Prachi Wagner leads Waste and Environmental Industry Specialty for Truist.

Recruitment and retention have been a persistent challenge in virtually every sector of the economy in recent years. In the waste and recycling industry, finding skilled drivers, mechanics, and laborers to fill open positions can prove especially difficult. Since the pandemic began, many potential employees have become more selective about the roles they’re willing to accept, and a shrinking workforce increases the pressure on businesses as they compete to attract qualified candidates.

Economic conditions suggest that labor will continue to be in short supply. In April, the unemployment rate rose slightly to reach its highest level in two years—a mere 3.9%. Job openings dropped five out of the past seven months, but that still leaves the economy with 8.5 million unfilled positions.Disclosure 1 An aging labor force further limits the number of workers willing and able to meet the physical demands of many waste and recycling jobs, leading many in the industry to step up the recruiting of women and other non-traditional labor sources.

Labor in the waste and recycling industry

Labor scarcity compounds the issues in waste and recycling—a sector whose industry image already contributes to recruiting challenges. The physically demanding nature of the work, day-to-day working conditions, and limited opportunity for flexibility or remote work further limit the pool of applicants for positions.

There’s no standard solution to overcome these barriers. What works in Orlando may be quite different from what works in Milwaukee due to regional variations in:

  • Labor market conditions
  • Workforce composition
  • Economic factors
  • Cultural factors

Besides the unique nature of distinct markets, each company must consider its individual business strategy, culture, and size to determine the best way to meet hiring challenges. A publicly traded, national company may be able to bring scale to programs and retention solutions but lacks the sense of community a smaller competitor, run by the same family for 50 years, can provide. Innovation and trial-and-error must characterize the search for workable solutions that fit each company. 

7 strategies to attract and retain talent

As you draw up your game plan for addressing labor shortages, consider strategies that have worked for small- and medium-sized businesses or other waste and recycling businesses. Which of these strategies are you already doing? Which ones should you try out?

1.     Start with table stakes: Competitive pay and benefits.

Study surveys of your local market, review job postings to establish benchmarks, and analyze win/loss factors in recruiting. The insights you gain can help you tailor attractive offers that fall within market norms and are adjusted for the industry’s distinct challenges. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of offering benefits like:

  • Signing and retention bonuses
  • Individual bonuses with goals for additional compensation
  • Profit sharing tied to company performance
  • Executive deferred compensation plans for leaders and key employees
  • Health and dental insurance options
  • Wellness programs and health club memberships
  • Life and disability insurance coverage
  • Paid time off that increases over time
  • 401K plans and other retirements benefits, including company matching funds

Think about your target audience as you craft compensation packages. If you’re recruiting talent that views a job as a two-year commitment rather than a lifetime relationship, you might focus more on health and lifestyle benefits than on retirement programs.

2.     Message your company’s purpose and unique culture.

Today’s workers prefer a job that’s meaningful, so they feel they have a role in making the world a better place. Emphasize the civic contributions of the industry—managing waste plays a critical societal role, and recycling provides vital inputs to numerous other industries.

Frame your company’s commitment to purpose and its distinctive culture in your messaging. This will attract new employees, and help existing employees identify more strongly with the business and its goals. Communicate your commitment to:

  • Local and global communities
  • Customers
  • Company staff
  • Environmental and sustainability goals

You may find that image and branding are as important for recruitment as they are for attracting new customers.

3.     Focus on work environment.

Keep safety first and foremost in operations. Maintain equipment in good working order to serve safety goals and boost productivity levels. When it’s time to replace aging fleets and equipment, factor in the impact those investments will have on creating an attractive work environment for staff. Advanced technologies and automation make job functions easier, safer, and more efficient—they also help retain talent.

Safer, faster, and easier hold appeal when it comes to getting paid, especially for a workforce trained in the gig economy that’s come to expect faster payments for work performed. Offer online payroll and direct deposit, with ACH, Same Day ACH—or Real-Time Payments (RTP®) for contractors.

4.     Prioritize employee growth and development.

Provide ongoing training and education to help employees build skills and offer mentoring relationships to support professional development. Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training, certification programs, and tuition reimbursement show you’re serious about investing in the growth of your people.

It’s also important to provide advancement opportunities. Design rewarding job paths that include multiple options for production and field workers to move into non-production roles. With experience in the field, these employees could be valuable players in areas like:

  • Customer service
  • Billing
  • Sales and new contract development
  • Quality control
  • Supervisory, training, coaching, and mentorship positions

Owners often find that offloading tasks to staff looking for more responsibilities can free time for managing and growing the business.

Recognize rising cyber risks.

5.  Develop management and succession capabilities.

Service businesses require talented leaders. Devote attention to developing management the same way you provide ongoing staff training. Actively encourage management to achieve their potential and use career coaches to help emerging leaders develop skills. The Truist Leadership Institute offers publications and research to support you in elevating your managers’ skills—and your own as well.

Look for ways to distribute an increasing variety of tasks and responsibilities to supervisors and managers. Founders and owners, who are often busy running the business, can develop a blind spot around the need to create meaningful opportunities for others to take on additional responsibilities.

Leaders should begin to address transition concerns, even if an exit is still far in the future. Wherever you are in your business’s lifecycle, Truist can partner with you and use the Truist Business Lifecycle Advisory approach to offer proactive, strategic advice in business and family transition and wealth planning.

Many of the same techniques that help in retention—a focus on purpose, culture, and image—can help in engaging the next generation of leaders. Succession is never easy, but the next generation needs both the skills and the desire to eventually take the reins.

6. Invest in automation and technology.

Waste and recycling have traditionally focused more on automation than information technology. Artificial intelligence may change that by providing extra support for routing, customer service, and entirely novel applications that could reshape the industry.

Employees often prefer companies open to exploring advanced technologies—they want to be with winners, and they want to learn new skills. Investing in automation, AI, and other advanced technologies refutes negative misperceptions about the industry and its work.

Put your company’s technology savvy to work in the way you recruit. Extend your reach beyond the Indeed and ZipRecruiter® job boards by posting about your company, its culture, and job opportunities on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. A short post about the position and your company can go a long way toward reaching new sources of employees. Make sure you’ve also covered the tried and true recruiting strategies: employee referrals, openings listed on your website, and job fairs in the community or at schools.

7. Foster engagement and employee wellbeing.

Relationships matter in the workplace. Get to know your people by communicating frequently with employees—both formally and informally. Encourage feedback and, when appropriate, act on it. Ask for input on job functions and seek ideas for improving working conditions and company performance from those with a first-hand view.

Build teamwork and camaraderie by implementing a buddy system for new employees. Recognize outstanding team performance as well as individual efforts. Set metrics to reward measurable accomplishments such as:

  • Safe miles driven
  • Training successfully completed
  • Downtime reduction

Promote employee wellbeing to strengthen relationships with workers and help them become more productive—as they achieve personal goals. Your offerings could include:

  • Company-paid weight loss and smoking cessation programs
  • Employee financial wellness classes and services
  • Mental health resources

Adopt retention strategies that can make a difference.

Building the right team drives success. Talk to your Truist relationship manager about how Truist’s waste and recycling industry team can help you construct a winning strategy. Our unique consultative approach can help you build business value at every stage of your company’s journey. To learn more, visit our website

Purple PaperSM

The power of partnership

Uncover the value of Truist Business Lifecycle Advisory.

Related resources

Strategic Advice

Truist Business Lifecycle Advisory: At a glance

Strategic Advice

Truist Business Lifecycle Advisory: The approach that brings the team you need

Strategic Advice

The value of industry specialization in business lifecycle advisory