Hazardous Waste Technicians

Hello, we’re Metro! Metro is dedicated to shaping a better future for the greater Portland region. The work the people of Metro do every day benefits the lives of the people who live here, today, and tomorrow.

Are you excited by the idea of using applied science to protect the environment while working in a busy workplace with a strong team spirit? Are you comfortable working carefully and safely with and around chemicals and hazardous materials while wearing personal protective equipment? Do you excel at customer and public service? Then we encourage you to apply for the Hazardous Waste Technician position with Metro!

The person selected for this job will work at Metro South Transfer Station at 2001 Washington Street in Oregon City and at community collection events throughout the region. Metro South Transfer Station is just off of Highway 205 and Highway 213 with Tri Met bus stops near the front gate. This position reports to the Hazardous Waste Facility Supervisors. Hazardous Waste Specialists provide daily lead direction.

This job is an essential part of Metro’s work to manage the region’s solid waste, also known as garbage and recycling. Metro’s Waste Prevention and Environmental Services department (WPES) meets this responsibility in part by processing some of the region’s garbage and recycling. WPES is guided by the 2030 Regional Waste Plan and is committed to leading with equity in everything we do.

To learn about Hazardous Waste collection, watch this video that shows how we process hazardous waste and this video of a community collection event.

• 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.

• 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), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Environmental Protection Agency (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…