What are the responsibilities and job description for the Waste and Recycling Tech II position at Blue Earth County, MN?
Salary : $51,916.80 - $72,737.60 Annually
Location : Mankato, MN
Job Type : Full Time
Job Number : 2025-00012
Department : Property and Environmental Resources
Division : Waste & Recycling
Opening Date : 01 / 24 / 2025
Closing Date : 2 / 6 / 2025 11 : 59 PM Central
DESCRIPTION
Under general supervision of the Property & Environmental Resources (PER) Supervisor - Landfill, this position supports the mission of the Property and Environmental Resources Department by providing quality and efficient services to the public. The Waste and Recycling Technician II is responsible to perform a wide variety of duties and activities related to the operation and maintenance of Blue Earth County waste and recycling facilities and the management of waste materials. The Waste and Recycling Technician II performs semi-skilled and skilled labor; operates light, medium and heavy equipment; facilitates the collection, handling, categorizing, and bulking of waste and recyclable materials from the public, businesses, and commercial haulers; assists in maintaining the landfill in accordance with state law and county policy; provides daily inspection and maintenance of equipment; manages materials in accordance with county policies; and provides customer service, guidance, and information to users of these facilities. This position provides back-up to Waste and Recycling Technician III employees in managing waste by placing and compacting the waste and applying intermittent and intermediate cover. This position may perform work at the Ponderosa Landfill, the Household Hazardous Waste facility, or any other waste and recycling facility owned or operated by Blue Earth County.
DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS :
- Provides customer service. Assist customers entering or using facilities. Identifies customer waste management needs and provide direction as needed. Identifies waste stream for acceptability or suitability. Manages traffic and direct customers to appropriate unloading area. Assists customers with unloading, according to facility policy.
- Maintains a knowledge and proficiency of various waste and recyclable material types, including household hazardous waste, general residential waste, and recyclable material. Applies appropriate management and handling procedures for each waste type according to County and facility policy. Provides information to customers regarding waste management procedures as needed. Assists public with waste disposal questions related to the County's waste and recycling facilities. Maintains awareness of chemical hazards and safe material handling practices and knows emergency response procedures.
- Processes received waste material according to County and facility policy. Provides skilled and semi-skilled labor to operate a variety of light, medium and heavy equipment, and hand tools to manage and process received waste and recyclable materials. Sorts, handles, and categorizes materials. Consolidates, labels, and stores materials. Prepares materials for transport, including bulking into drums, packaging compatible materials in appropriate containers, or consolidating in designated storage areas. Loads materials into trailers or other vehicles for transport. Sorts recyclables from other wastes and prepares for collection or transport including shredding or baling of some materials.
- Maintains waste and recycling facility structures, property, and grounds. Uses a variety of tools and equipment to perform cleaning and organizing or repair of facility structures to clean floors, grates, loading dock and other fixtures. Maintains facility grounds with hand tools or light, medium or heavy equipment, including litter pickup, fence mending, brush trimming or other property maintenance. Assists with equipment maintenance.
- Operates various landfill systems. Provides skilled labor to operate or repair environmental controls or other landfill systems such as pulling leachate pumps, gas well balancing, cleaning out of storm pond and rip rap channels, silt fence management or litter fence maintenance.
- Assists in landfill workface operations. Uses light, medium, or heavy equipment to support and assist landfill workface operations, such as hauling soil, directing traffic, moving equipment, placing portable fencing, applying alternative daily cover (ADC), or other activities related to the landfill workface.
- Provides earthwork at the landfill. Uses medium and heavy equipment to assist in landfill earthwork projects, such as creating interior landfill roads, completing intermediate cover, cleaning out ditches or stormwater ponds, or replacing riprap in drainage ways. Assists in maintaining slopes to reduce leachate and promote stormwater runoff as directed and in accordance with county policy.
- Inspects landfill equipment. Performs safety checks before, during and after the operation of equipment. Performs daily inspections on equipment. Notifies Property and Environmental Resources Supervisor - Landfill when equipment needs additional maintenance or attention.
- Functions as backup to Waste and Recycling Technician III to manage waste on workface. Using heavy landfill equipment, places, spreads, and compacts waste into place according to county policy. Using on-board GPS, or other tools, follows approved fill plan provided and gives feedback on development of future fill plans.
- Uses alternative daily cover (ADC) or soil cover as appropriate, removing it as necessary to minimize landfill seeps.
- Promotes a diverse, culturally competent, and respectful workplace.
- Engages positively with both internal and external customers. Communicates and interacts effectively and respectfully with colleagues, supervisors, representatives from other organizations, and the public.
- Performs the physical and mental demands of the position.
- Attends work during regularly scheduled hours.
