Hazardous Waste Management Technicians

High School

While still in high school, aspiring hazardous waste management technicians should take math and science, including biology, earth sciences, physics, and chemistry. To hone your communication skills, you also should take English, speech, and writing.

Postsecondary Training

In the past, hazardous waste management technicians could find plenty of work with only a high school diploma. Hazardous waste management is becoming an increasingly sophisticated field, however, because of tighter regulations and advances in cleanup technology. More and more, a two-year diploma or degree in hazardous waste management is becoming important for many positions.

There are hundreds of choices for those interested in pursuing postsecondary training in hazardous waste management. Options include community colleges, technical colleges, vocational institutes, and college outreach programs. Students should make sure the school is accredited and talk to the people in the career services office to find out where graduates have gone on to work.

Whether or not a degree is required depends on the task, the company, and the nature of the problem. For some field or monitoring work, two-year degrees may be needed. Some of these jobs involve sophisticated work like chemical analyses or working under protocols.

On the other hand, other technicians are essentially moving waste, like forklift drivers, warehouse workers, or drivers. They will get some particular training or instruction from the company, but generally don't need a degree.

Experts see a trend toward higher educational requirements for environmental technicians. This is especially true in hazardous waste management. In this area, technical degrees, even graduate degrees, tend to be valued more than in some other areas, such as solid waste handling.

Certification

Some colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in hazardous waste management and related fields. One example is the graduate certificate program in hazardous materials management that is offered by Indiana University. To earn the certificate, students must complete the following core courses: Environmental Toxicology, Hazardous Materials, and Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. They also must complete two elective courses. Examples of these classes include Hazardous Materials Regulation, Fundamentals of Air Pollution, Environmental Risk Analysis, and Industrial Hygiene and Radiological Health. Certificate programs typically last six months to a year and are available in online, in-person, and hybrid formats. Contact schools in your area for information about available programs.

Other Education or Training

Continuing education is provided by employers and through state and local waste management associations. Some employers pay for workshops run in-house by the National Environmental Health Association and government agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. These workshops educate employees about such topics as emergency response, Superfund regulations, and emerging technologies.