Waste Management

Demand for waste management services will continue due to increased consumer spending, population growth, privatization and business growth, as well as ongoing interest in recycling. Worldwide, municipal solid waste generation is predicted to grow from 2.1 billion tons in 2023 to 3.8 billion tons by 2050, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

Every part of the country employs waste management professionals. Heavily industrialized areas and areas experiencing strong economic growth are prime users of waste management professionals. The general condition of a region, its markets for scrap materials and recyclable materials, and other factors affect jobs available.

Political support for the environment and the state of the U.S. economy also has an impact on the number of jobs available at any given time. Most waste-management work hinges on whether new regulations are being passed and whether existing regulations are being enforced. When times are hard, the federal government is less likely to have the funds, human-power, and political nerve to start passing tougher laws and prosecuting violators. During such times, the number of new jobs grows more slowly.

Still, the waste management industry is very well entrenched in this country and promises to continue to employ hundreds of thousands of people in the coming decades. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population will increase from an estimated 328 million in 2019 to 400 million by 2058. If current waste practices continue, the number of jobs available in the industry will certainly increase as well. Spending on waste management has increased in recent years. The public and private sectors will continue to spend billions of dollars on waste management in the coming years. U.S. industry's need to comply with federal, state, and local regulations relating to waste management has created a strong market for those with an expertise in waste management. New strategies for source reduction, recycling, volume reduction, toxicity reduction, treatment, and disposal are needed at the municipal and industrial levels.

If the government is strict about enforcing environmental legislation and rules, private businesses will hire more people to ensure compliance. A report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that the total of criminal fines, restitution, and court ordered projects for failing to be in compliance exceeded $540 million in fiscal year 2023. Professionals who can help companies avoid such fines will indeed be valuable. While these fines are concerned largely with hazardous waste, companies also will invest in developing alternative disposal techniques and waste-reduction plans for nonhazardous solid waste.

The EPA reported that in 2017 (the most recent data available from the EPA in 2020), Americans created about 268 million tons of trash and recycled and composted about 94 million tons of this material. This was an enormous increase from the 15 million tons of trash recycled in 1980, and prevented almost 185 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from being released into the air. Recycling and composting efforts will continue growing and being improved upon in the coming years.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) offers the following employment outlooks (2023–33) for various careers in waste collection, management, and remediation.

The largest percentage of workers in these sectors are those responsible for collecting and moving trash or operating machines used to process it, including refuse and recycling collectors, who comprise nearly 33 percent of all waste management and removal workers. Slower-than-average (+2 percent) is expected for refuse and recyclable material collectors. Demand will continue because a large amount of trash and recycling materials are generated, but growth will be constrained by improvements in automation.

Employment of hazardous materials removal workers is projected to increase by 1 percent, which is slower than the average for all careers. There is continuing need to safely remove and clean up hazardous materials at sites that have been identified by the EPA and state and local agencies, but funding is not always available to clean up the large number of sites.

Job opportunities for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators are projected to decline by 6 percent. "As water and wastewater treatment plants become more advanced with automated systems to manage treatment processes, fewer workers may be needed," according to the DOL. "Although some work can be automated, plants will still need skilled workers to operate increasingly complex controls and water and wastewater systems."

The DOL reports that the mean annual wage of workers in the waste collection sector was $53,990 in 2023. This is lower than the national average ($63,098) for all private sector workers. Mean annual earnings for selected career fields were as follows in 2023:

• management: $114,550
• engineering and architecture: $90,490
• business and financial operations: $68,760
• sales and related: $58,030
• transportation and material moving: $50,130
• office and administrative support: $47,130
• production: $46,360

The mean annual wage of workers in the waste management and remediation services sector was $58,330 in 2023, according to the DOL. Mean annual earnings for selected career fields were as follows in 2023:

• management: $118,770
• engineering and architecture: $88,650
• business and financial operations: $81,080
• sales and related: $67,150
• installation, maintenance, and repair: $60,600
• production: $57,220
• transportation and material moving: $50,750
• office and administrative support: $48,270

Women comprised 8 percent of water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators and 11.3 percent of refuse and recyclable material collectors in 2023, according to the DOL. This is much lower than their representation (47 percent) in the American workforce. Several industry organizations are making efforts to increase the number of women in waste collection, management, and remediation. These include the Air and Waste Management Association (which offers a Women’s Professional Development Workshop and Luncheon), American Industrial Hygiene Association (which has a Women in Industrial Hygiene Committee), Recycled Materials Association (which has a Women in Recycling Council), International Solid Waste Association (which has a Women of Waste Task Force), and the National Waste & Recycling Association (which offers women-focused webinars and leadership conferences).