How To Become A Waste Management Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a waste management specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

As a Waste Management Specialist, you will be designing and managing waste reduction and reclamation projects. Most of the time, you will be working with government officials in order for waste management to go smoothly. You will ensure waste management implementation and perform program evaluation.

As a Waste Management Specialist, you need to have wide imagination in order to come up with new ideas and images. You also need to have good reading skills; this way, you will be able to understand and interpret different kinds of text. Lastly, interpersonal skills are important; being able to deal with different people is very important in this job.

As a Waste Management Specialist, you can earn an average salary of $46,292 per year. The job growth rate of 5% is not bad, too. In addition, you can explore other careers or roles. You can be an Environmental Specialist, an Environmental Scientist, a Project Manager, and a Product Manager.

ScoreWaste Management SpecialistUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $58,616

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.5

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 10.17%

Black or African American 4.08%

Hispanic or Latino 11.07%

Unknown 3.86%

White 70.36%

Gender

female 24.08%

male 75.92%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress Level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a waste management specialist

Explore waste management specialist education requirements

Most common waste management specialist degrees

Bachelor's

61.4 %

High School Diploma

14.6 %

Associate

11.2 %

Start to develop specific waste management specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
EPA	9.33%
RCRA	8.60%
OSHA	6.58%
DOE	6.57%
Hazardous Waste Management	5.87%

Complete relevant waste management specialist training and internships

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

Research waste management specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage the storage and disposal of CERCLA and RCRA hazardous and radioactive waste/materials.
Conduct research using online federal regulations, review Medicare and Medicaid policy and guidelines to complete an accurate and well-support decision.
Develop retro-futuristic,``Jetsons"inspire environment concepts in Photoshop.

Prepare your waste management specialist resume

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

Choose From 10+ Customizable Waste Management Specialist Resume templates

Build a professional Waste Management Specialist 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 Waste Management Specialist resume.

Apply for waste management specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a waste management specialist 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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