Careers / Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Recycling and Reclamation Workers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.
Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$40,240
United States, 2025
Employment
2,950,280
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.
- O*NET code
- 53-7062.04
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Typical 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.
- Collect and sort recyclable construction materials, such as concrete, drywall, plastics, or wood, into containers.
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$31,270
25th percentile
$36,090
75th percentile
$46,920
90th percentile
$55,140
Most important skills
- Operation and Control3.3
- Active Listening3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Operations Monitoring3.1
- Quality Control Analysis2.8
- Speaking2.8
- Critical Thinking2.8
- Social Perceptiveness2.6
- Reading Comprehension2.6
- Coordination2.6
- Time Management2.6
- Judgment and Decision Making2.6
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 4 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
4
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.1 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Operation and Control | 3.3 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $49,880
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $46,420
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $64,520
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $78,120
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $43,530
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $42,420
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $60,850
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $49,590
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $34,890
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersSupplemental
National median $60,020
Compare with Recycling and Reclamation WorkersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topeka, KS | $49,140 | 2,140 | 2025 |
| Hanford, CA | $48,420 | 790 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $48,400 | 30,710 | 2025 |
| Sheboygan, WI | $48,150 | 1,550 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $47,740 | 29,490 | 2025 |
| Chambersburg, PA | $47,540 | 3,130 | 2025 |
| Kahului, HI | $47,490 | 1,040 | 2025 |
| Waterloo, IA | $47,440 | 2,920 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $47,330 | 15,030 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $47,320 | 36,700 | 2025 |
| Staunton, VA | $47,310 | 1,880 | 2025 |
| Albany, OR | $47,150 | 1,590 | 2025 |
| Warner Robins, GA | $47,130 | 1,650 | 2025 |
| Pueblo, CO | $47,100 | 1,410 | 2025 |
| Bozeman, MT | $47,070 | 400 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $47,060 | 11,830 | 2025 |
| Kenosha, WI | $46,990 | 5,420 | 2025 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $46,890 | 8,440 | 2025 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $46,860 | 890 | 2025 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | $46,830 | 29,400 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Recycling and Reclamation Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.