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~ Salary Guide 2026 ~

Admin / Office Salary

$42,000
Average Annual Salary
$20.00/hr
Typical range: $32,000$55,000 per year
Hourly range: $14.42$29.81 per hour
Hires with no experiencePart-time work available

Salary Breakdown

Entry LevelAverageSenior
$30,000$42,000$62,000
Entry Level
$30,000
Average
$42,000
Senior
$62,000

Admin / Office Pay Per Hour

A admin / office in waste management earns an average of $20.00 per hour. The table below converts every annual figure on this page to an hourly, weekly and monthly equivalent at a standard 2080-hour work year (40 hours a week, 52 weeks), so you can compare an hourly job posting directly against an advertised annual salary.

LevelPer HourPer WeekPer MonthPer Year
Entry level$14.42$577$2,500$30,000
Low end$15.38$615$2,667$32,000
Average$20.00$808$3,500$42,000
High end$26.44$1,058$4,583$55,000
Senior / top of scale$29.81$1,192$5,167$62,000

Hourly, weekly and monthly columns are calculated from the annual figures in this guide (annual ÷ 2080 hours, ÷ 52 weeks and ÷ 12 months). They describe base pay only. Overtime, shift differentials and bonuses are not included.

Overtime and premium hours. Most administrative positions are hourly and non-exempt, so hours past forty are paid at the overtime rate. Extra hours cluster around month-end billing runs and service disruptions, but the schedule is far more predictable than in field roles. Browse current admin / office openings to see what employers are actually advertising right now.

Top Paying Cities

CityStateAvg. Salary
New YorkNY$52,000
Los AngelesCA$48,000
ChicagoIL$46,000
PhoenixAZ$43,000
AtlantaGA$42,000

About This Role

Administrative and office professionals in waste management handle customer service inquiries, billing, dispatching, and general office operations. They coordinate between field crews, customers, and management to ensure smooth daily operations. Roles range from receptionist and data entry to office manager and billing specialist.

Key Skills

Customer serviceBilling and invoicingDispatch coordinationMicrosoft Office proficiencyData entry and record keeping

Certifications

Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)Microsoft Office Specialist

Entry-Level Pay and Getting Hired With No Experience

Front-office roles are open to candidates with no waste-industry background. Customer service representative, data entry and receptionist openings normally ask for a high school diploma and basic computer skills, with billing systems and route software taught on the job. Prior call-centre or general office experience helps, but industry knowledge is not expected, and dispatch and billing specialist roles are usually filled by promoting from these entry positions.

Entry-level pay for this role starts around $30,000 a year, about $14.42 an hour, or roughly $2,500 a month before overtime. That is $12,000 below the national average for the role, which is the gap experience, certifications and location close over time.

Other waste management roles that regularly hire without prior industry experience: CDL Driver ($26.50/hr), Recycling Sorter ($16.50/hr), Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician ($30.00/hr) and Hazmat Waste Handler ($25.00/hr).

See entry-level admin / office jobs hiring now →

Part-Time Admin / Office Work

Office and customer service work carries the most genuine part-time availability of any role on this list. Call volumes peak early in the morning and around service disruptions and billing cycles, so employers staff partial shifts, split schedules and seasonal cover, and this is one of the few waste-industry roles where hybrid or remote customer service arrangements appear.

Because part-time schedules in this role are normally paid at the same hourly rate as full-time ones, the $20.00 average hourly figure above is the right number to plan against. Multiply it by the hours you expect rather than scaling down the $42,000 annual figure, which assumes a full 2080-hour year.

Waste management roles with the most part-time and weekend availability: CDL Driver ($26.50/hr), Recycling Sorter ($16.50/hr) and Helper / Laborer ($15.50/hr).

Search part-time admin / office jobs →

Union Pay Scale for Admin / Offices

Private-sector office staff are typically non-union and paid on a company salary band. The exception is municipal solid waste departments, where clerical and dispatch employees are often inside a public-sector bargaining unit alongside other city staff, on a published classification and step scale.

One important caveat: the figures on this page are national averages across union and non-union employers alike. They are not a union wage scale. Actual scale rates are set contract by contract and local by local, they change when an agreement is renegotiated, and the only authoritative source is the current agreement itself. Request it from the local or the employer’s HR department before you rely on a number.

Other commonly unionised waste management roles: CDL Driver, Recycling Sorter, Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician and Helper / Laborer.

Job Outlook

Administrative roles in waste management provide stable employment as every hauling and disposal operation requires office support. Increasing adoption of route management software and customer portals is creating demand for tech-savvy administrative staff. Bilingual candidates are especially valued in markets with diverse customer bases.

Admin / Office Jobs Hiring Now

Admin / Office Career Path & Salary Expectations

A career as a admin / office in the waste management industry offers a clear trajectory from entry-level positions starting around $30,000 per year to senior roles earning $62,000 or more annually. With the national average sitting at $42,000 ($20.00/hr), professionals in this field can expect competitive compensation that grows with experience, certifications, and geographic location. Top-paying markets like New York offer salaries as high as $52,000. Whether you are just entering the waste and recycling industry or looking to advance your career, investing in relevant skills and certifications is the most reliable path to higher earning potential in this essential and growing sector.

Put another way, the average works out to about $20.00 an hour, $808 a week or $3,500 a month on a full 2080-hour year, before the overtime, shift premiums and bonuses covered above. To compare this role against the rest of the industry, see the full waste management salary guide, or go straight to admin / office openings and every waste management job on the board.