Skilled Trades
Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.
Median salary (BLS)
$40,240
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$31k – $55k
Job outlook
+2% (about average)
AI exposure
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports one wage for this occupational group, which covers 2 related roles — so read the median as an approximate group figure, and the range as the truer picture for this specific title. BLS source.
Plan a path to Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Entry / Junior
$31,270
~2 yrs to advance
Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Established
$40,240
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Senior
$47,690
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.