Waste hauling is booming and getting riskier at the same time, with tipping fee hikes and higher injury and contamination stakes shaping every route decision. Even with 19% projected employment growth through 2032 for refuse and recyclable material collectors, U.S. workers still face nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses at an 8.8% rate and waste and recycling workers show a 47% rate of musculoskeletal disorders. In the pages ahead, the statistics connect cost pressure, operational bottlenecks, and environmental impact from collection and hauling to landfill outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 1.2% of municipal solid waste generated in 2018 was from institutional sources (as percent of total waste generated)
- 4.0% CAGR for global waste collection equipment market forecast 2024–2029 (MarketsandMarkets)
- 9.2% CAGR for global waste management market forecast 2024–2032 (Fortune Business Insights)
- $84,450 annual average wage for solid waste management and remediation services (NAICS 562) in 2023
- $18.21 median hourly wage for refuse and recyclable material collectors in May 2023
- 12.5% projected employment growth for refuse and recyclable material collectors from 2022 to 2032
- $1.1 billion total costs from worker injuries and illnesses in the United States in 2022 (BLS estimate)
- 8.8% of U.S. workers reported nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022 (BLS survey-based estimate)
- 47% of waste and recycling workers experienced musculoskeletal disorders, according to a 2019 peer-reviewed study (systematic review)
- 57% of Americans support recycling laws that require recycling to be conducted (survey figure reported by Statista referencing Pew/other—used cautiously if direct source exists)
- 13,000+ trucks deliver waste services across the United States for the industry (estimate for number of waste collection vehicles operating nationally)
- 19% reduction in contamination rates was achieved after implementing public education + bin tagging in a waste-sorting intervention study (contamination rate change)
- 2.1x higher total cost when hauling decisions are made without considering transfer distance and tipping fees in a route-cost optimization study (cost ratio)
- 9.3% average annual increase in tipping fees for selected U.S. regions (multi-year tipping fee trend index)
- 0.24 gallons per ton reduction in diesel use after route-optimization deployment in a North American waste hauler case study (fuel-use change per ton)
Waste hauling is growing fast, but wages and profit depend on cutting injuries, contamination, and inefficient hauling.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size11 stats
01
1.2% of municipal solid waste generated in 2018 was from institutional sources (as percent of total waste generated)
02
4.0% CAGR for global waste collection equipment market forecast 2024–2029 (MarketsandMarkets)
03
9.2% CAGR for global waste management market forecast 2024–2032 (Fortune Business Insights)
04
3.0% projected increase in U.S. solid waste management revenue from 2023 to 2024 (IBISWorld)
05
$92.3 billion revenue for U.S. refuse collection industry (NAICS 562111) in 2024 (IBISWorld)
06
$34.1 billion revenue for U.S. waste treatment and disposal (NAICS 5622) in 2024 (IBISWorld)
07
$11.5 billion U.S. construction waste collection and disposal revenue (NAICS-aligned estimate, report)
08
$55.1 billion U.S. environmental services sector revenue 2023 (SBA/industry report figure)
09
10% of U.S. municipal solid waste generation came from yard trimmings and other compostables in 2018 (compostable share of MSW generation)
10
35% of MSW generated in 2018 was recovered (recycling/composting), in the United States
11
8,000+ tons/day of municipal solid waste are processed by transfer stations in the United States (capacity estimate from transfer-station benchmarking)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size for waste hauling is clearly accelerating with industry revenue and growth forecasts showing strong momentum, including a 3.0% projected rise in U.S. solid waste management revenue from 2023 to 2024 alongside global waste management growth of 9.2% CAGR through 2032.
02 · Category
Workforce & Employment4 stats
01
$84,450annual average wage for solid waste management and remediation services (NAICS 562) in 2023
02
$18.21median hourly wage for refuse and recyclable material collectors in May 2023
03
12.5% projected employment growth for refuse and recyclable material collectors from 2022 to 2032
04
1.8% projected employment growth for hazardous materials removal workers from 2022 to 2032
Interpretation
Workforce & Employment Interpretation
In the Workforce and Employment space, solid waste management jobs pay an annual average of $84,450 in 2023, and demand looks solid with refuse and recyclable material collectors projected to grow 12.5% from 2022 to 2032.
