0:00:04 > 0:00:07A sleepy suburb of Denver,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11nestling securely in the comforting shadows of the Rockies.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15The people there are going about their daily lives, raising families,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19enjoying the natural beauty of their surroundings in Colorado.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21And each making their own small
0:00:21 > 0:00:23but equally significant contribution...
0:00:23 > 0:00:24to this.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I've driven just about every high-powered vehicle there is.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35But that was just for fun.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38The world's biggest, baddest vehicles are made to work.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41So now I've decided to travel across the United States
0:00:41 > 0:00:44to see if I can conquer the monsters of the worksite.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48I'll have just three days to learn how to handle
0:00:48 > 0:00:50these complex and dangerous machines
0:00:50 > 0:00:53that normally take years of training to master.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57And in the end, we'll find out if I'm good enough to get the job done.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02This is the Denver Regional Landfill.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03This place can handle, process
0:01:03 > 0:01:07and dispose of 4,000 tons of refuse a day.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10A task that big requires some specialist tools,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12not just one machine.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13These three.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18Bulldozer, compactor and scraper.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21I've got three days to learn how to handle all three.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23And at the end, to pass my final exam,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27use them to handle and dispose of a mound of trash equivalent
0:01:27 > 0:01:32to what I would've produced in my life so far - about 26 tons.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34I thought I was tidy.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36It turns out my mum was right.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43So Brian, I'm here, ready to get my hands on the vehicles. I can't wait.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44But before I do that,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46I've got to know how the place works.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48So you're in charge. What goes on here?
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Richard, essentially,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54everything that everybody puts out on their curbs
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and thinks it just disappears, it actually comes here.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01We manage it and dispose of it in an environmentally safe
0:02:01 > 0:02:02and friendly manner.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Once the trash comes in here they're going to dump,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12we'll have the bulldozer pushing it into place.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15The packer will then be running over it.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19And then we're going to cover it with the scraper.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21They each have a specific role and have to work together
0:02:21 > 0:02:23for this whole place to function.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26- Absolutely.- It looks almost a choreographed routine.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Stuff comes in, it's spread out, it's compacted and covered.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32At the end of the day, it's a nice, fresh hill again.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Our dance of chaos.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36It might be when I get in there.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39It actually is chaos briefly. But I will try.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41I will try and fit in with your team, I promise.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46Now, since I have only three days to master three giant machines,
0:02:46 > 0:02:47I best get started.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50First up, the mighty bulldozer.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53The bulldozer here is primarily what we use to push the trash
0:02:53 > 0:02:56once it comes off the trucks.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59So in essence, what we've got is tracks here, engine.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01- Yes, sir.- It's a big one. - It's a huge one.- Yeah.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- About 325 horsepower.- That's plenty,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- and a whole lot of torque.- Yes, sir. - That's what I'm guessing.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Then you can't really help but see this,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11- this is her blade? - Yes, this is the blade.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- It's a standard flat blade used to push the trash every day.- Right.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17These teeth in the bottom are called cutting edges.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19What ends up happening right here,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22this bottom edge here, is what is engaging the ground.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25So that wears quicker than anything on the dozer.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29And when the cutting edge gets worn down too far,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- it starts cutting into the blade. - That's expensive.- That's expensive.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34These are a couple of hundred dollars,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36but this blade is thousands of dollars.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39So these are like a disposable razor?
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- Exactly. - So let's make it begin.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- Make it begin.- Yeah. - Let's do it.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Fire it up. Maybe it's the proportions of a bulldozer.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49It's just kind of... It's just a lump of muscle, isn't it?
0:03:52 > 0:03:54I'll walk.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04OK. Chris, carry on.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Is there an official term you say to begin the demonstration of fine art?
0:04:07 > 0:04:11- No, I think carry on...- Bulldozer... - Bulldozer is just fine.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13OK. So now here comes the dozer.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Let's just move out of the way of that as well. Many things to...
0:04:16 > 0:04:18What you can see is just the pure power of that.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22It's not even feeling that, it's not even aware.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26And again, he's shifting tons and tons of stuff around
0:04:26 > 0:04:29but with finesse. He's finessing that blade off the floor.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Exactly, right.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33He doesn't want to dig down too deep,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35he doesn't want to expose that trash down below,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37so he's just skimming it right off
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and placing it in the hole right where he wants it.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42But he's actually making the earth move as he does it. It's vibrating.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Yeah, you can feel it. We're standing on trash.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47We're standing on 30 years' worth of trash right here.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- Brian, I've just got one other question as we stand here.- Yeah?
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Which is, when are you going to let me have a go driving that thing?
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- You ready?- Yeah, I am ready. I'm ready, let's do it.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I notice where you've brought me.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02There's... You haven't got a lot of faith in me, have you?
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- Because it's empty here.- I wouldn't say it's not a lot of faith.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07I'd say this is where we take the rookies to learn.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- You ready to go?- Yeah, I'm ready. - Let's do it.- Yeah.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11I'm feeling scared.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14I'll be honest, has it grown?
0:05:14 > 0:05:15This is your key to start it up.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- Yeah.- Turtle. - Yeah.- Turtle means?
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- Slow.- Rabbit means?
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Mating.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23Close. Fast!
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Oh, yeah. I got it. I got it.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28It's notable, the absence of a steering wheel.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- That's all done with this? - Left, right.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32This is your blade.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Forward is down, back is up.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Left or right, it'll tilt the blade.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38Right, in the contours and...
0:05:38 > 0:05:41You know, being a good operator is about feeling it in the seat.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43It's about time in the seat.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46You really start to feel the grade when you're sitting in the seat.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- You ready?- Yes. - Turn that key.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51There's a lot of things happen.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52Oh, is that bad?
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Nope, you're all right. Turn her over.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- So...- Move it forward.- Forward?
0:06:00 > 0:06:02It's really sensitive.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04OK, now, now, hit the throttle button. Hit the rabbit.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08How fast are you going?
