How To Become An Incinerator Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is an incinerator operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an incinerator operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.29 an hour? That's $40,114 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 1,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreIncinerator OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $40,114

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 7.95%

Black or African American 12.47%

Hispanic or Latino 16.83%

Unknown 4.30%

White 58.03%

Gender

female 7.55%

male 92.45%

Age - 52

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 - 52

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an incinerator operator

Explore incinerator operator education requirements

Most common incinerator operator degrees

High School Diploma

55.9 %

Associate

17.6 %

Bachelor's

14.7 %

Start to develop specific incinerator operator skills

Skills	Percentages
OSHA	50.64%
Hand Tools	17.50%
Incinerators	16.41%
Safety Procedures	6.73%
Medical Waste	4.86%

Complete relevant incinerator operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New incinerator operators 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 an incinerator operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real incinerator operator resumes.

Research incinerator operator duties and responsibilities

Maintain buildings HVAC / lighting automation systems and make adjustments as needed for tenant's comfort and to manage energy consumption.
Ensure proper PPE are maintained and utilize by all personnel.
Ensure all waste are properly handle and dispose of per OSHA and AFOSH standards.
Advance to increasingly responsible positions, culminating in management role with oversight for a full-service building management.

Prepare your incinerator operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your incinerator operator 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 an incinerator operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable incinerator operator resume templates

Build a professional incinerator operator 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 incinerator operator resume.