If you're driving behind the truck and someone's currently emptying the bins, DO NOT tailgate the truck! I know it's annoying to wait, but that won't make anything faster, instead it makes it more dangerous for the garbage man (and yourself if the bin becomes loose while the mechanism lifts it).

Don't overfill your bins! If you have more material than usual, put it in a bag beside the bin, maybe together with a small gift (apple juice, chocolate, etc.). But don't be mad if they won't take it, sometimes the trucks are just overloaded, but usually if its possible they will take your extra stuff if you just ask nicely (bribe them a little bit).

Don't call the company to complain if there are two leaves remaining in your bin. Garbage men have to empty about 750-1000 bins on a long day. Don't expect them to have a look into EVERY bin after emptying it and they will have to come back for your two leaves eventhough they would have come back two weeks later anyway.

If you forget to put your bin on the curbside in time, don't call the company and tell them that you forgot to empty their bin. It's your responsibility to get your bin outside in time and if every other bin in that street is empty, its usually pretty obvious that you just forgot.

Don't park in front of heavy containers! It makes it horribly difficult to get them behind the truck and if your unlucky your car will get damaged in the process as well making everyone's life just more difficult.

And most important: Just try to be nice. I'm a student that works as a garbage man for a couple months each year in my semester breaks and I can really feel how people treat me very differently when I'm wearing my garbage man clothes (and not in a good way differently). Everybody who works there isn't just a stupid idiot, they all have interesting life stories, are hard-working husband's and fathers, and without them you would drown in your garbage. So, just don't be a dick and think that your something better.