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Three point five, it feels like a million.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Take this and just crank it over.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Go all the way.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22You're still in gear, so you'll roll until you put it in neutral.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23There you go.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27There's only two speeds for this engine, idle and....
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- All or nothing.- Yeah. - Unless you feather that.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Yeah. That's cool.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33You want to go by yourself?
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Yeah, yeah.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- OK. Good luck.- Oh, God!
0:06:41 > 0:06:43You are in the trash, mister.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Yeah, want it!
0:06:45 > 0:06:46You really are carving
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and shaping with this thing and modelling with it.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I'm not aware of it, it isn't struggling.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52That's remarkable.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59It's like it's not trying. It hasn't noticed, I swear.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06So what do you think?
0:07:06 > 0:07:10It could just create hell but has no... It doesn't know.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14It's easy to create hell but it's harder to create perfection.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Why don't you come on down?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I'll show you what this thing can really do.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24No matter, rain, shine, snow, whatever it is,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- we're pushing trash, baby.- Yes! - This is our life right here.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Let's push trash in the rain. It's just more fun.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31OK. What are we doing here?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Right now, we're going to find out what this bulldozer can do
0:07:34 > 0:07:36in the hands of an expert.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Inevitably, when somebody first gets in, they're heavy on the blade.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44We are going to use it to tip over this trailer
0:07:44 > 0:07:46that you see in front of you.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49OK. That's assuming it doesn't get washed away in the meantime, right.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Well, if we're ready to do this, Chris, carry on.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56What he's going to do, is he's going to take his blade
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and he's going to position it right on the frame there.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01He's going to just run and lift up his blades slightly.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04So, this is about positioning?
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- Absolutely.- And then precision use of the blade?- Finesse.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Oh, yeah, he's knocked it...
0:08:20 > 0:08:21So, he's put it on its side.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Oh, wow! 'That was simply amazing.'
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Chris was able to take the 42-ton bulldozer
0:08:30 > 0:08:34and use its blade like a spatula, gently flipping over the trailer
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- like it was an egg in a frying pan. - There you have it, Richard.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41So the game here is to roll it over without destroying it too much.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- That is the finesse...- OK. - ..of the brawn right there.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48So, you take the massive 40-ton bulldozer and carefully
0:08:48 > 0:08:52roll the mobile home over, causing little damage as possible?
0:08:52 > 0:08:53Absolutely.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58That gives you an idea of just how easily it is to take all that power
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and turn it into the finesse.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01OK. So this is a test?
0:09:01 > 0:09:03- This is a test. Are you ready?- Yeah.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06We got another one for you.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08OK. I'm confident.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09- Yeah, I can see that.- I am, I am.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18- Nice work.- Thank you. - Well done.- Thank you.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20All right, Richard. You saw how the expert did it.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Yeah.- Now, it's time for you to flip your trailer.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24- This is mine?- Are you ready?
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Yeah, just before I do it, I want...you know,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- a quick look of what I'm going to do it to.- She's a beaut.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32You know, I've rented worse.
0:09:32 > 0:09:33It's a fixer-upper.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Lick of paint, pictures on the walls,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37put that chair the right way up.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40When I finish flipping this, you could live in it.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Just pop it back on its wheels and move in.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43Excellent. Let's see what you got.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Can you hear me in there, Richard?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Sadly no, so I'm just going to go crazy.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Hold on. I've got to adjust the seat up here. Who's been driving this?
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Quit stalling, come on. - All right, starting.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55BEEPING
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Uh, I don't like it when it does that.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Fire it up.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- It works.- One thing we want to watch, Richard, is the frame.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09If it gets caught in those tracks, it can easily whip right back up
0:10:09 > 0:10:10and catch you in the cab.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Right, thanks. You tell me that now. Good, OK.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15So this is also dangerous as well as humiliating.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Good. Thank you.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18The frame might jump up there and get you.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I just suddenly don't feel so confident.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- Safety first.- OK, I'm going now. Here we go, this is it. I'm going.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Come on, Richard, let's go.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30Lift it, lift it.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Keep going forward. Good.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Just watch this frame on your left side here.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37- Chris, we better back up, huh? - Yeah, amen.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40I don't know how this rookie's going to do at this.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44I'm using finesse.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I think I got it. I think I got it.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- Yeah, it's going to go over. - He's not square to it.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Come this way.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Why is it not working like it did when Chris did it?
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Because we're the experts, buddy.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57He needs to come back and grab it under more.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04A little bit of a shove. That's all it needed.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12Whoo! There you go. Oh, man. Rookie?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I think in essence I've got it. It's just the timing, isn't it? Watch.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Uh-oh. It's toast now.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39Man, he destroyed it.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I kind of thought I had it briefly.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47It's about finding the tipping point, isn't it?
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- Yeah.- Tipping it with your hand and then you feel it go.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51Exactly, right.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55I love the feel of that. I love the machine. I've got all...
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- It's a powerhouse, huh?- Yeah, and it's just an obedient bull.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00It just does what you want it to do.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Assuming you know what... I want one. I need one. How much are they?
0:12:03 > 0:12:05About 650,000.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07That's like three Lamborghinis each. Isn't it?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- That's pretty close.- Yeah.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10It would be nice.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14It's a great machine. I love it to bits.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15I really enjoyed that.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19On the whole, this is such a great idea.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I get to spend time with unique, specialised working vehicles,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25learn to operate them and really discover what they can do.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27It's great. I love it.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29But there's always a downside for every upside.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30And in this particular case,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33it's scraping the trash out of the tracks of the bulldozer.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35That's right. You've had a lot of fun on this equipment,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37now it's time to put it in the work.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40So this is kind of basic daily maintenance.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43You got to do this cos this stuff will get caught up in there.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Absolutely. What we're really worried about
0:12:45 > 0:12:47is this final drive back here.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49This is what drives the whole tracks and all the machine.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52And if there's any wire or anything that gets caught back there,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54it's going to destroy this final drive,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57so we're working to make sure we clear all that out.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00You wouldn't think that such a big beast could be affected
0:13:00 > 0:13:02by bits of trash, would you? But it can.
