Waste Pro employee takes a family approach to job

Amanda Shabazz said that she loves to help and get to know the older folks on her route. 'I look at it as if they were my mom or dad,' she said.

By Sierra Williams
| 1:00 p.m. January 24, 2023

Amanda Shabazz, a driver with Waste Pro. Photo courtesy of Waste Pro

Palm Coast Observer
Business

Amanda Shabazz, a driver with Waste Pro, is celebrating 10 years on the job this year.

Shabazz joined Waste Pro in 2013 in Southeast Florida before moving to Jacksonville and then finally Palm Coast in the last year. Shabazz said she's come to love driving a garbage truck, according to a press release from Waste Pro.

“I wanted something different, but I never wanted to do over-the-road trucking. It’s dangerous and I’d never get to see my family,” she said. “So, when I heard Waste Pro was hiring, it made sense. I could be with my family, get great benefits and still make a decent dollar.”

Shabazz has worked as a machine operator and chauffeur in the past, so working with large machinery and vehicles is nothing new to her, the press release said. She has experience with driving an automated side loader, a rear loader and a Curotto Can truck — which, Shabazz said, is her favorite truck to drive.

Shabazz said that during her routes she loves to help out the older people who live alone, offering to push their cans back up to the houses and generally taking the time to get to know them. Shabazz said she has been welcomed by her customers – something she had never experienced at a job before.

“I look at it as if they were my mom or dad," she said. “It’s become personal. It feels good to be appreciated.”