Recycling and Reclamation Workers Career, Salary and Skills
Recycling and Reclamation Workers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $40,240 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 2,950,280. Wage data is published for 446 locations.
Occupation description
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
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
National salary and employment
Median annual
$40,240
Hourly median
$19.35
Employment
2,950,280
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Operation and Control | 3.25 | 2.75 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Active Listening | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Speaking | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Coordination | 2.62 | 2.12 |
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.
Technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Word
- Work scheduling software
Recycling and Reclamation Workers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in CAMedian $44,710 · Employment 355,500
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in TXMedian $37,540 · Employment 216,970
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in ILMedian $40,550 · Employment 195,390
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in FLMedian $38,160 · Employment 164,400
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $40,550 · Employment 157,920
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in GAMedian $38,480 · Employment 137,580
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in PAMedian $42,480 · Employment 131,050
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $42,390 · Employment 120,720
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in New York, NYMedian $43,290 · Employment 118,290
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in NCMedian $38,230 · Employment 116,720
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in OHMedian $39,460 · Employment 108,830
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers Salary in TNMedian $38,160 · Employment 105,870
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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.