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS :
QUALIFICATIONS
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS :
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS :
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT :
HOURS OF WORK
Monday through Friday from 7 : 30 a.m. to 5 : 00 p.m. Night, weekend, holiday, and overtime hours may be necessary to meet departmental needs, special projects, and service needs and demands of the community served. Flexibility of scheduling is desired due to operational demands.
Benefits Overview
AFSCME, No. 65 - Courthouse & Human Services
The County of Blue Earth provides a comprehensive, balanced, competitive total compensation package. The County's benefit programs address both the immediate needs that you and your family may have, such as medical coverage or dependent care assistance, and your long-term needs, such as retirement savings. Benefits begin upon date of hire.
The following outlines County offered total compensation benefits. This document provides an overview and does not offer all provisions, limitations, and exclusions. If there is a contradiction between this and the official plan documents and / or collective bargaining agreements, the plan documents will prevail.
Regular, Full-Time Employee
Wage / Salary Scale
Blue Earth County features a 12-Step Pay Plan. Our advertised salary ranges include all 12 Steps. A selected candidate will typically be offered Step 1 of the salary range. Additional salary considerations are subject to negotiation and dependent on skills and experience directly related to the position.
Vacation Leave
Vacation accruals, utilization, and payouts are detailed in the collective bargaining agreement and / or the employee handbook.
Blue Earth County Years of Service Bi-Weekly Accrual Rate
0 - 5 years - 3.85 hours
6 - 9 years - 4.77 hours
10 - 13 years - 5.69 hours
14 - 18 years - 6.62 hours
19 - 24 years - 7.54 hours
25 years - 8.46 hours
Sick Leave
Employees accrue sick leave at a rate of 7.34 hours for each full month of service.
Paid Holidays
Blue Earth County recognizes 11 (88 hours) paid holidays, and employees receive one floating holiday per year.
Health Insurance
Employees may choose from 3-health insurance plans and either single or family coverage. Insurance Rates (Monthly) - Effective : July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025
Plan 1 : CMM $0 Deductible
Employee : Single - $128.21 / Family - $1,130.37
Employer : Single - $1,153.90 / Family - $2,637.53
Total Cost : Single - $1,282.11 / Family - $3,767.90
Plan 2 : CMM $300 Deductible
Employee : Single - $0.96 / Family - $756.33
Employer : Single - $1,153.90 / Family - $2,637.63
Total Cost : Single - $1,154.86 / Family - $3,393.96
Plan 3 : HDHP with HSA
Employee : Single - $0.00 / Family - $439.14
Employer : Single - $901.87 / Family - $2,211.29
Total Cost : Single - $901.87 / Family - $2,650.43
Blue Earth County contributes to a health savings account (HSA) when the employee elects the HDHP. Single coverage HSA contributions equal $1,600, and family coverage HSA contributions equal $3,200.
Life Insurance
Employees are provided with Term-Life Insurance at no cost to them :
Retirement
The County and the employee contribute to the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) based on a percentage of the employee wage :
General / Coordinated Plan
Employee : 6.5%
Employer : 7.5%
Voluntary Benefits Available
The following supplemental information may be used as a scored evaluation of your knowledge, skills and experience. Be certain that the choices you make correspond to the information you have provided in your application. By completing this supplemental questionnaire you are attesting that the information you have provided is true and accurate. Any information provided may be reviewed by the hiring manager. Any misstatements or falsification of information will eliminate you from consideration or may result in dismissal. Do you understand and agree with this statement?
Which of the following best describes your level of education?
Which of the following best describes your years of employment experience related to landfill, construction or maintenance operations?
Describe what in your application demonstrates the experience described above. If you do not have experience, type N / A.
Which of the following best describes your years of employment experience in road work, construction, solid waste, or recycling?
Which of the following best describes your years of employment experience working with hazardous or other regulated materials?
Which of the following best describes your years of employment experience related to waste and recycling material management?
Which of the following best describes your years of employment experience related to maintaining facility structures, property and grounds?
Which of the following best describes your years of employment experience operating, inspecting and maintaining light, medium and heavy equipment?
Describe what in your application demonstrates the experience described above. If you do not have proficiency, type N / A.
Which of the following best describes your years of employment experience providing customer service?
Please list the languages other than English that you are able to speak, read, write and understand. (Select all that apply.)
Why do you want this position with Blue Earth County?
OTHER QUALIFICIATIONS : Describe any other special training you've completed or skills and experience you currently possess that you feel would make you the best-qualified person for this position.
If selected as a finalist, are you willing to undergo a pre-employment assessment and background investigation which may include, but not limited to : verification of employment and education records, identification verification, driver's license record and a criminal history?
Required Question
Salary : $51,917 - $72,738
