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What does a hazardous waste technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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Hazardous waste technician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real hazardous waste technician resumes:

  • 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.
  • Dispose waste and recycle items.
  • Used specific tools, ladders, and extinguishers.
  • Train employees on EHS procedures and legal requirements.
  • Waste technician primarily station at an EPA SuperFund site.
  • Develop new composting system, thus reducing food waste.
  • Conduct weekly inspections on the storage sites per the RCRA permit.
  • Maintain MSDS for all hazardous materials used in the work areas.
  • Start hoisting device that raise refuse bin attach to rear of truck
  • Travele to remote field camps to inspect for chemical and hazmat safety.
  • Perform rescue operations and administer emergency first aid and CPR as needed.
  • Work environments for hazmat removal workers vary with the material they are handling.

Hazardous waste technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Hazardous Waste Technicians are proficient in DOT, OSHA, and HAZWOPER. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Hazardous Waste Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • DOT, 13%

    Transport and deliver hazardous wastes to certified disposal facilities using DOT commercial equipment

  • OSHA, 8%

    Provided cleaning services for bio-hazard recovery including homicides and suicides following appropriate regulatory waste standards and OSHA requirements.

  • HAZWOPER, 7%

    Provided HAZWOPER support for mobile and static hazardous and electronic waste collection events one to three times per month.

  • Spill Response, 7%

    Spill Response Team member responding to and conducting clean up activities for fuel or chemical spill incidents.

  • Safety Procedures, 6%

    Complied with prescribed safety procedures to ensure protection for staff and patients.

  • Household Hazardous Waste, 5%

    Operated a household hazardous waste collection site at Columbia Resource Company's Central Transfer and Recycling Center in Vancouver, Washington.

"dot," "osha," and "hazwoper" are among the most common skills that hazardous waste technicians use at work. You can find even more hazardous waste technician responsibilities below, including:

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a hazardous waste technician to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "environmental science and protection technicians must carry out a wide range of laboratory and field tests, and their results must be accurate and precise." Additionally, a hazardous waste technician resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "label chemicals for shipment according to the dot database. "

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform hazardous waste technician duties is communication skills. Hazardous waste technicians responsibilities require that "environmental science and protection technicians must have good listening and writing skills, because they must follow precise directions for sample collection and communicate their results effectively in written reports." Hazardous waste technicians also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "classified and categorize up to 100 gallons of chemical and medical waste daily used excellent communication skills to locate and acquire waste"

Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of hazardous waste technicians is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday hazardous waste technician duties, as "environmental science and protection technicians need to work well and collaborate with others, because they often work with scientists and other technicians." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "used interpersonal and communication skills with patients. "

All hazardous waste technician skills

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Compare different hazardous waste technicians

Hazardous waste technician vs. Environmental services supervisor

Environmental services supervisors direct and administer a healthcare facility's housekeeping program to maintain sanitation and occupational health. They help departments in charge of the cleanup, sanitation, pest control, housekeeping, and laundry. These professionals should be experts in health, sanitation, and safety policies and regulations. They oversee the staff of the department and their working conditions. They inspect the ventilation, air conditioning, and heating. Also, they take charge of equipment and supplies, quality assurance and control, and prepare budgets.

The annual salary of environmental services supervisors is $1,614 lower than the average salary of hazardous waste technicians.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a hazardous waste technician are more likely to require skills like "dot," "osha," "hazwoper," and "spill response." On the other hand, a job as an environmental services supervisor requires skills like "patients," "environmental services," "cleanliness," and "customer service." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Environmental services supervisors earn the highest salaries when working in the hospitality industry, with an average yearly salary of $43,387. On the other hand, hazardous waste technicians are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $45,577.environmental services supervisors tend to reach similar levels of education than hazardous waste technicians. In fact, environmental services supervisors are 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Hazardous waste technician vs. Environmental assistant

An environmental assistant is primarily in charge of performing daily administrative support tasks in an office. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documentation, coordinating services and procedures, monitoring the inventory of supplies, participating in the procurement procedures, answering calls and correspondence, and maintaining records of all transactions. They may also perform managerial duties if necessary. Furthermore, as an environmental assistant, it is essential to keep an active communication line with staff, coordinating every step of the way while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

A career as a environmental assistant brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a hazardous waste technician. In fact, environmental assistants salary is $7,875 lower than the salary of hazardous waste technicians per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both hazardous waste technicians and environmental assistants have skills such as "osha," "epa," and "regulatory compliance. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real hazardous waste technician resumes. While hazardous waste technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "dot," "hazwoper," "spill response," and "safety procedures," environmental assistants use skills like "patients," "patient rooms," "cleanliness," and "patient care."

On average, environmental assistants earn a lower salary than hazardous waste technicians. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, environmental assistants earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $45,535. Whereas hazardous waste technicians have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $45,577.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Environmental assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than hazardous waste technicians. In fact, they're 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Hazardous waste technician vs. Laboratory analyst

A Laboratory Analyst helps conduct experiments, run laboratory tests, and analyze results. They compile and record data for the documentation needed for testing and report preparation.

An average laboratory analyst eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of hazardous waste technicians. The difference in salaries amounts to laboratory analysts earning a $2,248 higher average salary than hazardous waste technicians.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, hazardous waste technicians are more likely to have skills like "dot," "osha," "hazwoper," and "spill response." But a laboratory analyst is more likely to have skills like "test methods," "lab equipment," "lims," and "laboratory procedures."

Laboratory analysts earn the best pay in the pharmaceutical industry, where they command an average salary of $47,806. Hazardous waste technicians earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $45,577.laboratory analysts typically earn similar educational levels compared to hazardous waste technicians. Specifically, they're 4.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Hazardous waste technician vs. Environmental field technician

An environmental field technician, often known as an environmental science and protection technician, is an individual who conducts tests on the environment and determines the impact of a potential source of pollutants. Environmental field technicians investigate pollution sources by performing testing of groundwater samples in the field. They must ensure that proper safety procedures and equipment are utilized as well as implement on-site safety procedures to individual company specifications. Environmental field technicians must also coordinate with construction management to ensure that they are following the comprehensive environmental compliance throughout the phases of construction.

Environmental field technicians tend to earn a lower pay than hazardous waste technicians by an average of $3,326 per year.While both hazardous waste technicians and environmental field technicians complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like osha, hazwoper, and safety procedures, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between hazardous waste technicians and environmental field technicians, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a hazardous waste technician might have more use for skills like "dot," "spill response," "household hazardous waste," and "hazardous waste materials." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of environmental field technicians require skills like "data collection," "hand tools," "gps," and "environmental monitoring. "

In general, environmental field technicians hold similar degree levels compared to hazardous waste technicians. Environmental field technicians are 2.5% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of hazardous waste technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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