0:13:02 > 0:13:03Little pieces of wire is all it takes.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07- You just jab that in there. - I am jabbing!- Come on.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09All right, Richard,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- I'll be coming back in about an hour or so to check on you.- An hour?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Yeah, that's about what it'll take for a rookie.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- Have fun, all right? - Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19If this were a cookery show, this is the bit
0:13:19 > 0:13:22in which I'd, you know, pop it in the oven and come back
0:13:22 > 0:13:24ten seconds later and it was done.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I'll try it. No, it's not done.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32You might want to go and make a coffee or something.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35This is going to get nasty. It's really unpleasant.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42I cleaned my hands.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44I really cleaned my hands before I ate.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47What's the most ridiculous thing that's ever happened here?
0:13:47 > 0:13:51The most ridiculous thing that's ever happened out here?
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Tom's got a story to tell.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Remember the... Longmont Hospitals sent people out here?
0:13:57 > 0:13:59They had lost a biopsy.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02They had a biopsy and they accidentally put it in a wrong bag.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Went out the trash and they come out here looking for it.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06"How big is this biopsy?"
0:14:06 > 0:14:08"Oh, about the size of a small pork roast."
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Argh. That's a...
0:14:10 > 0:14:14"How big was the guy you took it out of?!"
0:14:14 > 0:14:17They couldn't find it. They had to go get another one.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Who was sent out to look for it?
0:14:19 > 0:14:20Some people from the hospital.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- It's a job for the rookie.- Yeah.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25And one of the most special loads that we've gotten,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29there is a marijuana crop that was grown up in the mountains.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31- Oh, I remember that.- Yeah.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Yeah, I'm sorry they took away your cash crop for your retirement.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39The FBI went and busted it.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42They couldn't burn all of it though, because it was such a windy day.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46So they had escorts coming in and they had to have a special
0:14:46 > 0:14:49burial process where we dug a hole for them
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and they sat and watched as it was dumped in.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55So now the joke is that you go and you stand by one of those gas wells
0:14:55 > 0:14:58that are going down through that area, the landfill.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02You just sit there by the gas well and get your contact high
0:15:02 > 0:15:04from the special load that came in.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- We can go and do that later, if you want.- We might.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11End of day one and I think everybody has pretty much agreed
0:15:11 > 0:15:16that I have learnt to handle the big bulldozer with laser accuracy.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18All that remains to do today now,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22is spend the next hour or four in a really hot shower.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26It's all... Yeah, now that's not coming out.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27It's...argh!
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Day two for me here at the Denver Regional Landfill.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I've tasked myself with learning to handle all their heavy machinery
0:15:36 > 0:15:38to do what they do.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Believe me, it's a lot more than just dumping stuff.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43It has to be processed, environmental concerns to work to,
0:15:43 > 0:15:44even aesthetic and visual ones.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46They're building a hill.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50And to do all that they use three key very specialised machines.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51Bulldozer, compactor and scraper.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55I've challenged myself to learn to operate all three
0:15:55 > 0:15:58in just three days and in the end, I'll be tested
0:15:58 > 0:16:01to see if I can cut it here as part of the team.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Yesterday, I learned how to drive the bulldozer.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Today, they're moving upscale. It's time for the big dog.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11I'm going to learn to drive the compactor.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13It's huge. I've got to drive it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16So this is the trash compactor, Richard.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18This looks... What's its job?
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Trash comes in loose, got a lot of air in it.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24We're here to pack it down, rip it up and make it one tight surface.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27OK. So, what features does it have that it allows it to do that?
0:16:27 > 0:16:31- The big monster teeth right there. - I'd noticed those.- And the weight.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33- Yes. How much does it weigh? - 123,000 pounds.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- 123,000.- That's a lot. - Many tons.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Many tons. Probably about 60 or so.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40That's a lot of unit there.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43This tip is really the business end of the compactor.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47You got to think of all this weight, 123,000 pounds,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50being focused on this little surface area.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53- You don't want to get your foot under there.- I don't mind.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55- You don't mind?- It's steel toe caps. I have to wear them.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Look, I'm not feeling this. See?
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- OK. Let me go fire it up. - No, I'm fine.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I mean, these are critical. This is what it's about. Isn't it?
0:17:02 > 0:17:05When this puts its tippy-toes down, all the weight goes through that.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09It's a difference between doing that with a nail and that with your hand.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12- That doesn't hurt, that does. - Exactly.- That's what its job is.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15It roams about the place, crushing stuff down.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Concrete, you name it, couches, whatever.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- It runs it right over and crushes it up.- Another question.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Can I have a go?
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Come on, I'm going to do all three. That's the point.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28OK. Let's go for a ride.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Thank you very much. I thought you'd never offer.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35- Oh.- What's the matter? - Chris, did you leave this unlocked?
0:17:35 > 0:17:36Yeah.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Somebody's nicked the steering wheel, it's stolen, gone. Look.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Yeah, we're going back to the joysticks.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- Right. OK. - So I'll put this down.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Chair of power. Oh, I like that. That's like a throne.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50- You're in this thing for 12 hours a day.- Your feet go here?
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- It's a foot rest.- I feel like I'm giving birth.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- Let's start? OK.- Left and right. - Left and right.- That's all you got.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Over there in your right hand, the up and down of the joystick's the blade.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03That lever sticking up is forward and reverse.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05I was expecting to... Right now in here!
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Two hands, and put your shoulder into it.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- So, can I move?- Yeah, have at it. - Here I go.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15I engage forwards, with the pitiful little lever.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16Yeah.
