What Does a Hazardous Waste Specialist Do?
Chemical waste is where careful labs tend to get careless. The half-empty bottles and unlabeled jars that pile up in labs, hospitals, plants and universities are collected by hazardous waste specialists, who pack them safely and send them off site under federal rules.
Also known as: Hazmat Facilities Coordinator, Hazmat Operations Coordinator
Hazardous Waste Specialist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a hazardous waste specialist include:
- Pick up chemical waste from labs and shops on a set route and check every label.
- Sort waste by hazard class and keep acids, oxidizers and flammables apart.
- Pack small containers into lab packs with the right absorbent and drum liners.
- Bulk compatible solvents into drums and ground each container to prevent static sparks.
- Label and date drums, and move them to the central storage building on time.
- Prepare manifests and shipping papers for licensed disposal haulers under EPA and DOT rules.
- Clean up chemical spills and mercury releases in full protective gear.
- Recycle batteries, fluorescent lamps and electronic waste under universal waste rules.
- Inspect waste collection areas in labs and help researchers correct problems on the spot.
- Keep the waste building's inventory, inspection logs and emergency equipment ready for inspectors.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a hazardous waste specialist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- OSHA HAZWOPER training
- DOT hazardous materials shipping training
- RCRA hazardous waste rules
- Chemical compatibility and hazard classes
- Respirator and protective suit use
- Forklifts and drum handling equipment
- Neat paperwork that satisfies regulators
- Patience with busy researchers
Education and Training
Hazmat training is required by federal rules before you can sign a shipping paper, and most employers want the HAZWOPER course finished early as well. BLS pairs a high school diploma with moderate on-the-job training for this work. Time in a chemistry lab or a chemical warehouse gives you a head start, and a college chemistry course makes hazard classes and labels easier to learn.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $44,720 - $61,530 per year, with a median of $49,450.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Hazardous Materials Removal Workers.
BLS projects employment of hazardous materials removal workers, a group that also covers asbestos and lead abatement crews, to grow about 2 percent from 2025 to 2035. Most of its roughly 4,300 openings a year will come from people retiring or changing jobs. The waste itself never stops coming.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Hazardous materials removal workers.