Hazardous Waste Technicians

Position Summary

Metro is dedicated to shaping a better future for the greater Portland region. The Hazardous Waste Technician will work at Metro South Transfer Station at 2001 Washington Street in Oregon City and at community collection events throughout the region. This position reports to the Hazardous Waste Facility Supervisors. Hazardous Waste Specialists provide daily lead direction.

• Serve the community, protect people and the environment by collecting hazardous materials from residents and small businesses.
• Work as a team to safely and properly identify, accept, receive, sort, inspect, process, package, manifest and dispose of hazardous waste by all state and federal regulations.
• Correctly use personal protective equipment (PPE), including respirators, and keep PPE clean and in good working condition (Metro provides employees with all necessary PPE).
• May be involved in testing unknown hazardous waste in the lab to classify it for safe disposal.
• Provide information and answer customers’ hazardous waste questions in person, by phone or email.
• Participate in neighborhood hazardous waste collection events and outreach activities.
• Keep routine records such as incident reports and daily operational forms.
• Prepare inventory counts, reports, and labpack documents.
• Inspect, maintain and safely operate facility equipment including, but not limited to: material handling equipment, waste processing equipment, monitoring equipment, pallet jacks and hand tools.
• May support staff in responding to emergencies, chemical releases or spills in the facility or transfer station.

• Enjoys variety in their work and helping people.
• A strong team orientation and wants to help and support coworkers.
• Prioritizes working safely and following safety policies, practices and procedures. Ability to learn and remember complex information.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining respectful working relationships with coworkers, customers, contractors, haulers, community partners, Metro staff and the public.
• Basic knowledge of common software programs such as Word, Excel and Outlook or similar.

• High School Diploma or GED.
• One year of specialized training or experience in a field related to hazardous waste management, or
• Any combination of education, professional, volunteer, and lived experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the classification duties and responsibilities.

• More than one year of experience sorting, identifying, and processing hazardous waste.
• Experience with chemical analysis, lab work, chemistry and/or working with radiation.
• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) certification.
• Knowledge of hazardous material regulations set by the Department of Transportation, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), OSHA, and EPA.
• An Associate degree and/or coursework in chemistry, environmental science, or natural science.
• Current Oregon Commercial Driver License (CDL).
• Incident Command System (ICS) training and/or emergency response experience.

Hazardous Waste Technicians work indoors and outdoors in all weather. They serve drive‑up customers and unload materials from all kinds of cars and trucks. The facility and collection events can be loud and may have a smell of vehicle exhaust and chemicals. This is a highly physical position that may require frequent standing, stooping, bending, twisting, walking, talking, sitting, reaching, grasping, and handling.

Technicians may need to lift or carry up to 50 pounds and push or pull up to 1,000 pounds using material‑handling equipment. Metro provides all necessary personal protective equipment.

Rate: $32.77 per hour, step 1 of the Hazardous Waste Technician salary range.

Benefits include:

• Paid sick leave
• Paid parental leave
• Full contribution to Oregon PERS retirement if eligible and qualified
• No‑cost Tri Met Hop Pass
• Employee Assistance Program

This position is designated as “hybrid telework.” Employees must reside in Oregon or Washington to work  specific schedule and balance of onsite and telework will be discussed with the hiring manager at the time of offer.

All qualified persons will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, familial status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability for which a reasonable accommodation can be made, or any other status protected by law.

• Initial review of minimum qualifications
• In‑depth evaluation of application materials to identify the most qualified candidates
• Interviews of top candidates
• Testing/assessments
• Reference check
• Background records check for finalist candidate