Rubbish and recycling collector: pay, what you do and current jobs
Kaikohikohi para, hangarua
Rubbish and recycling collectors drive trucks to collect household, industrial or commercial rubbish for disposal or recycling.
- Typical full-time pay in NZ$53,000–$89,000 a year (up to $110,000)
- TrainingNo specific training
- IndustryCleaning, recycling and disposal
Pay is for full-time work across New Zealand. Part-time and hourly roles are paid by the hour; check each advert.
1 rubbish and recycling collector job on ManyJobs now
- Waste Recycler and OperatorAuckland Council · West Auckland
What you’d do
- collect rubbish and recycling into trucks
- drive or ride on rubbish trucks
- use machines to lift bins
- sort rubbish from recyclables
- use machines to crush rubbish and recycling
- unload and clean trucks
- drive forklifts and vehicles with tracks or rollers
Life on the job
Rubbish and recycling collectors:
- usually work irregular hours and may work early mornings
- usually work from trucks on residential streets and industrial areas and travel locally
- may work in noisy and dirty conditions
- may do physically demanding work
- need to be methodical, practical and safety conscious
How to get in
You usually learn on the job to become a rubbish or recycling collector.
You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job.
You may need:
- a driver licence (class 1–4)
- a driver licence with a special-type vehicle endorsement
Also known as: Refuse collector, rubbish truck runner, garbage collector, waste recycler
Get ready to apply
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Career information from Tahatū Career Navigator, Tertiary Education Commission, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Explore more on Tahatū ↗