How to hire a waste handling technician

How to hire a waste handling technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step waste handling technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a waste handling technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new waste handling technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The waste handling technician hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

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   Hiring the perfect waste handling technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of waste handling technicians.

   Type of Waste Handling Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Waste Handling Technician	Environmental science and protection technicians monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution and contamination, including those affecting public health. In addition, they work to ensure that environmental violations are prevented.	$13-36
   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.	$14-29
   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... Show more	$14-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Hazardous Waste
   • Data Entry

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a mold remediation team as well perform asbestos abatement along with general demolition and reconstruction in residential and commercial structures.
   • Provide accurate and reliable results to ensure safe transplantation, while remaining compliant with HIPAA, FDA, and ISO standards.
   • Experience with performing PCR using Cobas Amplicor machines along with maintenance and troubleshooting.
   • Perform liquid handling tasks associate with oligonucleotide production, utilizing various platforms such as Beckman FX, Tecan, and Hamilton.
   • Manage numerous outdoor storage locations for government ammunition stockpiles while simultaneously providing rapid logistical support to facilitate employee training.
   • Integrate Microsoft SCCM with ServiceNow for pulling the entire configuration item into ServiceNow.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your waste handling technician job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A waste handling technician can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, waste handling technicians' average salary in tennessee is 40% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level waste handling technicians 61% less than senior-level waste handling technicians.
   • Certifications. A waste handling technician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a waste handling technician's salary.

   Average waste handling technician salary

   $46,996yearly

   $22.59 hourly rate

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   Entry-level waste handling technician salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

4. Writing a waste handling technician job description

   A job description for a waste handling technician role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a waste handling technician job description:

   Waste handling technician job description example

   Immune Specific Accountabilities
   - Recognizes and understands flight/product safety critical parts and processes.
   - Responsible for immediately reporting flight/product safety concerns.
   - Participates in proactive risk analysis of flight/product safety critical parts and processes.
   - Recognizes and understands the Just Culture policy.
   Specific Accountabilities
   - Operates and monitors control systems and related equipment to regulate the treatment and distribution of waste water and thus produces treated water that complies to regulations.
   - Collects water samples for chemical testing. Treats water with appropriate chemicals.
   - Reads flow meters, gauges and other recording instruments to measure water output and waste content levels.
   - Analyzes test results and instrument readings and makes adjustments to equipment and systems as required.
   - Monitors and inspects equipment and systems to detect equipment malfunctions and to ensure systems and equipment are operating normally.
   - Responds to spills, waste water treatment alarms and abnormalities and initiates corrective action.
   - Completes and maintains appropriate records, logs and reports. Ensures applicable related legal requirements are met.
   - Performs maintenance of equipment, including cleaning probes and filters.
   - Maintains inventory of chemicals and empty drums.
   - Participates in continuous improvement of cell operations.
   - Cross trains in other complementary skills and seeks endorsements for those skills as needed to support production requirements.
   - Moves between production assignments that utilize multiple skills endorsements as needed to support production requirements.
   - Participates in the cross training of other technicians as needed to support production requirements.
   - Responsible for observing all applicable safety requirements and reporting immediately any unsafe practices/conditions.
   - Carries out other duties as assigned.
   Technical Requirements
   - Working knowledge of waste water treatment and control procedures.
   - Strong aptitude for chemistry.
   - Working knowledge of related company instructions, company processes and MSDS labels.
   - Working knowledge production management computer system and other related internal control systems.
   - Completion of a college program in water and waste water or a closely related discipline; or equivalent.
   Background Information
   The typical minimum level of education to perform this job competently is equivalent to high school graduation and completion of a diploma training program at a college or technical school. The person requires an ability to understand, utilize and communicate specialized information in speech and written text. This specialized training is often formalized and recognized by a specific certificate, diploma or license.
   Directly/indirectly related work experience representing continuous learning and required for someone to perform this job competently is six months to one year.
   Ongoing work assignments typically have clearly defined goals. The incumbent's education, training, and previous experience ensure work assignments are successfully carried out because he/she understands what is expected, as well as the best approach to take.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find waste handling technicians for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your waste handling technician job on Zippia to find and recruit waste handling technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit waste handling technicians, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new waste handling technician

   Once you've selected the best waste handling technician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new waste handling technician first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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