Employers
There are about 50,300 hazardous materials removal workers (including technicians) employed in the United States. Hazardous waste management technicians are employed by chemical companies and other producers of hazardous waste, waste disposal companies and waste disposal consulting engineering firms, environmental consulting firms, government agencies, and other organizations. The largest number of jobs is in the private sector.
Private industry jobs can be found within large companies. Such companies generate waste and are likely to have their own in-house staff of environmentalists. This is especially true as regulations keep getting more and more complex. Medium-sized companies may have smaller departments. Smaller companies may have a professional or two on staff, or hire outside consultants.
Consulting companies are another good source of employment opportunities for hazardous waste management technicians. Some consulting companies advise companies on how to handle a hazardous waste problem. Others also design a plan and provide the manpower to carry it out. Some have their own testing and laboratory services. There are about 100 very large environmental consulting firms in the United States.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is just one federal government agency that employs technicians. The U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish and Wildlife Service employ technicians and field personnel, while the EPA uses more scientists and other professionals. There also is a trend toward increased work in hazardous waste management at the local level, by states, counties, and municipalities. Jobs there include technicians at municipal water plants and other public facilities.
A growing part of the hazardous waste management field is the handling and disposal of medical wastes. Hospitals, labs, health care facilities, and pharmaceutical companies may have staff personnel to help them take care of their medical wastes, or, they may hire consultants to do the job. Smaller generators of hazardous wastes include university research facilities and even households. Another source of hazardous waste is inactive mines: Hazardous minerals can leak into nearby surface and groundwater, creating potential health hazards.
Starting Out
Most recent graduates and working professionals find jobs through trade association advertisements and on the Internet. Openings with federal government agencies can be found on the Web page of the Office of Personnel Management (https://www.usajobs.gov). Hazardous waste management technicians can also find job listings on employment Web sites such as Indeed.com and LinkedIn.com.
- Agricultural Scientists
- Air Quality Engineers
- Aquarists
- Arborists
- Biochemical Engineers
- Biochemists
- Bioenergy/Biofuels Workers
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers
- Biologists
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Boilermakers and Mechanics
- Botanists
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Business Managers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemical Technicians
- Chemists
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Civil Engineers
- Climate Scientists
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- CRISPR Scientists
- Divers and Diving Technicians
- Drug Developers
- Ecologists
- Energy Conservation Technicians
- Energy Consultants
- Energy Transmission and Distribution Workers
- Engineering Technicians
- Engineers
- Environmental Consultants
- Environmental Economists
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Lawyers
- Environmental Lobbyists
- Environmental Planners
- Environmental Restoration Planners
- Environmental Scientists
- Environmental Technicians
- EPA Special Agents
- Epigenetics Researchers
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Food Technologists
- Forensic Experts
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Foresters
- Forestry Technicians
- Genetic Engineers
- Genetic Scientists
- Geodetic Surveyors
- Geological Technicians
- Geologists
- Geophysicists
- Green Builders
- Green Hotel/Resort Ecomanagers
- Green Products Manufacturers
- Green Transportation Careers
- Groundwater Professionals
- Hazardous Waste Management Specialists
- Horticultural Inspectors
- Horticultural Technicians
- Hydropower and Marine Energy Industry Workers
- Indoor Environmental Health Specialists
- Industrial Chemicals Workers
- Industrial Ecologists
- Industrial Radiographers
- Industrial Safety and Health Technicians
- Laboratory Technicians and Technologists
- Laboratory Testing Technicians
- Land Acquisition Professionals
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Landmen
- Landscape Architects
- Manufacturing Production Technicians
- Manufacturing Supervisors
- Marine Biologists
- Methane/Landfill Gas Collection System Operators
- Methane/Landfill Gas Generation System Technicians
- Microbiologists
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- National Park Service Employees
- Naturalists
- Nuclear Engineers
- Nuclear Reactor Operators and Technicians
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Oceanographers
- Park Rangers
- Petroleum Engineers
- Petroleum Technicians
- Pharmacists
- Pharmacologists
- Physicists
- Power Plant Workers
- Product Development Directors
- Product Management Directors
- Product Managers
- Quality Control Engineers
- Quality Control Technicians
- Radiation Protection Technicians
- Range Managers
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- Recycling Coordinators
- Refuse Collectors
- Renewable Energy Careers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Rewilders
- Roustabouts
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians
- Surveyors
- Toxicologists
- Truck Drivers
- Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators and Technicians
- Water/Wastewater Engineers
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors
- Zoologists