1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
What is a Hazardous Waste Technician?
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.
What Does a Hazardous Waste Technician Do
There are certain skills that many hazardous waste technicians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and interpersonal skills.
How To Become a Hazardous Waste Technician
If you're interested in becoming a hazardous waste technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 36.6% of hazardous waste technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.7% of hazardous waste technicians have master's degrees. Even though some hazardous waste technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Hazardous Waste Technician Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of technician you might progress to a role such as team leader eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title area manager.
Hazardous Waste Technician
Area Manager
7 Years
Operations Director
9 Years
Human Resources Manager
7 Years
Construction Manager
9 Years
Plant Manager
11 Years
Facilities Manager
7 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Hazardous Waste Technician
Hazardous Waste Technicians in America make an average salary of $41,776 per year or $20 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $66,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Hazardous Waste Technician Salary
$41,776 Yearly$20.08 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Hazardous Waste Technician
The role of a hazardous waste technician includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general hazardous waste technician responsibilities:
- Is knowledgeable in the understanding of cgmp requirements as it pertains to departmental responsibilities. Ensures that all team members comply with quality-related rules
- Ensures health and safety is the number one goal by following policies, processes,
- Coordinates the hazardous, non-hazardous & universal waste management program including waste determination, waste generation record keeping, labeling, proper storage, waste profile maintenance, inspections, preparation of shipments to disposal facilities, corresponding reporting requirements,
There are several types of hazardous waste technician, including:
Technician
Role:
To be a technician, you have to know your stuff. Some may refer to you as an expert in your field or maybe people will know you as skilled in an art or craft. Then again, you may just be needed to look after technical equipment.
Your workload as a technician will vary, depending on what you're trained in. You may be needed to set up a new computer system or maybe you'll need to fix an electricity problem. Either way, you'll probably only need to work 40 hours a week.
The degree of education required for this job depends on what you're specific skillset is. Some technicians only need a high school diploma, others may want to complete an associate's program or earn a certificate to help their employment opportunities. There's definitely something for everyone in the field of technicians.
- Average Salary: $38,045
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Environmental Technician
Role:
Environmental technicians work closely together with environmental engineers to combat pollution and minimize the harmful effects of industrial activities. They do research to identify, evaluate, and control contaminated environments by conducting field tests, collecting samples, or managing hazardous waste.
As an environmental technician, you will be responsible for maintaining equipment and ensuring operations comply with safety and health regulations. You might work in the field or in a lab analyzing contaminated material. You might also be expected to create reports on your findings.
You can specialize in a certain area like the prevention of pollution in the water or air, soil, etc. You will need a degree in chemistry, biology, or any other area related to applied sciences. You need to be precise, attentive, and easy to communicate with, as you will most likely work in a team with other researchers.
- Average Salary: $39,690
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Laboratory Analyst
Role:
A laboratory analyst, also known as a lab technologist, conducts experiments, runs lab tests, and analyzes the results. He/she uses specialized equipment to perform these tests, analyses, and experiments and then record observations and report results. Laboratory analysts are also responsible for maintaining and calibrating lab equipment, maintaining high safety standards in the lab, and adhering to policies in place.
A successful laboratory analyst must have profound knowledge and experience in the field as well as analytical skills, attention to detail, organizational skills, and communication skills. A laboratory analyst can find work in hospitals, pharmaceutical facilities, manufacturing companies, or government agencies.
Laboratory analysts work 40 hours a week and often in shifts. On rare occasions, they may be required to work over the weekends when urgent reports are needed.
