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Refuse collector
Hours
40 per week
Starting salary
£17,000 + per year
If you are physically fit and can work well in a team, this job might suit you.
As a refuse collector or loader, it would be your job to remove waste and/or recyclables from homes and businesses and take it away for disposal or recycling.
In this job you will need to be able to work quickly and cleanly. You will also need to be professional and polite with the public.
You don't need any specific qualifications to get into this job. If you are a driver you will need a large goods vehicle licence. You may be able to get into this job through an Apprenticeship.
WorkDesc
The work
You would work as part of a small team, collecting waste from a different local area each day of the week. Your key tasks would include:
- moving bags, wheelie bins and recycling bins and boxes
- using a lifting mechanism to tip the waste from bins into the lorry
- throwing plastic bags into the back of the lorry
- crushing the waste
- sorting recyclable materials at the kerbside
- guiding the driver safely around the streets
- helping to unload the waste at designated facilities
- recording the amount of waste collected.
With experience, you might drive the collection lorry and supervise the team of loaders. As the driver, you would:
- make routine maintenance checks on the lorry before you set out
- drive the lorry, stopping often and keeping pace with the loaders
- manoeuvre the lorry in a safe and efficient manner
- make sure that people are clear of the lorry before crushing starts
- drive the collection vehicle to a transfer station, landfill site or recycling depot for weighing and unloading.
HoursDesc
Hours
Typical working hours would be between 6.30am or 7am and 3.30pm, Monday to Friday. You may sometimes need to work on public holidays, and weekend overtime may be available.
You would work outdoors in all weather conditions. The work is active and involves bending, lifting and carrying heavy bags and bins, and you may also need to dispose of substances such as chemicals or clinical waste from hospitals.
You would be provided with safety clothing including reflective jackets and heavy duty gloves.
IncomeDesc
Income
Salaries are typically around £17,000 to £18,000 a year for collectors and £19,000 for drivers. Managers can earn around £25,000 a year.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
You do not need any qualifications to become a refuse collector or loader. In some organisations you may have to be aged 18 or over, for health and safety reasons.
To work as a driver, you must have an LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) licence. See the large goods vehicle driver profile for more information.
You may be able to get in to this type of work through an Apprenticeship. The Intermediate Level Apprenticeship (level 2) in Sustainable Resource Management provides an ideal opportunity to train for this role. Employers recruiting on to the intermediate level apprenticeship would normally look for applicants holding three to five GCSEs including English, maths and a science subject, although this is not always the case. Applicants with higher grades are more likely to be successful.
The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. To find out more about the Apprenticeship, visit Energy & Utility Skills' website or the Apprenticeships website.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
You will be trained on the job by your employer. Your training is likely to include health and safety, manual handling, and the disposal of hazardous items.
You may get the chance to achieve the following work-based qualifications:
- Level 1 Diploma for General Recycling Operative
- Level 1 Diploma in Recycling Activities
- Level 2 Diploma for Sustainable Recycling Activities
- Level 2 Certificate for Sustainable Waste Management Operative
- Level 2 Certificate for Sustainable Waste Management Operative (Waste Collection Driver)
- Level 2 Certificate for Sustainable Waste Management Operative (Waste Collection)
- Level 2 Certificate for Sustainable Waste Management Operative (Team Leader)
- Level 2 Certificate for Sustainable Waste Management Operative (Waste Site Operative)
- Level 2 Certificate for Sustainable Waste Management Operative (Weighbridge Operative)
If you haven’t entered this role through an Apprenticeship, you may also have the opportunity to complete the Intermediate evel Apprenticeship. If you gain an LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) licence you could progress to become a refuse collection driver. Some employers may pay for your LGV training.
With experience, you could progress into supervisory or waste management jobs and take further qualifications such as the level 3 Diploma for Waste Supervisor and level 3 and 4 Diplomas for Waste Manager and the level 4 Diploma in Waste Management Operations.
See the Energy & Utility Skills website for details of training providers.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To be a refuse collector you will need to have:
- physical fitness and stamina
- the ability to work well in a team
- a polite and professional manner with the public
- a hardworking and responsible attitude
- awareness of health and safety
- the ability to work quickly and cleanly
- good levels of concentration, observation and driving skills, for driver jobs.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
Energy & Utility Skills 
Friars Gate
1011 Stratford Road
Shirley
Solihull
B90 4BN
Tel: 0845 077 9922
www.euskills.co.uk
LGcareers
www.lgcareers.com
Waste Management Industry Training & Advisory Board (WAMITAB)
Peterbridge House
3 The Lakes
Northampton
NN4 7HE
Tel: 01604 231950
www.wamitab.org.uk
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
9 Saxon Court
St Peter’s Gardens
Marefair
Northampton
NN1 1SX
Tel: 01604 620426
www.ciwm.co.uk
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
You could work for a local council or for a private waste management company under contract to a council. You could also work for one of the growing number of commercial recycling companies.
Jobs may be advertised in the local press, Jobcentre Plus, employers' websites and the LG Jobs website.
With experience, you could progress to team leader or supervisor.
With further training you could become a waste management officer or recycling officer – for more information, see the related profiles and the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM) website.
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
LMIData
Related industry information
Industry summary
The waste management industry is part of the energy and utility sector, represented by Energy and Utility Sector Skills Council, which also includes: power; gas; and water. The UK energy and utility sector employs an estimated 536,200 people.
The waste management industry covers the activities concerned with the collection, transport, treatment and final management of waste and recyclables. Once waste is generated from other sectors of the economy, it is collected and passed through a series of processes, which result in either valuable or non-valuable outputs. Non-valuable outputs, which consist of materials that are unsuitable for recovery and re-use, are either sent to landfill or incinerated to produce energy, heat or power. Valuable outputs (such as paper, glass, plastics, metals, etc.), once they have been dismantled and sorted, then leave the waste management industry.
Key facts:
- There are 141,000 people employed in the industry, which includes:
- 29,000 working in Integrated Waste Management Companies
- 60,000 in Public Waste Collection, Disposal Authorities and LAWDCs
- 45,000 in small medium enterprises involved in collection, processing and disposal
- 1,000 working in support services
- 3,000 contractors
- 2,000 in plant/equipment
- 1,000 others, including Regulators
- Women are concentrated in administrative and secretarial, sales and customer service roles.
- The age profile of the waste management industry is significantly older than average UK workforce.
- Around 900 new workers per year will be required by the industry between 2008 and 2017.
Jobs in the industry include: recycling officer; recycling operative; refuse operative; waste management officer; transfer station labourer; energy from waste engineer; environmental engineer; landfill gas; and energy from waste plant operator.
National and regional data
East Midlands – There are some 13,500 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in approximately 560 companies.
East of England – There are some 7,000 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in approximately 590 companies.
London – There are some 15,500 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in approximately 460 companies.
North East – There are some 7,000 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in around 210 companies.
North West – There are some 17,500 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in approximately 750 companies.
South East – There are some 17,500 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in approximately 650 companies.
South West – There are some 10,000 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in approximately 490 companies.
West Midlands – There are some 12,000 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in approximately 620 companies.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are some 10,000 people are employed within the waste management industry in the region in approximately 620 companies.
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