Towards the end, there's a scene where Nikander's friend talks about a problematic fellow worker named Mikkonen. Matti Pellonpää, who plays Nikander here, would later play Mikkonen in Ariel (1988), the second part of the Proletariat trilogy directed by Aki Kaurismäki.
The first film of the "Proletarian Trilogy" with the other two being Ariel (1988) and The Match Factory Girl (1990).
There are letters "YTV - SAD" in garbage truck doors. The letters mean "(Pääkaupunkiseudun) YhteisTyöValtuuskunta (YTV)(Finnish)", "(Huvudstadsregionens) SamArbetsDelegation (SAD) (Swedish)". It means "capital area cooperation council", a finish communal organ for capital city cooperation. It operated most garbage trucks in film.
Director's trade Mark: live music.
The garbage truck in final scenes in harbor is branded "Bedford". "Bedford" was a British truck manufacturer. It became obsolete some years after filming.