Refuse and salvage occupations roles in the UK earn a median of £27,500 per year, equivalent to £13.58 per hour as of 2025. Pay increased 5.7% compared to the previous year. Regionally, pay ranges from £25,000 in East Midlands to £29,000 in Scotland. Pay has risen over the past 4 years. The ONS national median for this occupation is £27,857/yr (1% below our computed national average).
Median Annual Pay
£27,500
as of 2025
Modelled estimateMedian Hourly Pay
£13.58
per hour
Year-on-Year Change
+5.7%
vs 2024
Annual Pay Range
£24,500 – £31,000
25th – 75th percentile
UK Employment (2024)
~30,000
estimated employees
50 of 180 areas not disclosed by ONS
Employment Change
2021–2024
2021: ~48,000 → 2024: ~30,000
Market Signal
Specialist demandPay is rising while employment is falling — specialist skills are in high demand.
Employment figures from ONS Annual Population Survey (APS). Counts are estimates; suppressed cells (small samples) are excluded from totals.
Median annual pay for Refuse and salvage occupations across UK regions.
Source: ONS ASHE. Based on broad UK regions (NUTS1).
| Region | Median Pay |
|---|---|
| Scotland | £29,000 |
| Wales | £29,000 |
| West Midlands | £28,500 |
| South West | £27,500 |
| London | £27,000 |
| North West | £27,000 |
| North East | £26,500 |
| South East | £26,500 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £26,000 |
| East Midlands | £25,000 |
| UK | £27,500 |
Annual pay grew by +5.7% from 2024 to 2025.
National average (NUTS1 actuals) based on ONS ASHE April snapshot.
Annual percentage change in median pay for Refuse and salvage occupations.
Percentage change from the prior year's April figure.
For job seekers
Check your salary against official UK data for Refuse and salvage occupations roles — broken down by region and seniority level. Free, instant, no sign-up required.
For employers & recruiters
Refuse and salvage collectors supervise and undertake the collection and processing of refuse from household, commercial and industrial premises.
No academic qualifications are required. Training is provided on-the-job. A minimum age limit of 18 years normally applies.
Salary data is sourced from official UK pay datasets and updated periodically.