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Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Collects trash and recycling, cleans sewers and septic tanks, and removes hazardous materials.
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Refuse and recycling collectors drive and ride trucks on set routes, often starting before sunrise. Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners pump tanks, clear clogged lines and inspect pipes with cameras. Hazardous materials removal workers take out asbestos, lead, mold and chemical waste while wearing protective suits. The work is physical and outdoors in all weather, and it matters: cities stop working without it.
Open the sanitation and waste worker guide
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High school courses that build toward it
- English 10 · English
Builds reading and writing, which this job uses.
- Welding and Metal Fabrication · Career and Technical
Builds tools and machines, which this job uses.
- Pre-Algebra · Math
Builds math, which this job uses.
- Computer Science Principles · Computer Science
Builds computers and electronics, which this job uses.
Ranked by how much the job relies on what each course teaches, from O*NET's knowledge ratings. Your school's own courses and the counselor have the final word.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors on O*NET OnLine · O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections 2025.