# Recycling and Reclamation Workers

> Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/recycling-and-reclamation-workers
- SOC code: 53-7062.04
- Career family: Transportation
- Median annual pay: $40,240 (10th percentile $31,270, 90th percentile $55,140)
- Projected growth: Slower than average, +1.8%
- Openings a year: 340,500
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand".

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 88 |
| Investigative (I) | 17 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 5 |
| Enterprising (E) | 10 |
| Conventional (C) | 56 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 86/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 79/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 77/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 77/100)
- Getting Information (importance 73/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 66/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 66/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 65/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 64/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 63/100)

## Skills

Operation and Control, Active Listening, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis, Speaking, Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension

## Knowledge

Production and Processing, Mechanical, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Personnel and Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, Engineering and Technology

## Also called

Auto Dismantler, Bobcat Driver, Box Sorter, Computer Recycling Worker, Convenience Recycle Center Technician (Convenience Recycle Center Tech), Deconstruction and Decontamination Waste Operations Specialist (D and D Waste Operations Specialist), Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Worker, Materials Sorter, Non-Ferrous Material Handler, Pallet Sorter

## Related careers

- [Recycling Coordinators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/recycling-coordinators): $62,890 median pay
- [Hazardous Materials Removal Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/hazardous-materials-removal-workers): $49,450 median pay
- [Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/refuse-and-recyclable-material-collectors): $49,690 median pay
- [Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/packaging-and-filling-machine-operators-and-tenders): $43,220 median pay
- [Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/laborers-and-freight-stock-and-material-movers-hand): $40,240 median pay
- [Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cleaners-of-vehicles-and-equipment): $35,830 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.