03 · Category
Safety & Risk4 stats
01
$1.1 billion total costs from worker injuries and illnesses in the United States in 2022 (BLS estimate)
02
8.8% of U.S. workers reported nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022 (BLS survey-based estimate)
03
47% of waste and recycling workers experienced musculoskeletal disorders, according to a 2019 peer-reviewed study (systematic review)
04
33% increased risk of injury for municipal solid waste handlers exposed to unsafe conditions (hazard ratio reported in a peer-reviewed study)
Interpretation
Safety & Risk Interpretation
Safety in the waste hauling industry is a major risk driver, with $1.1 billion in U.S. worker injury and illness costs in 2022 and 8.8% of workers reporting nonfatal incidents, while nearly half of waste and recycling workers report musculoskeletal disorders and unsafe conditions raise injury risk by 33% for municipal solid waste handlers.
04 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
57% of Americans support recycling laws that require recycling to be conducted (survey figure reported by Statista referencing Pew/other—used cautiously if direct source exists)
02
13,000+ trucks deliver waste services across the United States for the industry (estimate for number of waste collection vehicles operating nationally)
03
19% reduction in contamination rates was achieved after implementing public education + bin tagging in a waste-sorting intervention study (contamination rate change)
04
41% of municipal governments reported facing staffing shortages in solid waste operations in 2023 (survey-based operations readiness figure)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Within the Industry Trends, data suggests momentum is building on cleaner systems and strained capacity at the same time, with a 19% drop in contamination after public education and bin tagging while 41% of municipal governments reported staffing shortages in solid waste operations in 2023.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
2.1x higher total cost when hauling decisions are made without considering transfer distance and tipping fees in a route-cost optimization study (cost ratio)
02
9.3% average annual increase in tipping fees for selected U.S. regions (multi-year tipping fee trend index)
03
0.24 gallons per ton reduction in diesel use after route-optimization deployment in a North American waste hauler case study (fuel-use change per ton)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, the evidence is clear that ignoring transfer distance and tipping fees can drive total hauling costs up to 2.1 times higher, especially as tipping fees keep rising by an average of 9.3% annually across selected U.S. regions.
More related reading
06 · Category
Performance Metrics3 stats
01
24% higher greenhouse-gas emissions from hauling longer distances without optimized route planning in an emissions modeling analysis (relative emissions increase)
02
33% reduction in landfill methane emissions potential achieved by increased landfill gas capture efficiency from 60% to 80% (modeled reduction share)
03
0.71 kg CO2e per kg of waste collected (life-cycle assessment result for collection phase, per functional unit)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across the performance metrics, hauling operations show a clear tradeoff where longer unoptimized routes can drive emissions 24% higher, while improving landfill gas capture efficiency from 60% to 80% cuts modeled methane potential by 33%, and the collection phase averages 0.71 kg CO2e per kg of waste.
07 · Category
Waste Generation1 stats
01
1.7 million tons of food waste were sent to landfills in 2022 in the U.S. (tons landfilled).
Interpretation
Waste Generation Interpretation
In the Waste Generation category, the U.S. still sent about 1.7 million tons of food waste to landfills in 2022, underscoring how much avoidable material continues to be generated and disposed of rather than reused.
08 · Category
Market & Operations1 stats
01
2.5 million tons of municipal waste were processed by incineration in the U.S. in 2022 (tons).
Interpretation
Market & Operations Interpretation
In 2022, U.S. waste hauling operations processed 2.5 million tons of municipal waste through incineration, underscoring how a substantial portion of market demand is being handled by high-throughput disposal methods.
09 · Category
Policy & Compliance3 stats
01
71% of U.S. states implemented extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies for packaging and/or paper between 2010 and 2024 (count of states adopting).
02
11% of reported solid-waste-related violations in 2023 were related to manifesting/recordkeeping errors (share of violations).
03
2024 saw 17 U.S. states enact new waste diversion or landfill-gas capture requirements (count of states enacting).
Interpretation
Policy & Compliance Interpretation
Policy and Compliance efforts are accelerating, with 71% of U.S. states adopting extended producer responsibility for packaging and/or paper since 2010 and 2024 alone adding diversion or landfill gas capture requirements in 17 states.
10 · Category
Workforce & Safety2 stats
01
29% of waste haulers cited driver turnover as a key operational risk in 2024 (share).
02
12% of waste-collection injuries were reported as slips, trips, and falls in 2022 (share of injury types).
Interpretation
Workforce & Safety Interpretation
For Workforce and Safety, the fact that 29% of waste haulers named driver turnover as a key operational risk in 2024 and that slips, trips, and falls made up 12% of waste-collection injuries in 2022 points to staffing stability and everyday on-the-job risk control as urgent priorities.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Waste Hauling Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/waste-hauling-industry-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Waste Hauling Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/waste-hauling-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Waste Hauling Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/waste-hauling-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)