Is Clean Harbors a good company to work for?

Clean Harbors has an overall rating of 3.2 out of 5, based on over 2,154 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months. 53% of employees would recommend working at Clean Harbors to a friend and 52% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Clean Harbors have been left by employees working as Branch Manager , Class A Truck Driver and Account Manager .

Does Clean Harbors pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Clean Harbors employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.2 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Clean Harbors. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Clean Harbors?

53% of Clean Harbors employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Clean Harbors 3.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.9 for culture and values and 3.2 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Clean Harbors?

Chemist (40) , Project Manager (38) , Class A Truck Driver (33) , Technician (33) , Account Manager (31) , Truck Driver (29) , Driver (27) , Insite Chemist (27) , Environmental Technician (24) , Manager (24) , Supervisor (23) , Branch Manager (18) , Customer Service Representative (18) , Field Technician (17) , Program Manager (17)

What are the pros of working at Clean Harbors according to real employee reviews?

"The pay was good and not bad" ((in 133 reviews)); "Good benefits Unlimited overtime Safety is a priority" ((in 111 reviews)); "great people and they have supervisor that care about there employers" ((in 108 reviews)); "Good training if you are new to the industry." ((in 49 reviews)); "Most coworkers are great people." ((in 32 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Clean Harbors according to real employee reviews?

"Some of the jobs are very demanding and require long hours and out of town work." ((in 62 reviews)); "Upper management does not appreciate nor understand the work that is done." ((in 59 reviews)); "Hard to get a raise" ((in 45 reviews)); "No work/life balance" ((in 41 reviews)); "manager, which ends up rolling down hill, so all the other managers are also micro" ((in 27 reviews))

What are employees saying about Clean Harbors layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Clean Harbors layoffs and their outlook for job security at Clean Harbors in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Clean Harbors locations?

Norwell , Richardson , Boston , Houston , Los Angeles , Deer Park , La Porte , Dallas , Cincinnati , Cleveland , San Jose , Kent , El Dorado , Denver , Braintree , Aragonite , Dolton , Phoenix , Salt Lake City , Chicago , San Diego , Benicia , Seattle , Baton Rouge , Weymouth , New York , Reidsville , Atlanta , Tooele , Chandler

Clean Harbors reviews

3.2

53% would recommend to a friend

(2,041 total reviews)

Michael L. Battles and Eric W. Gerstenberg

57% approve of CEO

52% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (2,041 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

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Gender

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Clean Harbors has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 2,041 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Clean Harbors employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Transportation & Logistics industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

1.0

Oct 15, 2019

Worst management team ever

Project manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some newer divisions are looking out for the employees

Cons

Worst management, low pay to have travel constantly, low per diem, HR department is horrible, you’re a number to them that’s it

Clean Harbors Response

6y

Please know our first core value is safety because we care about every employee. It is unfortunate that you had this experience for over 10 years we wish you would have raised this to the Employee Care Team while you were here.

2.0

Sep 4, 2019

Learn the industry and then run!

An outside sales position

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Safety and regulatory compliance is taken seriously. Good training if you are new to the industry. Large portfolio of products combined with the size of the Clean Harbors and it's affiliates almost always leave you in the position that you have at least something that you can offer a prospect. Compensation plan allows for good commissions if you are in a good market and willing to work. Some leads and opportunities will almost literally fall in your lap. With the exception of the 401k they have a great benefit package compared to smaller companies, standard package for a large company. Good PTO/vacation policy. Company gets 2 stars for 2 great years that I had there. The rest of my tenure was horrible earning zero stars.

Cons

Company is a bureaucratic nightmare with time-consuming administrative tasks to get anything done and take all your time out away from selling. Top-heavy management with dozens upon dozens of Vice Presidents (if not hundreds). Of course they all have their own initiatives, reports, calls, and ideas that you will be tasked to complete and it will interfere with your duties. Micro-management from the top to the very bottom. Frequent layoffs. No loyalty. Over the years I watched them let go some of the very best people we had over complete idiots. 401k is a joke. I have seen some pretty unethical things done by manager(s), and HR fall in to help cover it up rather than protect the complainant(s). Don't ever call the anonymous hotline, that's for sure. Antiquated technology. The company is known in the market for good compliance, but terrible customer service. So, you'll field phone call complaints and lose an occasional customers due to someone in your own company treating your customer like crap. Recognition and awards program is sub-par. They do not appreciate you, that is for sure. If you live to sell for company trips, prizes, and trophies then this company is not for you.

Clean Harbors Response

6y

We are a very large organization with a pleathora of products and services to offer. Glad to hear safety and training were of great value to you as our employees safety is priority #1. As for you cons, we are sharing the feedback from the Employee Engagement Survey and are in the midst of making action plans to address.

1.0

Aug 14, 2019

I believe they could do better

Tech

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

If your office is busy you get a lot of work if not then you’re able to go help out other branches

Cons

I’ve been with the company for over two years and I still have not received a raise. Talked to management and came back and said that they were starting up some new program that could take months to start up. When I asked how much I would be given for a raise when I’m get one I was told $.30 which I know I deserve more because they just hired someone at $16 an hour and I’m only making 15 but I know more than that person.

Clean Harbors Response

6y

Thank you for sharing this information. This is an opportunity for you to have a meaningful discussion about your value to the company with your Human Resource Business Partner and your Manager. Our Compensation Team is working diligently to collect data on competitive market rates.

Viewing 145 - 147 of 2,041 Reviews

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Worst management team ever

Learn the industry and then run!

I believe they could do better

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