An increasing number of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) secondary to occupational hazards are observed among many occupations in developing countries, including waste collectors. This is due to lack of a well-established work environment, deficient occupational safety measures, and an expanding workload. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the burden of MSDs and their impact on work ability of waste collectors in Minia city, Egypt. A cross sectional study design was used on 310 waste collectors who responded to a face-to-face interview regarding their demographic data, occupational characteristics, work ability (Work ability index-WAI) and musculoskeletal disorders (Nordic musculoskeletal Questionnaire-NMQ). Minia waste collectors were all males and mainly middle aged (above 40 years old: 76.1%) with low educational levels (illiterate: 60%), high smoking rates (50.3% smokers) and vast majority from rural areas (94.1%). About 70% of the workforce have morning shifts, and more than half of them (55.8%) have permanent contracts. Their average work service is 17.4 years. The workers had excellent (56.8%) and good (33.5%) WAI scores and the prevalence of MSDs in the last 12 months was high (53%). Low back (19%), knees (15.5%), ankles/feet (6.5%), neck (5.2%), shoulders (14%) were the most frequently affected body parts. Regarding work=k ability scores, MSDs (41.3 ± 4.8(, respiratory (38.8 ± 5.3) and cardiovascular (37.4 ± 5.8) diseases significantly decreased work ability scores in Minia municipal solid waste (MSW) workers. Conclusion: The study addressed the health issues and work ability for waste collectors, highlighting the need for preventive interventions targeted at MSDs, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases in the studied workers.