0:18:16 > 0:18:22I'm moving away. Oh, oh, you see, that just feels strange.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- It's different.- Yeah, that is...
0:18:24 > 0:18:26So will this trip it up?
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- No way.- Oh, it's clawing its way hand over hand.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Exactly, exactly. Pick it up to third gear, Richard.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Let see what this thing's got.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36We're in third.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Yeah, yeah. Let's go now.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41This is actually the least comfortable
0:18:41 > 0:18:43of all the machines I've operated.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45When you're in the trash, it's a lot better
0:18:45 > 0:18:49because you've got a softer surface they're mashing over.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Right, here I go.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Nearly there, front wheels are about to go on. Front wheels are on.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02You're in the trash, mister.
0:19:02 > 0:19:08Yeah, I'm on it. Here we go now. I'm compacting.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Give it a shove.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Compacting trash, yeah, I'm on it. I'm compacting.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- Yeah.- It does feel softer. It's more comfortable.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20- I'll be honest, it doesn't smell fresher.- No.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21But it's more comfortable.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24There are cab filters, so nothing bad is getting in here.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26That's good.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27Yeah. Oh, now she's working.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29There he goes, right it on the face.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Put your blade down a little bit.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34So, you really are carving and shaping with this thing.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36You're modelling with it.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Yup, and once you get to the toe, you got to lift it up a little bit,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43so you smear it on the slope and then drag it across the top.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Well, now the angles are getting quite alarming but...
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- Ooh.- That's a long ways down there. - Yes. Isn't it?
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Oh, oh, oh, that's nasty.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Oh, God!
0:19:54 > 0:19:55We call that the pucker effect.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Yeah, isn't it? Isn't it? Oh, God.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Several tons of trash is gone.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12So, this is the slope that you made me turn around on?
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- Yes, sir.- I'll be honest, I was a bit nervous
0:20:14 > 0:20:18because, well, I mean, I've ran various off-road vehicles at home.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- This is... What grading slope is this?- This is a 41 slope.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25That's pretty steep and I would approach this with some trepidation,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27especially when you're turning round at this point
0:20:27 > 0:20:30when you cross the slope and it feels like you're going over.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32But in that 60 tons of vehicle,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34never felt like it was going to go over.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36It's about the low centre of gravity
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and the teeth grabbing a hold of the hill, is what it's about.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42All the weight low down and those teeth, it really does feel like
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- a cat on a curtain. It's not letting go.- Exactly.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47- It's absolutely fixed.- Exactly.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Driving this thing, straight away I got a sense of its power, its might.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It's a specialist in crushing stuff
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and I just wish I could find a way of showing you that visually.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00I'd have to find something so awful,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03something big but so terrible, we'd be glad to see it crushed.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Something that deserves to be destroyed
0:21:06 > 0:21:08under the compactor's mighty wheels.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13I think you can see where this is going.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17This is serious work we're doing.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20We're demonstrating the power of potency,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22of a specialised working vehicle,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and I think it deserves thinking about.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Yeah, we're not messing about here. This is science.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Ready.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- Yeah.- Have at it. There it goes.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Oh, it's pushing.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37No, no. We're all right.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Chasing it. Come here, you little critter. Try that on.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Turn your wheel over there. There you go.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46So it's just the engine block that's causing it to stand.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Yes, exactly.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50This isn't sophisticated that we're doing now.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53No, this is all about power right now.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04- Oh, look at that.- Look at that. - Like a surgeon, a surgeon did it.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11There she goes. That is...
0:22:11 > 0:22:13I don't think that'll punch out, will it?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16You know what? One more, let's back up and give it one more time.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20- Yeah, yeah.- Put it in neutral. - Yeah.- Rev it up.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23And just run this thing back and forth, dig into that thing.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- Oh, I see what you're doing. - Kind of rubbing it in.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- Oh, yeah. Here's the engine block. - That's the engine block?
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Yeah, yeah. There's the last of it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Boom!
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Yeah, that's good now.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42Boom!
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Yeah, I think we finished that.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- I think it's gone. - I'd say that's... We've done it.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50There you go. That's pretty impressive.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Oh, yes.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54Good old American minivan.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Oh, look at your handiwork, Richard.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Look at that. It's like an art installation.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01It's landfill art that, we made it.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03That's about the coolest thing I've ever seen.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07It's one fewer. I like to look at it as a start.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09I think in the interest of communicating to you
0:23:09 > 0:23:12the power and potency of that machine, I think we all did...
0:23:12 > 0:23:13That was time well spent.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It was five minutes. We had some time.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18We had the minivan, we had a 60-ton compactor,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20you'd have done the same.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Well, you brought me to a small tank and a big tank, what's going on?
0:23:27 > 0:23:29This is our condensate holding tank.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30Basically, what happens
0:23:30 > 0:23:34is we have a methane extraction system set up on the well.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35The gas gets condensed in these tubes.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Because of gravity flow, it all runs down the hill
0:23:38 > 0:23:40and gets deposited inside this tank.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- This is the gas that's produced by all the trash in there?- Yes, sir.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- 30 years' worth?- Yes, sir. - And it condenses?- Yup.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Because of the temperature difference.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50It turns back to a liquid
0:23:50 > 0:23:52and it runs down the tubes into that tank?
0:23:52 > 0:23:56- Yup.- So that's trash juice?- Yeah. That's a good way, yeah, trash juice.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- Just thought of that. - That's trash juice. I like that.
0:23:59 > 0:24:00- Let's go around the back.- OK. Right.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04- I'm not going to get in there or anything?- No, we're not getting in.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06- You don't pull a glass off? - No, no, no.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Is it nice for gin?
0:24:08 > 0:24:11So, what I got over here, Richard, this is my stick
0:24:11 > 0:24:15- I use to check the level inside the condensate tank.- High tech.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17All this high tech stuff going on.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18It all comes down to a stick that I made.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- I see. It works?- Yeah. - It works.- Exactly.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23I'm guessing it smells good.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24Smells great.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- I can get you a whiff of it real quick.- No, I'm fine.- No, no.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30- Come on now.- Oh! Oh! - Come on now.- Thank you.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Oh, that's fresh! It's nice. Yeah!
