Turnover is a major concern across all businesses today. But no sector suffers from low employee retention rates quite like waste management.
Industry heavyweight WM reported in 2025 that its MRFs had turnover rates approaching 100%. WM said it relied heavily on temporary workers to stay operational. But for many facilities, the response to high churn is a constant, reactive hiring cycle. However, treating every departure as a fresh search is a costly endeavor that doesn’t allow you to implement any kind of workforce strategy.
Solving the high-turnover waste management staffing problem requires building a reliable pipeline of qualified talent. A staffing agency that knows the waste management sector well can help you implement that strategy — or you can try to solve your pipeline problem with conventional hiring. Here’s a look at why an experienced staffing partner is the better choice in the world of waste management
The Structural Insufficiency of Conventional Hiring
The standard hiring model — posting an ad, interviewing, and onboarding — often fails. But why is that?
The main reason is that conventional hiring pulls candidates from the general population. However, not everyone is cut out for this kind of work, even if they have previously worked in demanding factories or construction job sites. Sort line and processing positions are grueling. Workers face extreme temperatures, repetitive motions, and unpleasant odors. Many new hires experience a “first-day shock” where the reality of the environment is so overwhelming that they leave before their first shift ends.
Combining these conditions with entry-level wages is a recipe for constant turnover. Solid waste facility hiring thus becomes a revolving door that leads to perpetual understaffing. And when you consider the expense of recruiting and onboarding new employees, it’s also a very expensive approach.
The Hidden Costs of Restarting from Scratch
Beyond the well-known cost of recruitment, there are many hidden expenses associated with the revolving door. Every time a facility manager has to start over with a new batch of employees, there’s a significant loss in productivity as senior staff must pivot from their primary duties to train new arrivals. There’s also the ramp-up period, during which new workers operate at a fraction of the speed of experienced sorters.
Constant churn also makes a facility less safe. With all the heavy machinery and biohazards around, undertrained or overwhelmed workers are a major liability. Perpetual short-staffing also forces existing employees to work overtime, which only exacerbates burnout. The next wave of departures starts to form, and the cycle repeats.
What a Waste Management Labor Pipeline Can Do
The best way out of this vicious cycle is to build up a waste facility labor pipeline. Unlike traditional staffing, a pipeline ensures that any staffing gap won’t last for long, as there are always qualified workers ready to step in. Think of a labor pipeline as a bench of pre-vetted workers who are experienced with the physical and environmental rigors of a waste facility. You can pull new team members off this bench when you need them, neutralizing the long-running turnover problem.
Of course, building such a pipeline is easier said than done. For your team to handle it on its own, recruiters would have to spend time interviewing potential candidates for positions that don’t yet exist. Operations managers would need to network at industry conferences and work with local community colleges to scout for upcoming talent. Building a waste management labor pipeline isn’t easy, but if you can do it, you will be far ahead of competitors facing the same low employee retention rates.
Is Your Staffing Approach Creating a Pipeline?
Of course, you don’t have to build your labor pipeline alone. In fact, one of the best MRF workforce management strategies is to partner with a staffing agency that has deep experience in your industry. Building a bench of experienced, pre-vetted candidates is what they do. All you have to do is find the best agency partner out there, and then fill your vacancies as needed.
If you are tired of the revolving door, give HireQuest Direct a call. We have years of experience staffing MRFs and other waste management facilities and have a labor pipeline ready to go for you. To learn more, contact HireQuest Direct today.
