Refuse Collector Salary in Scotland
Official ONS earnings for Scotland.
Median salary — Scotland
£29,974
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 3% change on the previous year
Mean
£32,025
What a typical refuse collector takes home
On the median of £29,974, 2026/27 tax year, Scottish rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,095
Take-home a year
£25,136
Income Tax
£3,446
National Insurance
£1,392
What most refuse collectors actually earn
Half of refuse collectors in Scotland earn between £9,510 and £24,430. Earning above £24,430 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Elementary Cleaning Occupations” group in Scotland.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of refuse collectors earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Refuse and salvage occupations
- SOC 2020 code
- 9225
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “refuse collector” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Refuse and salvage occupations”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group covers refuse and salvage occupations.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Refuse Collector salary FAQs
What is the average Refuse Collector salary in Scotland?
The median is £29,974 a year and the mean is £32,025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
How much does a refuse collector earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £14.10 excluding overtime. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for Scotland.
What is a good Refuse Collector salary?
Half of refuse collectors earn between £9,510 and £24,430. Anything above £24,430 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a refuse collector?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of refuse collectors earn under £5,619 and the lowest quarter under £9,510 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do refuse collectors in Scotland earn more than the UK average?
The median in Scotland is £29,974 against £29,094 across the UK, 3.0% higher.
Has refuse collector pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +3.0% for this occupation in Scotland. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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