Waste Management Officer/Recycling Officer

Waste management officers/recycling officers organise and manage the collection and transportation of household and industrial/commercial waste. They also deal with recycling, waste treatment and disposal, street cleaning, litter and fly tipping. The role usually involves managing waste management schemes, such as waste disposal sites and recycling facilities, overseeing the transportation of waste to sites without contaminating air, land or water sources, investigating new waste management facilities and recycling schemes and preparing statistics and reports.

Officers usually work standard office hours, Monday to Friday. They sometimes have to work in the evenings and at weekends, eg to attend council or committee meetings.

The job is office based, but there are also many out-of-office activities, such as overseeing waste disposal facilities and visiting local groups and businesses. Protective clothing may be worn during site visits, such as hard hats, gloves and boots.

Salaries range from around £20,000 up to around £40,000 for operations managers.

A waste management officer/recycling officer should:

• be analytical, able to solve problems and make decisions
• have good management and leadership skills
• be efficient at working with budgets and statistics
• have good communication and report writing skills
• have a genuine interest in the environment.

Waste management officers/recycling officers work mainly for local authorities throughout the UK. Some work for private waste businesses, industrial organisations, environmental agencies, consultancies and non-profit-making conservation projects.

Employers usually expect applicants to have at least five GCSEs (A*-C) and at least one A level, or the equivalent. The Diploma in environmental and land-based studies may be relevant for this area of work. However, most entrants are graduates. Specific qualifications that are most relevant include a degree, foundation degree or a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in wastes management. Other useful degree subjects include environmental science, environmental management, biology and other science subjects.

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management runs a programme of professional training to enable graduates to progress their careers within the industry.

There may be promotion opportunities to senior officer, team leader, or operations manager, especially in larger local authorities and organisations. Some people gain promotion to general management roles, others move into consultancy work.

Further details