Material Moving Workers

How to become a Recycling and Reclamation Worker

Official title: Recycling and Reclamation Workers

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, Sorter, Transfer Station Operator

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

Main tasks

Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling.
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 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.

How to become one

There are usually no formal educational requirements to become a hand laborer or material mover. They typically learn through on-the-job training that lasts 1 month or less.

Typical education to start: No formal educational credential

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Recycling and Reclamation Worker.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $40,240 a year The middle half earn $36,090 to $46,920.
About 2,940,300 people work in this job now, and about 2,991,900 are projected by 2035. (+1.8%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Recycling and Reclamation Worker?

There are usually no formal educational requirements to become a hand laborer or material mover. They typically learn through on-the-job training that lasts 1 month or less.

How much does a Recycling and Reclamation Worker earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $40,240 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $36,090 to $46,920.

Is a Recycling and Reclamation Worker a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 2,940,300 people now and 2,991,900 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Recycling and Reclamation Worker?

Usually not. Only 10% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Recycling and Reclamation Worker.

Will AI change the work of a Recycling and Reclamation Worker?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the 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. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.