Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Waste Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

The Waste Analyst is responsible for analyzing waste streams, identifying reduction and diversion opportunities, and supporting data-driven decision-making across waste management and sustainability programs. This role combines environmental expertise, quantitative analysis, and regulatory knowledge to improve waste performance, reduce costs, ensure compliance, and advance circular economy and sustainability objectives across public or private sector organizations.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Environmental Technician with experience in sampling and waste audits
Sustainability Coordinator or Sustainability Data Analyst
Facilities or Operations Analyst supporting waste and recycling programs

Advancement To:

Senior Waste Analyst / Senior Waste Data Scientist
Waste Program Manager / Recycling Programs Manager
Sustainability Manager or Director of Waste & Resource Recovery

Lateral Moves:

Environmental Compliance Specialist
Zero Waste or Circular Economy Program Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive waste stream characterization studies, including field sampling, composition sorting, weight reconciliation and statistical analysis, to quantify generation, diversion and disposal rates across facilities and routes.
Develop and maintain accurate mass-balance models and waste flow diagrams to track material flows (tonnage by stream, facility, commodity, and route), supporting monthly and quarterly diversion KPI reporting.
Design, extract, clean and analyze operational waste data from multiple sources (ERP systems, haul tickets, scales, weighbridge exports, vendor manifests, and IoT sensors) using SQL, Python/R, and advanced Excel to produce actionable insights.
Build and maintain interactive dashboards and scheduled reports in Power BI or Tableau to visualize waste generation trends, diversion performance, cost per ton, contamination rates and route efficiency for stakeholders and leadership.
Lead vendor and hauler data reconciliation and contract compliance reviews, auditing invoices, manifests and service-level agreements to identify billing discrepancies, missed pickups and opportunities to renegotiate service terms or routes.
Perform cost-benefit and lifecycle analyses for waste processing options (recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, mechanical biological treatment, landfill gas-to-energy) including tipping fees, transportation, gate fees and recovered material revenue.
Support design and implementation of waste diversion programs (single-stream recycling, organics/food scrap collection, construction & demolition recycling, hazardous waste segregation) and define success metrics, pilot scope, and scaled rollouts.
Coordinate hazardous waste management tracking, ensure proper classification, labeling, accumulation time limits, cradle-to-grave documentation and reporting in accordance with RCRA, DOT and local regulations.
Conduct contamination assessments and root-cause analysis for recycling and organics streams, define corrective actions (education, signage, bin placement, process changes) and measure effectiveness over time.
Prepare regulatory, investor and sustainability disclosures (state/municipal waste reports, GHG inventory inputs, CDP, ESG reports) and ensure data integrity, audit trails and documentation for third-party verification.
Manage and conduct periodic waste audits during production peaks, seasonality events and transition projects to measure program performance and capture behavioral and operational drivers of waste generation.
Develop routing and logistics optimization analyses (vehicle routing, consolidation, haul frequency) to reduce transport costs and emissions while maintaining service levels and minimizing cross-contamination risks.
Perform carbon accounting and GHG emissions modeling for waste streams (scope 3 categories where applicable), including emissions from transport, processing, landfilling and avoided emissions from recycling and energy recovery.
Lead or support tendering and procurement processes for waste services and processing capacity, develop technical scope of work, evaluate proposals, and support scoring based on cost, diversion potential and sustainability criteria.
Participate in capital and operational budgeting cycles by forecasting waste volumes, disposal costs, and anticipated savings from diversion or operational improvements.
Create and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), sampling plans, chain-of-custody documentation, and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) protocols for waste data collection and reporting.
Collaborate with EHS, operations and facility managers to ensure compliance with permits, local ordinances and company policies related to waste storage, spill prevention, secondary containment and emergency response.
Provide technical guidance and training materials to on-site staff, contractors and vendors on proper segregation, handling, labeling and documentation practices to reduce contamination and hazardous waste misclassification.
Conduct market assessments for recyclable and recovered materials, tracking commodity prices, processor capacity, contamination acceptance criteria and regional infrastructure constraints to inform strategy.
Lead cross-functional projects and Kaizen/continuous improvement initiatives to increase diversion, reduce contamination and drive cost savings using Lean, Six Sigma or similar methodologies.
Prepare and present clear, persuasive reports and presentations for operations teams, senior leadership and external partners that translate data into recommended actions, ROI estimates and implementation plans.
Support emergency and incident investigations related to waste handling or illegal dumping events; analyze data, document findings and recommend corrective actions or process changes.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist sustainability and procurement teams with supplier onboarding and recycling market intelligence for material recovery facilities.
Support grant applications and municipal program collaborations for organics diversion or recycling infrastructure projects by providing data-driven justifications and forecasts.
Maintain documentation for ISO, sustainability standards and internal audits related to waste management and diversion activities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced Excel (pivot tables, Power Query, complex formulas), strong proficiency for data cleaning, modeling and KPI tracking.
SQL for querying transactional data (weighbridge logs, haul tickets, manifests) and building repeatable data pipelines.
Data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau or equivalent) for building executive dashboards and operational scorecards.
Statistical analysis and basic scripting in Python or R for sampling design, trend analysis and predictive modeling.
Waste characterization and sampling protocols, including design of statistically valid sort studies and QA/QC methods.
Knowledge of waste regulations and compliance requirements (RCRA, DOT shipping, local landfill/processing permits) and hazardous waste handling procedures.
Experience with lifecycle assessment (LCA), carbon accounting methodologies for waste streams and scope 3 reporting.
Familiarity with routing and logistics optimization tools and concepts (TMS, VRP) to analyze hauling and consolidation opportunities.
Contract and vendor management skills: service-level agreements, bid evaluation, invoice reconciliation and performance metrics.
GIS and spatial analysis experience for mapping collection zones, drop-off sites and route efficiencies is a plus.
Experience with ERP systems or waste management software (e.g., AMCS, Enablon, WasteLogics) and integration of operational data sources.
Strong financial acumen: cost modeling, forecasting, ROI analysis and unit cost per ton calculations.
Knowledge of recycling commodity markets, contamination impacts and sorting/processing acceptance criteria.

Soft Skills

Clear written and verbal communication: able to present technical findings to non-technical stakeholders and senior leadership.
Stakeholder management and collaboration across operations, procurement, finance, and external service providers.
Problem solving and critical thinking: diagnose root causes of contamination, cost overruns and operational inefficiencies.
Attention to detail and strong organizational skills to maintain audit-ready documentation and chain-of-custody records.
Project management capability: able to manage pilots, vendor transitions, and multi-stakeholder initiatives to completion.
Influencing and change management: drive behavioral change in the field through training and communications.
Time management and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines and ad-hoc requests.
Adaptability and comfort with ambiguity in emerging circular-economy initiatives or regulatory changes.
Continuous improvement mindset and experience applying Lean/Six Sigma tools to process improvements.
Ethical judgment and commitment to data integrity and regulatory compliance.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Sustainability, Industrial Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Sustainability, Environmental Management, Industrial Engineering, or Data Analytics preferred for senior roles.
Relevant professional certifications (e.g., CHMM, LEED AP, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt, Certified Waste Manager) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science / Environmental Engineering
Sustainability or Resource Management
Industrial Engineering / Operations Research
Data Science, Statistics or Applied Mathematics
Public Policy (with environmental focus)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years for mid-level Waste Analyst roles; 5+ years for senior positions with project and vendor management responsibilities.

Preferred: Demonstrated experience conducting waste characterization/audit studies, building waste dashboards, reconciling vendor manifests, managing hazardous waste obligations, and implementing diversion programs that achieved measurable improvements in diversion rates and cost savings.