Departments of public works are usually run by the state or city government. They handle solid waste management (including garbage collection and recycling), environmental services (including litter and graffiti removal), and highway maintenance. They may also handle energy and conservation services.

Waste Management

As a waste management worker, you would be responsible for collecting, transporting, and recycling or disposing of waste materials. In general, solid waste (garbage) is collected and then driven to a landfill for disposal. Material for recycling is usually separated by type and collected in dedicated bins alongside general waste.

Departments of waste management need sanitation workers to drive around cities and suburbs to pick up household rubbish and recycling every day. In some locations, sanitation workers are also required to operate street cleaning equipment and do some snow removal during the winter.

Sanitation workers must have a high school diploma, and they must be able to perform physically demanding work for several hours every day. As a driver, you would also need a commercial driver's license. Salaries vary, but they usually start at around $30,000 per year.

Water and Sewer

Municipal water and sewer departments provide drinking water and wastewater services (including collection and treatment) to residential and commercial customers in their cities and towns. In a large municipal area, the water and sewage authority might deliver and process hundreds of gallons of water every day. They need thousands of employees to run the wastewater treatment facilities and keep the tap water flowing.

A wastewater treatment facility laborer must possess a high school diploma and be able to perform physically demanding work (including some heavy lifting). As with other government jobs, you would need to pass a drug test at the time of application. Random drug testing at any time after hiring is also common. Hourly wages for a laborer begin around $20, but a water-services foreman can earn a salary up to $72,000 per year.

Highway Maintenance

Highway maintenance workers provide upkeep for the highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and other pathways in cities and towns. They repair broken pavement, guardrails, and highway markers. They plow snow and mow and clear brush from along roads. Highway maintenance workers earn an average of $14 an hour. Maintenance workers earn about $15 an hour. For more information on jobs like these in your area, check the Web site of your city, county, or state government public works department. These sites generally list available positions or provide a link to this information elsewhere on the Web.