Sanitation workers are needed to design and maintain wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and ensure clean streets and parks. Jobs include sanitation engineers, garbage collectors, hazardous waste specialists, and sanitation managers. These professionals use their advanced knowledge to ensure systems are safe and reliable. Most require advanced degrees and experience in the field.
Keeping a city clean requires the unique skills of many different types of sanitation workers. Professionals are needed to design wastewater treatment plants and landfills, oversee the proper and safe disposal of toxic waste, and ensure that streets and parks are clean and free of litter. There are many different sanitation jobs available to individuals of all education and experience levels who want to make a positive difference in their communities. People can get sanitation jobs as engineers, garbage collectors, hazardous waste specialists, and sanitation managers, among many other possibilities.
A sanitation engineer is a professional who researches and designs the systems and equipment used in waste management, water treatment and disposal. He or she determines the most efficient and environmentally friendly means of keeping a community clean. A professional can design a citywide sewer system, determine the most suitable site and building materials for a landfill, or oversee the construction of a water treatment plant. They rely on their advanced mechanical, industrial and chemical engineering knowledge to ensure systems are safe and reliable. Most sanitation engineers have a master’s or higher in engineering and work for city governments or private consulting firms.
Garbage collectors are men and women who collect trash, recyclables, and yard debris and take them to the appropriate processing facilities. Many people involved in sanitation work drive large trucks that collect and compress the garbage so that it can be disposed of properly. Workers who collect recycling often bring items back to a central plant, sort the products, and prepare them for redistribution to manufacturers. Most city governments require waste pickers to have clean driving records, high school diplomas and a passion for improving their communities.
Much sanitation work is done by physicists, environmental scientists, and other highly qualified people who carry out extensive research into pollution, environmental protection, and waste removal. Individuals can survey a potential landfill to determine its safety and assess the impact the dump will have on nearby communities and ecosystems. They usually take air, water and soil samples from areas where there is industrial waste and analyze the amount of contaminants and pollutants through a series of laboratory tests. Most leading scientists hold doctorates and have gained several years of experience in the field.
Sanitation and environment managers are responsible for overseeing the maintenance of sewers, waste disposal sites, and water treatment plants. They conduct frequent facility inspections to ensure that sanitation laws and company standards are met at all times. Sanitation managers review the effectiveness of waste management strategies and suggest improvements where necessary. Individuals in sanitation supervisory positions generally hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in environmental management or a related field.
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