Cameron: From Zero Waste to Hazardous Waste Management

Cameron started his Corps journey in August 2025 and worked with the Corps for about eight months. He shares, “when I started, I really just didn’t know what I was going to do with my life, because I had just dropped out of college.”

As time went on, however, Cameron’s experience at the Corps showed him a path forward. “Throughout my tenure at the Corps, I ended up being assigned to a lot of different projects in hazardous waste. It made me interested in it, so then I applied to Clean Harbors because they’re the leading company in the nation for handling hazardous waste.” Cameron adds, “I just needed a purpose or something to work towards, and the Corps definitely helped me with that.”

A highlight of Cameron’s experience at the Corps was the structure it provided. He feels that the consistency gave him discipline and a work ethic. Cameron states, "I think that’s helped a ton with my current job and just life. It’s a good thing to have.” He adds, “I have become so much more disciplined since I started working at the Corps, and I really feel like without that experience, I would not be as good a worker as I am since I was working there.”

Another highlight for Cameron was the sense of community he felt while working in the Zero Waste department, which he is grateful to have been part of.

Cameron also reflects that the HAZWOPER training he completed was particularly beneficial. “I think getting my HAZWOPER was really the thing that I took the most away from, because [it] really got my foot in the door for my Clean Harbors job.”

Today, Cameron works as an in-site technician at Clean Harbors, managing hazardous waste at hospitals. He feels that much of the experience, skills, and knowledge he gained during his time in the Corps helped lay the foundation for his new job. “The biggest thing is being able to do a lot of manual labor. I really never worked a job like that before…but after I worked there for a while, it really started to become a lot easier. Now that I work here at Clean Harbors, I’m lifting bins all day, I’m stacking them…and I feel like if I had jumped into this job without my experience at the Corps, I would have had a lot more trouble with it.”

Overall, Cameron reflects on his time at the Corps with fondness and appreciation. “I just really love what the Corps does and I really loved being in the Zero Waste department. I think that the impact it has on the environment is such a great thing to be a part of…I loved my time at the Corps.”

Cameron recommends that incoming corpsmembers take advantage of the trainings available at the Corps. He shares that if he hadn’t done the HAZWOPER training, he wouldn’t have been able to secure his position at Clean Harbors. “I never would have been in the position that I am in now, and that’s purely because the Corps gave me the opportunity to do the training, and I took the opportunity.”