Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.
Also called: Bobcat Driver · Box Sorter · Convenience Recycle Center Technician (Convenience Recycle Center Tech) · Deconstruction and Decontamination Waste Operations Specialist (D and D Waste Operations Specialist) · Non-Ferrous Material Handler · Sort Line Worker
Median pay (national)
$38,940
$30,810–$53,180 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
2,982,530
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+1.5%
~384,300 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for recycling and reclamation workers shows a relatively narrow range: the top 10% earn $53,180 versus $30,810 at the bottom 10% — 1.7x. The median of $38,940 leaves roughly 37% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +1.5% from 2024 to 2034 — slower than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 384,300 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 53 states with released data, Washington pays the most for this role (median $45,850, +18% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $22,210 — a 106% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins.
- Operate forklifts, pallet jacks, power lifts, or front-end loaders to load bales, bundles, or other heavy items onto trucks for shipping to smelters or other recycled materials processing facilities.
- Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling.
- Sort metals to separate high-grade metals, such as copper, brass, and aluminum, for recycling.
- Clean, inspect, or lubricate recyclable collection equipment or perform routine maintenance or minor repairs on recycling equipment, such as star gears, finger sorters, destoners, belts, and grinders.
- Extract chemicals from discarded appliances, such as air conditioners or refrigerators, using specialized machinery, such as refrigerant recovery equipment.
- Deposit recoverable materials into chutes or place materials on conveyor belts.
- Operate balers to compress recyclable materials into bundles or bales.
- Record logs of recycled materials or waste chemicals removed from products.
- Operate automated refuse or manual recycling collection vehicles.
Tools & technology
- Work scheduling software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Administration and Management
- Public Safety and Security
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Personnel and Human Resources