NEW YORK — It’s a tough job that gets even tougher after a big snowstorm.

Department of Sanitation crews resumed trash collection Thursday after the city suspended it for three days because of Monday's storm.

A lot of the city’s garbage was buried under mounds of ice and snow.

“Yeah, today is tough. The snow is abnormally large this season,” said DSNY worker Scott O’Shea

O’Shea and his partner Alex Ulses have collected trash through 20 winters. The day collections resume is usually the toughest for them.

“Your legs are like rubber at the end of the day, walking through the snow mound after mound,” said Ulses. 

That kind of physical labor that is hard on the body on a normal day, even more so when you have to pull trash bags out of the snow and drag them or throw them over piles of snow.

“You see black ice that can be really dangerous for you yes,” said O’Shea. 

And those narrow streets that are a tight squeeze for garbage trucks even on beautiful summer days become harder to navigate on winter mornings like this.

“It’s nerve wracking in the beginning when you’re first making the turn,” said Ulses.

The same men and women who collect trash also operate the snow plows, which are in many cases converted garbage trucks.

So trash collection is still limited because some crews and trucks continue to clear snow.

“Do you prefer operating a snow plow or picking up trash on a day like this?" asked NY1 reporter Rocco Vertuccio.

"I will take the heated snow plow anyday over doing this,” said O’Shea.

It could take these crews several days to collect everyone’s trash. They normally work eight hour shifts, But some will work overtime and on Sunday to catch up.

“We know you’re tired of looking at it now, you want to see it gone. That’s gonna be our objection for the days to come," said DSNY Assistant Chief Keith Mellis.

Despite the aches and pains, O’Shea and Ulses offer praise not problems when talking about their work.

When asked what they liked most about their job, Ulses said, "Helping the neighborhood keeping it clean."

For the latest updates, visit the DSNY website.