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Yeah, that's one for after lunch.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Oh, it's a smell you can feel.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43We just stick this in here. Pull it back out.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Right there is the water level. Right below my hand.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- Below your hand is better than on your hand, I'm guessing.- Exactly.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52So that's the stuff that's condensed out?
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Yes. That's the liquid.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Ultimately, that's going to be used to power turbines
0:24:57 > 0:25:01to generate electricity so that that becomes an energy mine.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06- Exactly.- Let's go somewhere fresher.- OK.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10It's day three. I'm getting ever closer to my final exam
0:25:10 > 0:25:14where I'll be responsible for processing over 26 tons of trash.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17I set myself the challenge of learning how to operate
0:25:17 > 0:25:19the three key specialised machines they use
0:25:19 > 0:25:21here at the Denver Regional Landfill Site
0:25:21 > 0:25:26in a kind of choreographed heavy machinery ballet.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27For my final exam,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30I'll have to prove I'm able to dance in that ballet
0:25:30 > 0:25:34by processing over 26 tons of trash all by myself.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38So far, I've mastered two, the bulldozer and the compactor.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Now, I must learn how to use probably the most complicated
0:25:41 > 0:25:44and mind-bending piece of machinery here, the scraper.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50So this is the scraper.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Justin, one thing I've noticed straightaway,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56- it's big, isn't it big?- Yeah.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59It's always slightly further away than you think it is.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01It's further to go... I must be there now.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03No, it's getting bigger, it's getting bigger.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06I'd like to point something out. I know in my odd little life,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10it's always going to be a good day when you set out to drive something
0:26:10 > 0:26:11with wheels taller than you are.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Now we got that ratio going on there.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20- What's it for?- It just moves dirt. That really is all it is.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Here at the landfill, we use it to cover the trash.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25So if ever there was a single-purpose machine,
0:26:25 > 0:26:29- all of this, this, this? - Yeah, yeah.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32But on a really big scale. How does it do it? Talk me through it.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34This is one of the twin engines scrapers.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- We got one in the front, one in the back, obviously.- Two engines?
0:26:37 > 0:26:40- Right.- Don't say obviously, man. Obviously.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I got two engines on my scraper.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44They're about 500 horse apiece.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- 1,000 horsepower?- Right. - I like that.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51You got your cutting edge.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53You just pop that into the dirt.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55As you're driving along, it just scoops it up.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57This is called your apron
0:26:57 > 0:27:00- and that holds it all in the bowl. - That collects all the dirt in there?
0:27:00 > 0:27:01How much?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Right around 30 cubic yards.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08If it's heaved all the way up to the top of the trash rack there,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10it's about 35 yards.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Right. And then back... One thing. I wouldn't want to replace a tyre.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16No. You don't want to.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18They're, I think, about 14,000 a piece.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22All right, but they last years, surely.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I mean you're not going to damage it, are you?
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- We puncture a tyre weekly. - One of these a week?
0:27:27 > 0:27:32- Right.- Oh! I'd hate to be given a wheel bracer there, the little jack.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Something tells me, I don't know why...
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- This isn't easy to drive, is it? - It is really dangerous.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- How long have you been driving it? - 12 years.- Used to it?- Yeah.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44How long did it take?
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- It took a couple of years doing it every single day.- OK.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50You can figure out how to make it do what you want.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53There's roughly 40 tons' worth of dirt in the bowl
0:27:53 > 0:27:57and the machine itself, when you load it, is 200,000 pounds.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00When you have it all the way up in the air,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02that's a really high centre of gravity
0:28:02 > 0:28:06and going round corners or if you're working on the side of the slope,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08it's real easy to turn it over.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11It can be pretty dangerous, but to me now,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13it's just like driving your car.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16So, in essence, what we got here, is it weighs 100 tons fully loaded
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and it might well flip over and roll on top of me.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22- Yeah, that's right.- OK. - Yeah. Are you ready to learn?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24No. Yes, yes, I am.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26I'm ready to concentrate really hard.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Here's a suggestion, Justin.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Why don't you drive it first and show me how it works?
0:28:33 > 0:28:35- OK.- Right this way.- Yeah.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42- Oh, it sounds powerful, it is big. - Yeah, it's a beast.- It's a beast.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45- You see both engines are working in the backpack there?- Yeah.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48- So, he's now scraping? - He's scraping.- Yup, he's in.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51- Ever had incidents in one of them? - I've actually got it airborne
0:28:51 > 0:28:53and I end up getting hurt pretty bad on it.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56- Not really built for jumping is it? - No, not at all.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00- And it looks quite manoeuvrable. - It is. It's just like the dozer was.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03It's very sensitive when I'm moving that steering wheel around.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06- Oh, it's full.- It is full. - He's just filled it.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Justin, try not to grin so much.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10People will think you're enjoying your work.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13He's going to dump it right here for us.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15- So that is 100 tons of vehicle, isn't it?- Right now.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19- So now he's...- He's dumping it out. See the apron in the front
0:29:19 > 0:29:20- pushing the dirt out?- Yeah, yeah.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23So of all the machines you've got here,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26with the dozer and all the rest, is this a favourite one to operate?
0:29:26 > 0:29:28- That's my favourite.- Really?
0:29:28 > 0:29:29I imagine, when you open the door,
0:29:29 > 0:29:33do you surf out on a sea of testosterone?
0:29:33 > 0:29:35- Oh, yeah. You're just pumped. - Yeah.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40That's 60 cubic yards of soil that he was able to move
0:29:40 > 0:29:44- right exactly where we wanted it. - It took him minutes.- Minutes.
