Helper / Laborer Salary
Salary Breakdown
Helper / Laborer Pay Per Hour
A helper / laborer in waste management earns an average of $15.50 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.
| Level | Per Hour | Per Week | Per Month | Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $12.02 | $481 | $2,083 | $25,000 |
| Low end | $12.50 | $500 | $2,167 | $26,000 |
| Average | $15.50 | $615 | $2,667 | $32,000 |
| High end | $19.23 | $769 | $3,333 | $40,000 |
| Senior / top of scale | $21.15 | $846 | $3,667 | $44,000 |
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.
Top Paying Cities
| City | State | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|
| New York | NY | $40,000 |
| San Francisco | CA | $38,000 |
| Seattle | WA | $37,000 |
| Boston | MA | $36,000 |
| Los Angeles | CA | $35,000 |
About This Role
Helpers and laborers assist CDL drivers with residential and commercial waste collection, manually loading bins and debris into collection trucks. They also work at transfer stations and landfills performing general labor tasks such as site cleanup and material handling. This physically demanding role is often a starting point for careers in waste management.
Key Skills
Entry-Level Pay and Getting Hired With No Experience
This is the classic no-experience entry point into waste management. There is no licence, certification or diploma requirement in most postings. Employers hire on reliability, physical fitness and the ability to pass a drug screen, then train on the truck. It is also the standard on-ramp to a driving career: many haulers sponsor CDL training for helpers who show up consistently, which turns a laborer wage into a driver wage without leaving the company.
Entry-level pay for this role starts around $25,000 a year, about $12.02 an hour, or roughly $2,083 a month before overtime. That is $7,000 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 helper / laborer jobs hiring now →Part-Time Helper / Laborer Work
Helper work is one of the easiest waste roles to do part-time. Weekend commercial routes, seasonal bulk-collection and yard-waste programmes, holiday volume cover and on-call extra-board slots are all commonly staffed part-time or temporarily, and the shifts start and finish early, which suits people combining the job with study or a second role.
Because part-time schedules in this role are normally paid at the same hourly rate as full-time ones, the $15.50 average hourly figure above is the right number to plan against. Multiply it by the hours you expect rather than scaling down the $32,000 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 Admin / Office ($20.00/hr).
Search part-time helper / laborer jobs →Union Pay Scale for Helper / Laborers
Helpers riding on municipal sanitation trucks and at unionised private haulers are frequently in the same bargaining unit as the drivers, represented by a Teamsters, AFSCME or comparable local. Where a contract applies, the wage scale, progression steps and overtime rules are set by it rather than negotiated individually, and it typically governs how helpers bid into driver vacancies as well.
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 and Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician.
Job Outlook
Helper and laborer positions remain widely available as waste collection is an essential service with consistent turnover. Many companies offer clear advancement paths from helper to driver positions, often sponsoring CDL training for reliable employees. Wages are rising in competitive labor markets as haulers work to improve retention rates.
Helper / Laborer Jobs Hiring Now
- Junk RemovalPart-TimeJunk King South Bend · South Bend, IN
- Construction LaborerPart-TimeAll Out Junk Removal · West Palm Beach, FL
- Project-Based Laborer – Demolition & Site WorkPart-TimeGipp Solutions LLC · Suffolk, VA
- National Doorstep – Part-Time Valet Trash CollectorPart-TimeNational DoorStep PickUp · Cranberry Township, PA
- HelperFull-TimeRumpke · Cincinnati, OH
Helper / Laborer Career Path & Salary Expectations
A career as a helper / laborer in the waste management industry offers a clear trajectory from entry-level positions starting around $25,000 per year to senior roles earning $44,000 or more annually. With the national average sitting at $32,000 ($15.50/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 $40,000. 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 $15.50 an hour, $615 a week or $2,667 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 helper / laborer openings and every waste management job on the board.