As a heavy machinery operator, there are so many career options and job opportunities that it is often hard to make a choice. While many instantly think of someone working a backhoe or dozer on a construction site when they think of heavy machinery operators, they are far more varied in reality, and one area that offers a lucrative option is that of working in landfills.

This is very different from working on construction sites, or even mining, from the job itself to the machinery used, landfills are unique, but it also offers a great opportunity to build skills and a career. While you will find loaders and dozers at any landfill, the compactor is the machine that stands out at all landfills. If you have ever seen any images of a landfill, it’s normally of a compactor moving across the rubbish.

They are used to distribute and compact rubbish in order to reduce gas emissions, stabilize the material deposited and optimize the capacity of the landfill. While they have a blade at the front similar to a dozer, there are some unique features. The front and rear frames are connected via a flexible joint, to allow the compactor to adapt to what is often extremely uneven ground, and the cab is often isolated from the frame to provide a more comfortable experience and excellent all-around visibility, particularly important on landfill sites. What is most recognizable for compactors though, is the wheels. Spiked metal rims, no rubber, to gain traction and compact the rubbish deposits the machine is driven over. A unique machine that has evolved to be perfect for the job it does.

Operating a different kind of heavy equipment is always a good way to improve skills, but what is life really like in a landfill as an operator? Whether you are in a dozer, loader, or compactor, it is a challenging job, with the environment itself something that many operators struggle with. In summer it’s hot, and the smell can become extremely unpleasant, and in the winter, it leaves the machine exposed to the worst of the weather, with a long day in the cab that can be an issue. For operators, safety is also something to focus on, the environment makes spotters and other workers on foot or in machines incredibly vulnerable, and it takes skill to move the heavy machines around such a site safely.

However, it is not all bad news, and with landfill work not being as attractive as other options, there is high demand for landfill workers right across the country, and that means good pay and reliable, year-round work.  For those that can get used to the environment, landfill work is important, in-demand, and appreciated, and a great place to build a sustainable, lucrative career.

They used to say there were two certainties in life, death and taxes – they missed the third one, garbage. Every society produces it and every society has problems handling it. At the forefront of waste disposal and landfill are the bulldozers and bulldozer operators. We should be thankful they do such a good job too.

It has to be one of those things in life that we take too much for granted. It is so easy to sit in our homes, we cook, we eat, we accumulate garbage. What do we do, we take it out to the trash can each day and, on the right day, take the trash out ready to be emptied. From that point on, we don’t want to know.

I won’t go into all the processes. Suffice to say your rubbish ends up in a landfill site somewhere. Garbage trucks empty the often compacted waste on to the landfill pile. From there, bulldozers spend the day turning the garbage over, slowly mixing it, breaking it up, and then burying it all. The bulldozer itself acts a compactor, compacting the ground and previously garbage. And they do this all day, everyday.

Whilst it may sound like a mindless task, a bulldozer operator working on a landfill site cannot afford to be mindless. They must be alert, forever watching for dangerous objects, and objects that shouldn’t be there. At the same time they need to have a good knowledge of the process they are involved with. Landfill management is a very exacting science. Garbage can only be a certain thickness before requiring a coverage of soil. The area needs to rest for a while – this is why landfill sites are forever changing their dumping zones.

Training to be a bulldozer operator is not that difficult. Working as a bulldozer operator on a landfill site that involves domestic garbage is one that requires experience and patience – a well guarded nose also helps.