0:29:44 > 0:29:45Yeah. Quick and dirty.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47How long does it take to master that?
0:29:47 > 0:29:52To be able to load it and then lay ribbons like that with the soil,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54it takes years of practice.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56See, I got more sort of...hours.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00The nice part about it, is you've got first gear, second gear and drive.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03In first gear, you're only getting up to a few miles an hour.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04That's enough.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06It's got a steering wheel that you're going to be used to.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08There's something familiar in there?
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Other than that, the way it steers, the way it moves,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14the fact that it's got two engines and two throttle pedals.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16- Remember I said yesterday, wait till tomorrow?- Yeah.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19- Tomorrow's here.- Now I know why! Wish me luck, guys.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22I'm quite nervous.
0:30:22 > 0:30:23I am quite nervous.
0:30:23 > 0:30:29No, I don't mind sharing it, because it's just big.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33- Yeah, it is. You'll get used to it. We have two motors.- Yes.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38Three pedals, one controls the brakes where your foot's at now,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42then that's the rear engine and the next one over is your front engine.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43Right.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46This is the joystick control.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49You see, the joystick itself moves four different ways.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52The forward and backward is your bull control.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54Your side to side is your ejector.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57The first button, transmission hold button.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59You see there's a pivot here,
0:30:59 > 0:31:01that is your apron control.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04- This is a weird machine, isn't it? - It really isn't that bad.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07No, no. It's just everything you've said ends with,
0:31:07 > 0:31:09- "..or it'll roll." - JUSTIN CHUCKLES
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Sometimes, it feels like you're in a big worm or something.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14- Right. Can I have a go?- Yeah!
0:31:14 > 0:31:17ENGINE RUMBLES
0:31:17 > 0:31:20So it's turning the whole of the U that I'm in.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23That is weird. Aah.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26That's was weird is when you turn the wheel...
0:31:26 > 0:31:29it turns you. That's really weird.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33- Nice bull.- Why don't you try to hit the throttle on the rear engine too?
0:31:33 > 0:31:36- There you go.- Oh, yeah.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Whoa. Whoa. That's a lot of power.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42It feels huge and squirmy
0:31:42 > 0:31:44and slightly alive.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48This feels enormous, unlike anything else.
0:31:48 > 0:31:49It's like a giant worm.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52- 'How are you feeling, Richard?' - It feels unlike anything else.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Because of the size of it, you imagine it's going to be rigid
0:31:55 > 0:31:58and solid but it's so flexible. It moves and bucks.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01So now I'm going to get into position to do a run, yeah?
0:32:01 > 0:32:0210-4. Let's do it.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Oh, this is it.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07It's like firing a missile. It's a big moment.
0:32:07 > 0:32:08Well, fire away then.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Oh, I can see it working! I can actually see it.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18This thing is really a mighty machine.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22Oh, yeah. I'm digging chunks out of the earth.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25It's a juggling act between closing that apron
0:32:25 > 0:32:29to keep in you what you've got, digging the blade in to get more.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Careful of not lifting the can too high
0:32:31 > 0:32:34cos the centre of gravity comes up and that's dangerous.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39- I'm putting dirt down.- 'That's good. Now, start pulling the ejector.'
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Which was the ejector?
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Pull the joystick sideways
0:32:43 > 0:32:46'towards the steering wheel. There you go. That's it.'
0:32:46 > 0:32:49- Yeah, I'm making a road! - That's good.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55So what's next in my training?
0:32:55 > 0:32:57All right, Richard. It's time to up the ante.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Justin operated one of these in Iraq
0:32:59 > 0:33:03and he set up a nice little obstacle course for you to demonstrate
0:33:03 > 0:33:06what he had to go through on a daily basis.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08- Are you ready for the challenge? - Is there a choice?
0:33:08 > 0:33:10- No. No choice.- Yeah, I'm ready.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready. - All right. Let's do it.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16Well, I'm pretty good and I have mastered the basics of the scraper.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19At least, I hope I have, because it's time now for a little test.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Because of the worm-like way the scraper moves,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26it can be difficult to keep in a straight line which is necessary
0:33:26 > 0:33:30to quickly and effectively cover trash at this busy landfill.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31They've laid out a track for me.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33My job is to stay within that track.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36If I stray from it, I'll lose points.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38But they're a bit cleverer than that here.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40There's an extra incentive to stay on the track.
0:33:40 > 0:33:41Bear with me, this is quite subtle.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43As an extra incentive to stay on that track,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45they've lined it
0:33:45 > 0:33:47with landmines.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50Yeah.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53I'm going to really try.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55I'm confident.
0:34:00 > 0:34:01OK, Richard.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04So, my last two overseas, I was in Route Clearance.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07In Route Clearance, we look for landmines on the side of the road.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10So on this course, you're going to go straight down the road,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14pick up a load, come back and dump it.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18But we marked all our landmines with red tape, so avoid those.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22If you hit one, you'll get a taste of what we did overseas.
0:34:24 > 0:34:25- Easy.- Yeah, right. OK.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29Now, let's get out of the blast zone before you get started.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Oh, thank you. Thank you. Oh, God.
0:34:33 > 0:34:34Going into gear.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36OK. We are going.
0:34:36 > 0:34:37Give me some power now.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Move in carefully.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41All right. Come on. Bring it on.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Remain inside. That's what really matters.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48- BANG! - Aaah! No!
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Oh!
0:34:50 > 0:34:52No. I'm not made for this kind of pressure.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Yes. Get a load.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56Just give her a little bit of throttle
0:34:56 > 0:34:58and take it on down the hill.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Yeah, I'm cutting. I am cutting. Yeah!
0:35:02 > 0:35:05There you go. Now you can ease your cutting engine just a little bit more.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07That looks good.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09- 'Can you put it down some more?' - Oh!- Oh.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11- BANG! - Whoa! Another bomb!
