7 of the Most Popular Types of Refuse Worker Jobs in 2026

See what kind of roles similar to Refuse Worker jobs are hiring now

Top Types Of Refuse Worker Jobs

• Garbage Collector

  Salary range: $26,500 - $30,500

  A garbage collector’s duties are to pick up trash and recycling and transport it to a landfill, sorting facility, or recycling center. In this career, you may pick up trash from residential buildings, commercial buildings, or both. You may pick up trash cans by hand or operate hydraulic components of the truck that lift the can and dump the contents into the truck. Some garbage collectors drive along specific routes throughout the week, while others respond to calls to pick up trash.

• Waste Management Owner Operator

  Salary range: $125,000 - $340,000

  Waste Management Owner Operator is a typical job search query Most salaries for Waste Management Owner Operator jobs pay between $125,000 (25th percentile) and $340,000 (75th percentile) annually. There are lots of open positions nationwide for Waste Management Owner Operator job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Waste Management

  Salary range: $48,000 - $72,000

  Waste Management is a popular job search query. Most salaries for Waste Management jobs pay between $48,000 (25th percentile) and $72,000 (75th percentile) annually. There are plenty of open positions nationwide for Waste Management job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Garbage Truck

  Salary range: $33,000 - $48,000

  Garbage Truck is a popular job search query. Most salaries for Garbage Truck jobs pay between $33,000 (25th percentile) and $48,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Garbage Truck job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Recoger Basura

  Salary range: $36,000 - $44,000

  Recoger Basura is a more unusual job search query but still may give you interesting job results. Most salaries for Recoger Basura jobs pay between $36,000 (25th percentile) and $44,000 (75th percentile) annually. There are lots of open positions nationwide for Recoger Basura job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter.

• Refuse Collector

  Salary range: $30,500 - $48,500

  Refuse collectors remove trash from their assigned locations. They typically work for municipalities or private refuse companies to empty garbage and recycling bins along a public route. Some positions require you to drive from house to house and empty trash cans manually into the garbage truck. Other refuse collectors are trained to operate vehicles equipped with a crane-like mechanism that grabs and dumps the contents of the trash receptacle into the truck. Once all the trash bins along the route have been empties the refuse collector drives the trash to the dump or recycling facility.

• Waste Collector

  Salary range: $34,000 - $45,500

  Waste Collector is a common job search query. Most salaries for Waste Collector jobs pay between $34,000 (25th percentile) and $45,500 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Waste Collector job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.