How To Become A Refuse Collector: What It Is and Career Path

What is a refuse collector and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average refuse collector salary is $30,254. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become a refuse collector. Refuse collectors with a Commercial Driver License (CDL) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 358,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRefuse CollectorUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,254

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.2

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.99%

Asian 2.83%

Black or African American 12.67%

Hispanic or Latino 15.77%

Unknown 3.46%

White 63.29%

Gender

female 4.60%

male 95.40%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress Level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.5

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.8

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a refuse collector

Explore refuse collector education requirements

Most common refuse collector degrees

High School Diploma

52.0 %

Diploma

14.5 %

Associate

12.3 %

Start to develop specific refuse collector skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	15.70%
Safety Equipment	11.12%
Routine Maintenance	7.68%
Recyclable Materials	7.28%
Hoisting	6.26%

Complete relevant refuse collector training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New refuse collectors 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 refuse collector based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real refuse collector resumes.

Research refuse collector duties and responsibilities

Operate both automate and semi-automate hoisting devices.
Preform complete pre-trip inspections including driver check-in procedures upon vehicle return.
Return products to Comcast corporate locations

Prepare your refuse collector resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your refuse collector 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 refuse collector resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Refuse Collector Resume templates

Build a professional Refuse Collector 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 Refuse Collector resume.

Apply for refuse collector jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a refuse collector job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

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