0:35:11 > 0:35:12Whoa.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15Well, there was another one.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18I'm not sure how much dirt I've actually picked up here.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20It looks like you're started losing your load there.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Where do I turn round?
0:35:22 > 0:35:26Go about 50 yards out and flip around to your left.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28We're just going to take a few steps back, Richard,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31just in case you decide to hit any more landmines.
0:35:31 > 0:35:32Yeah. Sorry about that.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Accuracy, not my strong point yet, but I made it.
0:35:35 > 0:35:36Right, where do I spread?
0:35:36 > 0:35:39All right. I want you to drop that load right up at the top here.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41OK. Here I come.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45It's hard to keep the thing straight.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47That is the difficult thing about it.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50- BANG! - Oh! Ah!
0:35:50 > 0:35:51Oh.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54All right. OK, right about there
0:35:54 > 0:35:56'and just ease the apron open
0:35:56 > 0:35:58'and start pulling the ejector.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00'That's a lot more dirt than last time.'
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Great job, Richard. That was a pretty good load.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04- BANG! - Oh.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Oh, sorry.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07How do you feel with that landmine?
0:36:07 > 0:36:10I'm not used to this whole landmine thing.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11THEY LAUGH
0:36:11 > 0:36:14OK. You can turn right and come on back over here to us
0:36:14 > 0:36:15and we'll see how you did.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20It's a big old thing to try and be accurate with, isn't it?
0:36:20 > 0:36:22It is. Yup.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25And every steering input, you... Aah, boom.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Aah, oh, no, no, I'm over there, there's a bang over there.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30I'm just thinking that of everything I've ever operated,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32that's one of them that's right up there for,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35you could imagine how you could only get better with time.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37You'll eventually get so good that once you set that can,
0:36:37 > 0:36:39you're looking forward where you're going
0:36:39 > 0:36:41and you're riding that can all by your feel.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43- You become one with the beast. - Yeah.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50All landfill sites, wherever they are in the country,
0:36:50 > 0:36:52even here at least 1,000 miles from any ocean
0:36:52 > 0:36:55have a particular problem, courtesy of Mother Nature.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57And it is...seagulls.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00And to cope with that problem, they need a very, very
0:37:00 > 0:37:02specialised machine.
0:37:04 > 0:37:05And here it is.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Well, not you, Joe, specifically, but I mean you with the falcon.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11And this is the machine you brought us out. What's he or she called?
0:37:11 > 0:37:15This is Bebe and she is a female Saker Falcon.
0:37:15 > 0:37:16Saker Falcon.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Now, it's a bird, clearly. I've worked that out.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23She's not really big and seagulls are enormous.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25I mean, she's... They're not going to be scared of her.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29- They'll laugh at her! - She can go 230 miles an hour.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32So that gives her the advantage, you know.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34She's going that fast, she can really put the hurt
0:37:34 > 0:37:36on another bird, even if it's a little larger.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Does she eat them?
0:37:38 > 0:37:39She will eat a seagull.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42I mean, she prefers farm-raised quail or pigeon.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45- She prefers farm-raised quail? - Right.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48But she'll slum it and eat a seagull if she wants a change.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51OK. This site and sites like it are all about getting rid of trash
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- and waste.- Yeah. - Burying it, protecting it.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Seagulls come in and eat it.
0:37:56 > 0:37:57Well, let 'em have it.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Well, the problem is, it's a pollution issue
0:37:59 > 0:38:01because when they eat all that garbage,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04at night they have to roost on a water source.
0:38:04 > 0:38:05They're feeding all day on garbage.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08They're going to be defecating all night in our drinking water.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Now you've explained it like that, Joe, it makes perfect sense.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15It is about control. Enough talk, she looks like she's ready to go?
0:38:15 > 0:38:17- You want her to fly? - Is she revved up?- Yeah, she's ready.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- Let's do this thing.- Are you guys ready to see her rip it up?
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Yeah, yeah. Do your thing. I have no idea what's...
0:38:22 > 0:38:23Do we stay here?
0:38:23 > 0:38:28OK, nobody in the crew make like a seagull right now.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30She'll be on you in seconds.
0:38:30 > 0:38:31Oh, look.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Already, look.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42It works!
0:38:54 > 0:38:56Oh, look, she's back!
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Well, thank you very much for introducing me to Bebe.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02And I'm just going to move over here now.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03You keep a hand on her.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06I'm small and probably could be lifted.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08See, Bebe, I'm not a seagull.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13I'm going over here, don't run. Just walk.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Well, it's time for my final exam.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23I set myself the goal of learning to operate all three
0:39:23 > 0:39:25of the key machines here at the Denver Regional Landfill -
0:39:25 > 0:39:28the dozer, the compactor and the scraper.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31And I think I've kind of got it mastered.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33At least I really hope I have because for this exam,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35I'm going to have to use all three machines
0:39:35 > 0:39:37to correctly handle and dispose of this
0:39:37 > 0:39:40pile of trash equivalent to what I would've produced in my life so far.
0:39:40 > 0:39:4226 tons of it.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46But I've only got 15 minutes to get this lot levelled out,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49compacted down to the correct density, covered in dirt
0:39:49 > 0:39:52and blended seamlessly into the contours of this hill.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54And I'm confident...
0:39:54 > 0:39:55ish.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06All right. Richard, we've given you 15 minutes on the clock.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Your job is to move all this trash into that hole.
0:40:08 > 0:40:09Are you ready?
0:40:09 > 0:40:10'Um, yes.'
0:40:10 > 0:40:12I'm making sure I remember how to use the bulldozer.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15It's been a couple of days. I got it. Yeah. I do.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17All right. On your marks...
0:40:17 > 0:40:18Get set...
0:40:18 > 0:40:20- Go! - HORNS HONK
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Yeah. Let's go in. Right. Now, we're pushing trash.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25This is the first part of the process,
0:40:25 > 0:40:27smearing it down into the right place.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Perfect. Now, come back and take another swipe at it.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32- That's one minute. - 'This is critical.'
