How To Become A Waste Treatment Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a waste treatment operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average waste treatment operator salary is $47,317. The most common degree is a associate degree degree with an environmental control technologies/technicians major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become a waste treatment operator. Waste treatment operators with a Industrial Waste Treatment Operator III certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -8,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreWaste Treatment OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,317

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.58%

Asian 1.83%

Black or African American 7.55%

Hispanic or Latino 12.27%

Unknown 4.57%

White 71.20%

Gender

female 7.25%

male 92.75%

Age - 47.5

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 - 47.5

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a waste treatment operator

Explore waste treatment operator education requirements

Most common waste treatment operator degrees

Associate

31.4 %

High School Diploma

29.4 %

Bachelor's

24.5 %

Start to develop specific waste treatment operator skills

Skills	Percentages
OSHA	9.06%
Water Samples	7.84%
Hazardous Materials	6.98%
Test Water	6.36%
Plumbing	5.65%

Complete relevant waste treatment operator training and internships

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

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed waste treatment operator usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed waste treatment operator in most of states. 34 states require waste treatment operators to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Certified Water Treatment Operator
Arkansas	Specific course required	State exam required	Water Treatment Operator
California	-	State exam required	Water Treatment Operator
Colorado	-	State exam required	Plant Operators Certification
Connecticut	-	State exam required	Water Treatment Plant Operator - Class II

Research waste treatment operator duties and responsibilities

Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
Position require license issue by Illinois EPA.
Perform basic repairs and maintenance using plumbing and mechanical skills.
Perform repairs on all waste treatment and plating machinery, including electrical, mechanical, and plumbing relate breakdowns.

Prepare your waste treatment operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your waste treatment 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 a waste treatment 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 waste treatment operator resume templates

Build a professional waste treatment 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 waste treatment operator resume.