a week to collect garbage are almost identical -- except for sanitation truck No. 250 manned by Harold Lester and Brian Hardison.

The truck is decorated with stuffed animals and cartoon characters inside and outside the cab.

SpongeBob SquarePants has the best view of the road. He's been riding shotgun for two years. "We've had several SpongeBobs," Lester said.

Lester was assigned truck No. 250 about 10 years ago.

But it was Rippo Hinton who started the toy collection, Lester said.

He retired about the time Lester came on board.

"When we find stuffed animals, we put them on the water cooler" that's strapped to the front of the truck, Lester said. "The kids love it; they follow us around. That's why we do it.

"We used to have this toddler who would wait in his window and watch for us," Lester said. "He'd have a fit if his mother didn't bring him out to see the truck."

Customers know the men collect toys, so they put the ones they no longer want beside their containers.

"They don't dig around in the toters," Sanitation Manager Downey Ward said. The stuffed toys have to be clean and in good condition, he said.

Lester said the attention they get from their decorated truck makes their day a little better.

"We get to meet the people we serve," he said. "It's good customer relations, puts our job on a personal level. They don't see us as just garbagemen."

Ward said most residents don't have contact with the fire or police departments on a regular basis and wouldn't notice if there were changes in those departments. But people would notice if their trash weren't picked up regularly.

The men who work on the trucks do more than empty toters in the big blue machines, Ward said.

"They watch out for neighbors," he said. "If they see something out of order, they will notify the police. They report on abandoned cars."

The guys also watch out for the dogs on their routes.

"Some of them save part of their lunch to feed the dogs," Ward said.

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