Recycling officer : Career development

A more structured career path for recycling officers is developing as local authorities now have to comply with national waste management requirements.

Recycling officers generally work within teams specialising in one particular aspect of the role, e.g. enforcement or community education. People in this role usually progress into broader waste management and operational roles with a greater focus on policy. Opportunities to manage waste/recycling sections are limited. It may be necessary to move between councils to secure a promotion. Undertaking a relevant postgraduate course may improve your chances of promotion.

Progression into general/environmental management and policy development is common. Other routes include more general waste management careers, for example in contract management for unitary local authorities. As local authorities contract out both kerbside recycling and 'bring sites' to private companies, private consultancy is a rapidly growing field.

Alternatively, you may choose to specialise and work for regulatory agencies, e.g. Environment Agency (EA)  or organisations such as Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) .