Refuse Collector:Job Description, Education, Skills and Duties, Earnings and Outlook
Submitted by: paula
Job Overview Every municipality and community depend on refuse collectors when it comes to discarded materials and trashes of the people in households living in the area. Those who collect garbage set out by the people in a designated area are called refuse collectors. The garbage collected is transported to either the incinerator plants or sanitary landfills where it is disposed.
Education,Knowledge and Trainings Required
High school graduates are preferred by most of the employers when selecting applicants for a position of refuse collector. Physical Education class is helpful to develop endurance and strength. English and Basic Math is needed for them to know how to follow instructions as to how the equipment should be operated. Most employers would employ someone without any professional work experience at all, but they would be selecting, in specific, an applicant who is most physically fit. They would usually be required to pass health examinations. Those who know how to drive will also be preferred. Drivers of the truck will be required to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Since most of the refuse collectors are hired by local government and municipality, they are required to pass a civil service test.
Skills and Abilities
Refuse collectors need to be physically fit to be able to perform the task assigned. They should be able to lift heavy things. Strength, stamina, and endurance are qualities that are of utmost importance in this career. Those who are hardworking and reliable are given preference. Driving skills can be an advantage for those who are aspiring to be a refuse collector. They need to know and undestand the function and how to operate the buttons and levers, which lift and dump the discarded materials into and from the truck.
Duties
It is the duty of a refuse collector to collect garbage from household and trash containers in the area.
They can collect solid waste like paper products, plastic and food scraps. They are also at times, the drivers of the refuse truck who then transport the garbage to the disposal site. It is their duty to inspect the truck and make sure that lights, oil pressure gauges, tires and testing air are working properly. They need to be in constant communication with dispatchers to know where they need to pick up and collect discarded materials.
Earnings and Job Outlook
Salary of a refuse collector depends on their employer and union status. Those who are starting as a refuse collector and not a union member is paid at an hourly rate. In 2004, the average yearly earning of a refuse collection is $25,750. They can earn between $14,000, or more than $42,0000. They are entitled to overtime payments, since they may be asked to work on extra hours, or during weekends and evenings. Since people in this career usually transfer from one to another jobs, the demand for refuse collector is still high. Job opportunities are big for those in heavily populated cities, since there will be many discarded materials to be collected.
Paula Hiz is a researcher and a human resource specialist who helps newly graduates, job applicants and post graduate professionals be aware of their job opportunities and available trainings for skills and practice upgrading.
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