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Where I put this trash now will define ultimately
0:40:35 > 0:40:38what I've got to level out with the compactor and with the scraper.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Hey, Richard. You better get that thing in third gear, buddy.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43- You're already about 3.5 minutes in. - Oh!
0:40:43 > 0:40:47This isn't ACTUALLY the trash I've produced in my life
0:40:47 > 0:40:49because it'd be like my dreams, hopes, my dignity.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52That'd be in there. I threw that away years ago.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Good. Good blade control there.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55I'm now scraping this up.
0:40:55 > 0:40:56This is what it's all about.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59This precision, getting this last little layer
0:40:59 > 0:41:01off the floor.
0:41:01 > 0:41:02'Here comes five minutes.'
0:41:02 > 0:41:04So let's have that on,
0:41:04 > 0:41:05those down.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08I've only got 15 and there's three of these machines to get through.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11That still looks like an enormous pile of stuff to me.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Let's see what the compactor does to it next.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15That's got to break it down flat.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Not as flat as I'd hoped it would be at this stage but hey,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21it's kind of there.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22Er...
0:41:22 > 0:41:25joystick steering, blade, gears.
0:41:25 > 0:41:26Yeah, we're out of here.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Two jobs to be done by the compactor here.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33One, the actual compacting.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Two, using the blade here to just
0:41:35 > 0:41:38push the trash where it will eventually be compacted
0:41:38 > 0:41:41by the weight of this thing and its wheels.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Down the slope, now this is where it's going to feel alarming
0:41:44 > 0:41:46but it's not going to fall over, apparently.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Compactor capable of some pretty alarming angles of course,
0:41:49 > 0:41:51thanks to its huge weight and low centre of gravity,
0:41:51 > 0:41:53and these incredible wheels.
0:41:53 > 0:41:54That was eight minutes.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57'You're eight minutes in, Richard, hurry.'
0:41:57 > 0:42:01If I've done my job right, this will just blend in.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Be another part of the hill.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Come back up and get ready to cover it.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Excuse me running away but...
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Oh, that thing's enormous.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12All right. Let's get this trash covered.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14There you go. Can is up.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15Parking brake off.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17All right, here we go.
0:42:17 > 0:42:18Right.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21First job, get this thing up and over there and get a load off.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Here I come. There we go.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Now we're loading. It's going in.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30The knack now is I've got to use the apron to stop it falling out.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Oh, God. I hope I've got enough on board
0:42:32 > 0:42:34because that's all I have with me now to do the job.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37We're about 12 minutes in, Richard. Keep going. Keep going.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41Keep going. Start dropping out that apron.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Open, good. And push with the ejector.
0:42:43 > 0:42:44Oh, look at that.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Oh, look at that. There it goes.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48Covering it in dirt, that's my job.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51I daren't look. I daren't look back.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53There's 13.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54We're at 13 minutes, Richard.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56Come on. One more pass.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59When they said this thing can go at 30 miles an hour, I'm like "Why?"
0:42:59 > 0:43:02"Why does it need to?" Now I know. They're under pressure.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06I need a full load this time. I really do.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Oh, 14-and-a-half.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10'You better hurry up.'
0:43:10 > 0:43:12'14-and-a-half minutes, Richard, come on. Spread that load.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15'Here we go. Coming up to the ten-second countdown.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17BOTH: Ten, nine, eight, seven...
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- Oh, no! - ..six, five,
0:43:20 > 0:43:22- four, three... - Oh!
0:43:22 > 0:43:24..two, one.
0:43:24 > 0:43:25HORN HONKS
0:43:28 > 0:43:30- Good try, Richard. - You were close.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33OK. Let's check it out. Can I just say, I'm still buzzing a bit.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35Yeah? Feel good. Feel manly?
0:43:35 > 0:43:37- No.- No?
0:43:37 > 0:43:39No, not really because I disgraced myself a bit.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- You missed a whole spot over here. - Yeah, I did. I did.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47- Well, there's a spot over there too. - Yeah.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- There are some spots down there. - Couple of spots over there.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52Give me marks out of ten. Come on, for that effort?
0:43:52 > 0:43:55Can we go negative or does it have to stay positive?
0:43:55 > 0:43:58Oh, come on! Yeah, give me marks. Give me marks out of ten.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00- You're like a two.- Oh.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03You see how it's still floppy back in there?
0:44:03 > 0:44:06We need to make sure that all this trash gets covered with dirt.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08- It's been pushed, but not packed. - Yeah.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10I'm going to sum it up like this.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Those three machines, incredibly specialised.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16- They each have a very specific job. - Absolutely.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19- And learning how to use them to do the job...- Right.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21..that's a whole different thing and that's what I've learned.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25I can now operate... I know what everything does, I can move them about, use the features.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28I understand it. I can't do it, but I've got it.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31I agree. You get the passing marks for that.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33I mean, you'll give me a job though, right?
0:44:33 > 0:44:35What time do we open? Four in the morning?
0:44:35 > 0:44:36Four in the morning.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Maybe the week after.
0:44:38 > 0:44:39- All right, sounds good.- Yeah.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Three days, three machines.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45I think I gave myself enough time there to learn, well, the basics -
0:44:45 > 0:44:47how to drive them around.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49And to get an appreciation of just how focused
0:44:49 > 0:44:53and specialised each of those tools really is.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56And for that reason, I really enjoyed my time with them.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58I think to learn how to do anything other than
0:44:58 > 0:45:01make a mess with them, takes time.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05To learn how do what these guys do, shape a hillside with them,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07takes years,
0:45:07 > 0:45:09and I'll be leaving this place with a better appreciation
0:45:09 > 0:45:12of the fact that what I'm watching there is
0:45:12 > 0:45:15guys making something difficult look easy.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18And trust me, it is difficult.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd