How To Become A Hazardous Waste Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hazardous waste technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average hazardous waste technician salary is $41,776. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an environmental science major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a hazardous waste technician. Hazardous waste technicians with a OSHA Safety Certificate certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 3,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHazardous Waste TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,776

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.06%

Asian 10.44%

Black or African American 9.54%

Hispanic or Latino 16.86%

Unknown 5.92%

White 56.19%

Gender

female 15.41%

male 84.59%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hazardous waste technician

Explore hazardous waste technician education requirements

Most common hazardous waste technician degrees

Bachelor's

36.6 %

High School Diploma

27.9 %

Associate

20.2 %

Start to develop specific hazardous waste technician skills

Skills	Percentages
DOT	12.91%
OSHA	7.55%
HAZWOPER	6.94%
Spill Response	6.57%
Safety Procedures	5.84%

Complete relevant hazardous waste technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hazardous waste technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hazardous waste technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hazardous waste technician resumes.

Research hazardous waste technician duties and responsibilities

Manage the logistics of incoming and outgoing shipments
Manage daily RCRA inspections and mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment preventive/corrective maintenance procedures.
Pick up trash recycle plastic and pick up yard waste
Administer first aid and CPR.

Prepare your hazardous waste technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hazardous waste technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hazardous waste technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable hazardous waste technician resume templates

Build a professional hazardous waste technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your hazardous waste technician resume.

Apply for hazardous waste technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a hazardous waste technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do hazardous waste technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Hazardous waste technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024

Pros

The work is exciting and it is extremely rewarding to know that you are having such a big impact on the environment. You truly believe you are saving the world.

Cons

The work wears you down physically and mentally. After working on so many spills that are clearly the fault carelessness and disregard for fault of a careless person or organization. Leaves little hope for the future of our planet.