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
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Abatement Worker, Asbestos Abatement Worker, Asbestos Hazard Abatement Worker, Asbestos Remover, Asbestos Worker, Decontamination and Decommissioning Operator (D and D Operator), Hazmat Technician (Hazardous Materials Technician), Waste Handling Technician.
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.
Hazardous Waste Specialist Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $38,460 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $44,720 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $49,450 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $61,530 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $82,410 |
Highest-Paying States for Hazardous Waste Specialists
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are New York ($73,090), Illinois ($61,330), Alaska ($60,320), District of Columbia ($60,240), North Dakota ($60,160). Pay is lowest in Alabama ($38,610), Louisiana ($38,000), Arkansas ($36,630).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,610 |
| Alaska | $60,320 |
| Arizona | $50,530 |
| Arkansas | $36,630 |
| California | $56,120 |
| Colorado | $59,920 |
| Connecticut | $47,090 |
| Delaware | $44,250 |
| District of Columbia | $60,240 |
| Florida | $42,350 |
| Georgia | $48,960 |
| Hawaii | $58,440 |
| Idaho | $49,710 |
| Illinois | $61,330 |
| Indiana | $46,680 |
| Iowa | $49,870 |
| Kansas | $45,530 |
| Kentucky | $47,640 |
| Louisiana | $38,000 |
| Maine | $47,280 |
| Maryland | $48,640 |
| Massachusetts | $49,620 |
| Michigan | $46,380 |
| Minnesota | $59,100 |
| Mississippi | $39,440 |
| Missouri | $59,120 |
| Montana | $54,540 |
| Nebraska | $48,540 |
| Nevada | $47,520 |
| New Hampshire | $55,310 |
| New Jersey | $55,900 |
| New Mexico | $53,440 |
| New York | $73,090 |
| North Carolina | $43,180 |
| North Dakota | $60,160 |
| Ohio | $46,620 |
| Oklahoma | $44,300 |
| Oregon | $49,720 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,860 |
| Rhode Island | $46,670 |
| South Carolina | $49,170 |
| South Dakota | $51,420 |
| Tennessee | $60,090 |
| Texas | $44,390 |
| Utah | $49,240 |
| Vermont | $46,780 |
| Virginia | $45,320 |
| Washington | $60,160 |
| West Virginia | $46,390 |
| Wisconsin | $47,750 |
| Wyoming | $48,570 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as hazardous materials removal workers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 78% spend more than half the workday on their feet
- 77% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 70% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 69% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
- 60% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 60% are on the phone every day
- 53% spend more than half the day walking or moving around
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school | 26% |
| High school diploma or GED | 25% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 20% |
| Bachelor's degree | 14% |
Tools and Software Hazardous Waste Specialists Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, Active Listening, Operations Monitoring, Reading Comprehension.
Knowledge areas used most: Public Safety and Security, Administration and Management, Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Building and Construction.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 47-4041.00 (Hazardous Materials Removal Workers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.