Career Overview
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.
Also Known As
- Non-Ferrous Material Handler
- Sort Line Worker
- Sorter
- Transfer Station Operator
Alternate Job Titles
- 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
- Reclamation Worker
- Recyclable Materials Sorter
- Recycling and Reclamation Worker
- Recycling Sorter
- Recycling Technician
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Manual Dexterity
- Control Precision
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Multilimb Coordination
- Near Vision
- Finger Dexterity
- Trunk Strength
- Category Flexibility
- Reaction Time
- Selective Attention
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Working Conditions
- Relationships
- Achievement
- Recognition
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Adjustable hand wrenches
- Belt conveyor systems
- Blow torches
- Cardboard balers
- Channel lock pliers
- Claw hammers
- Cordless drills
- Crushing machines
- Desktop computers
- Extension ladders
- Fiber sorters
- Forklifts
- Grinders
- Handheld calculators
- Hex wrenches
Work Environment
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Exposed to Contaminants
- Spend Time Standing
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Recycling and Reclamation Workers.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $30,810 |
| Median | $38,940 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $53,180 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 2,982,530
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Recycling Coordinators
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: Varies
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $48,490
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $48,350
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $40,900
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $38,940
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.