Inspect the truck before rolling
Prior to leaving, check brakes, tires and lift gear, logging faults on a vehicle checklist so they're handled.
Career profile
Waste and Recycling Collector
Refuse collectors gather trash and recycling from homes and businesses and move each truckload onward.
Some routes have a crew moving containers, others a truck-mounted lifting arm. That equipment changes how much you lift and how route time gets spent.
A day in the life
Empty bins by hand or arm
Bring containers to a rear-loader and dump them by hand or tipper, or run an automated lifting arm.
Report blocked streets, tag bins
Let dispatch know about blocked streets, and tag bins holding banned items so customers see what to fix.
Unload at the facility
When you drive, take the load to a recycling facility or disposal site and run the truck's unloader.
Quick facts
Learn on the job
United States
$49,690 a year
United States · 2025
2% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Learn on the jobA high school diploma or equivalent is common; employer requirements differ between loading and driving jobs.
Pay
$49,690 a yearNational median pay, equivalent to $23.89 an hour.
Outlook
2% projected growthNational employment is projected to grow slowly.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like outdoor work with a repeated, visible task to finish.
- You can keep checking equipment even after the routine feels familiar.
- You stay patient when tight access slows a route.
Things to weigh
- Repeated lifting and bending can strain your body, especially on routes with manual collection.
- Rain, heat and cold are part of outdoor collection work.
- Some routes begin before the morning commute, which can change your sleep and evening plans.
Where AI may help
Some trucks use joystick-controlled arms to empty carts. Tablets provide routes and connect drivers with dispatch.
What people still lead
You still position the truck, watch for obstacles and decide when a stop cannot be completed safely.
What we can’t predict yet
How much manual loading remains will depend on which routes adopt automated trucks. Better routing and automation may also reduce the workers needed for a given volume.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median is a useful reference, not a starting offer.
The middle and the spread
In 2025, median pay was $49,690 annually, or $23.89 hourly. The lowest-paid 10% earned $33,590 or less; the highest-paid 10% earned $75,900 or more. Those groups are not career stages.
Employer industry matters
A historical comparison: in May 2023, collectors in Waste Collection averaged $48,260 annually ($23.20 hourly), versus $54,200 ($26.06 hourly) in Waste Treatment and Disposal. These are industry averages, not current offers.
Slow growth still includes openings
Employment is projected to grow 2% during 2025–2035. Separately, the earlier 2024–2034 forecast estimated 16,900 openings a year, including replacement needs. These figures come from different forecast periods.
Getting started
Join a helper-to-driver training route
Paid
- What the route involves
- Work as a route helper, then train beside an experienced driver after obtaining a commercial learner's permit.
- What it can lead to
- You learn collection equipment while working toward the employer's driver training requirements.
- What to check
- Requirements vary. WM's Webster, New York route requires age 18+, work eligibility, a Class C or D driver's license, functional English and pre-employment screening. A diploma or equivalent is preferred.
Qualify for truck-driving positions
- What the route involves
- For a first Class A or B commercial driver's license (CDL), obtain the permit, complete applicable training with a registered provider, and pass inspection, controls and road tests. Hold the permit at least 14 days before the skills test.
- What it can lead to
- The license meets the driving credential requirement for matching vehicles; some collection jobs also require prior driving or collection experience.
- What to check
- Check state eligibility and medical rules and the truck's license requirements. A permit allows public-road practice only with a qualified CDL holder beside you; it is not a full license.
You can enter through employer training or prepare for driving jobs before applying. Check whether a position starts with loading, driving or both.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Build your routine
Learn container handling, collection stops and communication with dispatch alongside an experienced worker.
Handle more of the route
In driving work, build skill positioning the truck around obstacles and recording missed pickups or damaged containers.
Train others or specialize
With experience, pursue a driver-trainer role helping new hires build safe habits.
- Move into roll-off collection, delivering and retrieving large containers at customer sites.
Where you can work
Neighborhood collection routes
Rear-loading trucks can pair a driver with helpers moving household bins. Automated side-loading routes can put one operator in charge of driving and the lifting arm.
- Outdoors
- Vehicle
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Restaurants, hotels and stores
Commercial routes can use front-loading trucks. You align the truck's forks with a larger container and lift it over the cab; one operator can run this setup.
- Outdoors
- Vehicle
- Safety-sensitive
Construction and industrial sites
Roll-off routes involve delivering and retrieving large containers, with trips to disposal facilities. Tight access and muddy sites can make positioning the truck harder.
- Outdoors
- Vehicle
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Watch a collection truck make a few pickups from a safe public spot. Note what the worker does between lifting bins: checking clearance, repositioning or communicating. Would you enjoy keeping that attention through a whole route?
Stay safe: Stay well away from the truck and moving containers. Do not follow it into the street or approach the crew during collection.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor. Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor. National Wages: Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates: Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hand Laborers and Material Movers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- City of Columbus. Refuse Collection Vehicle Operator (Automated), recruitment 26-3922-V1. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- WM. Apprentice, Driver Residential — Webster, New York, job 2354157. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- WM. What It's Like to Be a WM Driver: A Career Behind the Wheel. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Waste Management. Waste Management 101. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How do I get a Commercial Driver's License?. Accessed 2026-10-03.