Sanitation Staff's Love Undeterred By Fair's Trashiest Job

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - The Minnesota State Fair has more than 1,000 vendors that supply food and fun.

However, the fair would not be possible without another group of workers that often fly under the radar: the sanitation team.

Twenty-two-year-old Stillwater native Sam Johnson has been working on the sanitation team at the fair for 7 years.

"It is 12 days of pushing your body to the limits," Johnson said.

His teammate while emptying trash cans, 19-year-old Nick Juaire of Oakland, said he has perfected his technique throughout his three years in the sanitation job.

"You have to make sure you're poking holes in the big black trash cans, because without it the heat can cause the entire trash bag to rise and overflow," Juaire said.

The group walks about 12 to 13 miles per day, emptying some 1,200 trash bags and 500 recycling bins.

The sanitation crew consists of 250 people, who also clean the grounds overnight and clean restrooms.

Sanitation supervisor Cory Franzmeier says the job gets easier to stomach after the first few days.

"There is something about it that makes people come together, and it doesn't matter what background they're from, they just fall in love with the place and it gets in their blood," Franzmeier said.

The state fair sanitation team bagged 191 tons of cardboard and 62 tons of compost last year, Franzmeier said.

The team even makes light of the juices from trash bags that often spill all over.

"We call it 'swill,'" Johnson said. "It's the juice from slushies, ketchup, ice cream, milk, beer -- all the things people are eating throughout the day."

They may be elbow-deep in waste, but the sanitation team members never waste time focusing on the ugly parts of the job.

"I love the whole experience, the people you get to work with," Johnson said. "I'm not sitting in a booth staring at the same thing all day long. I'm getting to walk around and see all the fair has to offer."

Franzmeier said the average starting sanitation team members makes $9 dollars per hour with a raise for returning members.