Along a small stretch of road in southwest Tomball sit some of Precinct 4’s free public dumpsters. Monday through Saturday, the dumpsters take branches, wood, mattresses, and much more. But without Craig Hogg, the dumpsters wouldn’t operate.
Craig has spent nearly a decade with Precinct 4 working various jobs, but since 2022, he has been the sole person in charge of the site.
His days start early. The dumpsters open at 7 a.m., and Craig is on site 30 minutes to an hour earlier organizing everything for the hundreds of weekly visitors. Each day, he handles the paperwork, checks the items being dropped off, crushes trash, and calls for new dumpsters.
Craig’s job means he’s outside in the sun nearly every day. But despite the temperatures, and occasionally the smell, he always greets residents with a smile.
“I applied at Precinct 4 because my heart just told me to do it,” said Craig. “I just had that feeling of, ‘You need to do this; this is where you need to be.’ That’s really why I’m here.”
A heart for service
Craig’s favorite part of his work is the people he meets. Most days, the site has nearly 100 visitors, and many are regulars who know Craig by name — some even have dogs who are always excited to see him.
“Some of the people are just really nice, good people,” said Craig. “They treat you like you’re family. They talk about their everyday lives, how all this helps them, how they appreciate me, and how the five minutes that I talk to them brightens their day.”
In 2025, Craig was recognized by Commissioner Lesley Briones for his customer service. As the operator of the dumpsters, he is often one of the only Precinct 4 team members many residents will ever meet. He makes it his mission to make that experience a positive one.
Craig has hundreds of stories of assisting people with their trash, but one that sticks out to him is helping a 90-year-old man with his heavy garbage. When the man pulled up to the gates, Craig noticed a large pile of items in the bed of his truck, and after talking with the man, Craig followed him to the dumpsters to make sure he was safe and lend his help if needed.
“I went up there, and I helped him take the stuff out of the back of his truck," said Craig. “He gave me a handshake and said, ‘Thank you. You know, I really do appreciate what you do here.’”
Rules of the dump
The dumpsters allow most items, but to keep everyone safe and follow proper regulations, some items like paint, batteries, and motor oil can’t be disposed of at Precinct 4’s dumpsters.
One of Craig’s many responsibilities is making sure everyone knows and follows the rules. occasionally, something out of the ordinary happens. that someone tried to dump a skunk hidden in a mattress.
“Imagine somebody drives up here, you walk out that door, you could smell it — like somebody’s wearing bad perfume,” said Craig. “You ask them about it, and they say, ‘Yeah, I got a dead skunk in the bed.’ You ain’t dumping that here.”
When it comes to dead animals, Craig recommends burying them or calling 311.
When hurricane season rolls around, Craig’s days get busier. People from across the region will visit the dumpsters before and after a storm to drop off tree limbs and other storm debris.
“This past year, I actually had a line probably nine cars deep down here and that happened three or four days in a row,” said Craig. “Eventually, I had tree limbs filling up dumpsters in one day, and we had to move to [a more accessible road] because it all had to be chipped up.”
While Craig and the Precinct 4 dumpsters can’t take everything, he does his best to redirect people to other sites and assist where he can. He knows it’s his job — and the job of his nearly 500 fellow team members — to help the residents of Precinct 4, which is why he always shines a spotlight on others.
"It’s not just me here,” Craig said. “It’s all of us here at the County. Whether it be the people who put in the sidewalks or the people who pick up trash or whatever it may be, residents are thankful for what we do. They really are happy that we’re out in the community. They do see us.”