A garbage collector is a type of manual labor worker who’s responsible for the collection and proper disposal of garbage, both from residential as well as commercial establishments. Garbage collectors may work on foot in small areas, though it’s more common for them to drive trucks in teams of 2-3 workers. In these cases, the garbage collectors’ truck will stop at designated locations, allowing workers to load a container of garbage into the truck. This may sometimes involve operating specialized equipment on the truck, such as a lifting device designed to load large containers and empty their contents in the truck.
The job of a garbage collector holds basically no educational requirements. Even a high school diploma may lack as a requirement in some cases, and the job is seen as an extremely low-ranking one. Most of the skills required for performing it properly are attained in the course of employment, and in cases when operating complex machinery is required, the company may require candidates to present at least a high school diploma, as a means of ensuring their literacy.
Even though the job of a garbage collector is a low-grade one with almost no educational requirements, it still earns moderately well. The average annual salary is between $26,000 – $43,000, and there are some opportunities for increasing that pay rate in accordance to one’s performance. Those who perform extra duties (such as driving the truck and operating the machine in its back at the same time) tend to earn more accordingly.