Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Waste Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Waste Officer is responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring waste management and recycling programs across sites or jurisdictions. The role ensures compliance with local, regional and national waste regulations (including hazardous waste and controlled substances), manages waste contractors and disposal chains, maintains accurate waste records and manifests, leads waste audits and inspections, and delivers targeted waste minimisation and sustainability initiatives. This hands‑on position balances technical regulatory knowledge, contract and vendor management, training and behavioural change programs, and practical operational oversight to reduce environmental risk and cost.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Waste Operative / Collections Operative
Environmental Technician / Field Technician
Site Supervisor or Facilities Coordinator

Advancement To:

Senior Waste Officer or Waste Manager
Environmental Compliance Manager
Sustainability Manager or Zero Waste Lead

Lateral Moves:

Health & Safety Officer
Environmental Advisor / Consultant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement and continuously improve site and organisational waste management plans, ensuring alignment with corporate sustainability goals and local/national regulations for hazardous and non‑hazardous wastes.
Conduct regular waste audits and material flow analyses to quantify waste streams, identify diversion and recycling opportunities, set KPIs, and deliver targeted waste minimisation programs that reduce landfill and disposal costs.
Ensure full regulatory compliance by interpreting and applying relevant legislation (e.g., hazardous waste regulations, local waste codes, manifesting requirements), preparing permit applications, and maintaining up‑to‑date knowledge of regulatory changes.
Oversee hazardous waste handling, storage, labelling and disposal processes, including management of containment, bunding, segregation, spill kits, and emergency response procedures to minimise environmental and health risks.
Prepare, review and maintain statutory waste records, manifests, transfer notes, consignment documentation and returns for regulators; manage data integrity and audit trails for inspections and reporting.
Manage tenders, contracts and performance for waste collection, recycling and disposal service providers; negotiate service levels, pricing, SLA provisions, and remediation actions for non‑conforming suppliers.
Lead contractor and on‑site inductions, supervise contractor performance, conduct site inspections of transfer, storage and treatment facilities, and ensure contractors comply with company policies and regulatory requirements.
Design and deliver staff training and behavioural change programs on segregation at source, recycling best practices, hazardous waste procedures and incident reporting to achieve measurable improvements in waste streams.
Coordinate the safe transport, tracking and off‑site disposal of hazardous and controlled wastes; validate carrier licences, disposal destinations, and ensure legally compliant chain‑of‑custody documentation.
Conduct risk assessments, compliance audits and permit reviews across sites; prepare corrective action plans, monitor remediation, and report progress to senior management and regulatory authorities.
Investigate waste‑related incidents and near misses, prepare incident reports, recommend and implement corrective actions, and support any regulator investigations or enforcement actions.
Manage waste budgets and forecasts, identify cost‑saving opportunities through recycling contracts, process changes, and improved segregation, and report financial and environmental performance to stakeholders.
Implement and monitor recycling and circular economy initiatives, such as reuse programs, product stewardship schemes, composting and resource recovery projects to increase diversion rates.
Maintain and operate waste management information systems (WMIS), logs and dashboards; extract analytics for performance reporting, KPI tracking and regulatory returns.
Coordinate sampling programs, laboratory testing and chemical classification of industrial wastes to determine appropriate handling and disposal routes based on hazardous properties.
Oversee procurement and management of waste handling equipment, containers, signage and PPE; ensure assets are fit for purpose and meet legislative requirements.
Engage with community groups, tenants, site managers and internal stakeholders to promote recycling and reduce operational waste generation through targeted communications and campaigns.
Prepare timely and accurate internal and external reports, regulatory submissions and statutory returns related to waste generation, disposal, recycling rates and permit compliance.
Support capital projects and process change initiatives by providing waste impact assessments, waste hierarchy analysis and design input for segregation, storage and treatment solutions.
Maintain a current inventory of on‑site waste types and volumes, update hazardous waste registers, and provide regular forecasts to operations and environmental teams.
Lead cross‑functional teams for waste reduction projects, pilot new technologies (e.g., anaerobic digestion, industrial compaction, treatment systems), and measure outcomes against environmental KPIs.
Advise on and support the implementation of emergency response plans for spills, illegal dumping and other environmental incidents involving waste, including coordination with regulators and remediation contractors.

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.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Regulatory compliance expertise: strong working knowledge of hazardous and non‑hazardous waste legislation, permit processes, manifesting and consignment documentation.
Waste auditing and material flow analysis: ability to conduct end‑to‑end waste audits, quantify streams and recommend diversion strategies.
Hazardous waste classification and chemical hazard assessment (MSDS / SDS interpretation).
Contract and vendor management: tendering, SLA development, contractor performance management and cost control.
Waste management systems: experience with WMIS, environmental management software, data entry, and dashboard reporting (e.g., Enablon, Intelex or bespoke systems).
Incident investigation and corrective actions: root cause analysis, CAPA tracking and regulatory reporting.
Permit writing and regulatory reporting: preparing submissions, returns and compliance documentation for regulators.
Practical operational knowledge: safe storage, segregation, labelling, containment, spill response and handling of special wastes (e.g., asbestos, batteries, oils, solvents).
Data analysis and KPI monitoring: Excel, Power BI/Tableau or similar tools for tracking volumes, costs and diversion rates.
Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) standards: familiarity with ISO 14001, ISO 45001, or equivalent environmental management systems.
Basic project management skills: planning pilots, managing timelines, budgets and stakeholder engagement.
Knowledge of circular economy principles, recycling markets and material recovery options.

Soft Skills

Strong communication and stakeholder management: ability to influence site teams, contractors and regulatory bodies.
Problem solving and analytical thinking with attention to detail.
Leadership and team collaboration: lead cross‑functional initiatives and training programs.
Customer service orientation: responsive and pragmatic approach to operational challenges.
Negotiation skills for contracts and service agreements.
Adaptability and resilience: manage competing priorities and regulatory pressures.
Professional integrity and strong documentation discipline.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, Waste Management, or a related technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Environmental Management, Sustainability, or a related field, or professional certifications in waste management, hazardous materials handling or environmental compliance.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science / Environmental Management
Chemical Engineering / Process Engineering
Sustainability / Resource Management
Occupational Health & Safety

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years in waste operations, environmental compliance, or related roles for entry‑level Waste Officer positions; 5+ years preferred for senior roles.

Preferred:

Demonstrated experience managing hazardous and non‑hazardous waste streams, permits and contractor relationships.
Prior experience in municipal waste services, industrial sites, manufacturing or laboratory environments.
Experience with ISO 14001, environmental permitting, regulatory inspections and preparing statutory returns.