- Average Salary: $44,024
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Hazardous Waste Technician Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active hazardous waste technician jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where hazardous waste technicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Hazardous Waste Technician Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 1,041 | $34,103 |
| 2 | California | 990 | $59,731 |
| 3 | Texas | 908 | $47,015 |
| 4 | Illinois | 750 | $38,984 |
| 5 | New York | 695 | $47,767 |
| 6 | Georgia | 630 | $34,027 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 595 | $38,865 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 567 | $44,519 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 458 | $39,632 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 448 | $43,582 |
| 11 | Virginia | 440 | $47,867 |
| 12 | Michigan | 428 | $39,400 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 402 | $43,894 |
| 14 | Missouri | 386 | $39,191 |
| 15 | Indiana | 378 | $34,610 |
| 16 | Ohio | 372 | $37,792 |
| 17 | Colorado | 366 | $37,512 |
| 18 | Maryland | 346 | $43,053 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 301 | $39,572 |
| 20 | Arizona | 298 | $41,672 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 264 | $32,077 |
| 22 | Alabama | 259 | $37,798 |
| 23 | Washington | 255 | $53,099 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 239 | $35,946 |
| 25 | Iowa | 229 | $38,685 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 211 | $36,877 |
| 27 | Kentucky | 207 | $36,183 |
| 28 | Utah | 168 | $40,900 |
| 29 | Maine | 157 | $35,034 |
| 30 | Louisiana | 146 | $40,024 |
| 31 | Kansas | 146 | $36,419 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 141 | $34,661 |
| 33 | Oregon | 139 | $56,089 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 138 | $39,656 |
| 35 | Mississippi | 121 | $40,159 |
| 36 | Nebraska | 109 | $34,597 |
| 37 | West Virginia | 96 | $38,034 |
| 38 | Nevada | 95 | $55,164 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | 89 | $40,054 |
| 40 | Alaska | 86 | $51,513 |
| 41 | Delaware | 78 | $46,059 |
| 42 | New Mexico | 71 | $40,101 |
| 43 | Idaho | 59 | $45,699 |
| 44 | Montana | 55 | $41,964 |
| 45 | Vermont | 54 | $41,473 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | 48 | $42,403 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 47 | $45,061 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 42 | $40,367 |
| 49 | South Dakota | 38 | $37,965 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 21 | $45,270 |
Top Colleges for Hazardous Waste Technicians
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,478
Enrollment
979
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
Top Skills For a Hazardous Waste Technician
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 12.9% of hazardous waste technicians listed dot on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Hazardous Waste Technician Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Hazardous Waste Technician templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Hazardous Waste Technician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Hazardous Waste Technician diversity
Hazardous Waste Technician Gender Distribution
Male
85%
Female
15%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among hazardous waste technicians, 15.4% of them are women, while 84.6% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among hazardous waste technicians is White, which makes up 56.2% of all hazardous waste technicians.
- The most common foreign language among hazardous waste technicians is Spanish at 60.0%.
Online Courses For Hazardous Waste Technician That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure
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Best States For a Hazardous Waste Technician
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a hazardous waste technician. The best states for people in this position are California, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington. Hazardous waste technicians make the most in California with an average salary of $59,731. Whereas in Oregon and Nevada, they would average $56,089 and $55,164, respectively. While hazardous waste technicians would only make an average of $53,099 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
Total Hazardous Waste Technician Jobs: 86
Highest 10% Earn:
$69,000
Location Quotient:
2.01
$51,513
Avg. Salary
2. Nevada
Total Hazardous Waste Technician Jobs: 95
Highest 10% Earn:
$89,000
Location Quotient:
0.89
$55,164
Avg. Salary
3. Delaware
Total Hazardous Waste Technician Jobs: 78
Highest 10% Earn:
$92,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
$46,059
Avg. Salary
How Do Hazardous Waste Technicians Rate Their Jobs?
Top Hazardous Waste Technician Employers
Most Common Employers For Hazardous Waste Technician
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | $60,098 | $28.89 | 2 |
| 2 | City of Tucson | $47,192 | $22.69 | 3 |
| 3 | Parsons | $45,743 | $21.99 | 4 |
| 4 | Fluor Corporation | $44,993 | $21.63 | 8 |
| 5 | Bechtel Corporation | $44,890 | $21.58 | 3 |
| 6 | Pirelli | $39,985 | $19.22 | 3 |
| 7 | Waste Management | $39,353 | $18.92 | 13 |
| 8 | Clean Harbors | $39,236 | $18.86 | 36 |
| 9 | DoodyCalls | $39,041 | $18.77 | 3 |
| 10 | Metro Regional Center | $38,774 | $18.64 | 3 |