State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Recycling and Reclamation Worker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Recycling and Reclamation Workers is $40,240 a year ($19.35/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 1.5% through 2034, with about 384,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
SOC 53-7062Transportation and Material MovingLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $40,240
- Projected growth
- +1.5%
- Openings a year
- 384,300
- Typical education
- No formal credential
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: 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.
How much do Recycling and Reclamation Workers make?
10th percentile$31,270
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$36,090
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$40,240
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$46,920
Upper quartile
90th percentile$55,140
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $40,240 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $19.35/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $42,260 |
| People employed | 2,950,280 |
Versus all US occupations
At $40,240, Recycling and Reclamation Workers earn 21% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $10,740 a year.
Versus transportation and material moving occupations
Inside the Transportation and Material Moving group, where the middle occupation pays $58,405, this is 31% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $55,140 or more while the bottom 10% earn $31,270, a gap of 1.8×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 11% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Minnesota posts the highest raw median ($46,280), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $51,361 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Recycling and Reclamation Workers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $46,280 | $46,927 | 54,480 |
| Washington | $46,190 | $43,163 | 49,450 |
| District of Columbia | $45,740 | $41,619 | 1,200 |
| North Dakota | $45,690 | $51,361 | 9,990 |
| Colorado | $45,370 | $44,026 | 31,140 |
| Massachusetts | $44,920 | $42,475 | 34,700 |
| Oregon | $44,750 | $43,295 | 27,720 |
| California | $44,710 | $40,381 | 355,500 |
| New York | $44,630 | $41,354 | 100,950 |
| Wisconsin | $44,610 | $47,410 | 70,520 |
Is Recycling and Reclamation Worker a growing career?
Recycling and Reclamation Workers1.5%
All US occupations3.1%
+1.5% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Recycling and Reclamation Workers to change 1.5% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 44,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 384,300 openings are projected each year, 12.9% of the 2,988,900 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of hand laborers and material movers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of hand laborers and material movers varies by occupation (see table).
Hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers will still be needed to move materials in many sectors of the economy. However, some warehouses have installed equipment, such as high-speed conveyors and sorting systems, to increase efficiency.
How to 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.
| Typical entry-level education | No formal educational credential |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as recycling and reclamation workers.
- High School Diploma74.1%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)14.6%
- Doctoral Degree8.0%
- Less than a High School Diploma1.9%
- Post-Secondary Certificate1.5%
What does a Recycling and Reclamation Worker do?
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.
Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Some of these workers feed or remove material to or from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.
Day-to-day tasks
- 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.
- Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins.
- Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling.
- 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.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.1/5
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Speaking2.8/5
- Critical Thinking2.8/5
- Reading Comprehension2.6/5
- Active Learning2.5/5
- Writing2.4/5
- Learning Strategies2.0/5
Transferable skills
- Operation and Control3.3/5
- Operations Monitoring3.1/5
- Quality Control Analysis2.8/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.6/5
- Coordination2.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.6/5
- Time Management2.6/5
- Service Orientation2.5/5
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Recycling and Reclamation Worker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary6.3
Investigative2.0
Artistic1.0
Social1.3
Enterprising1.6
Conventionalprimary4.4
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Recycling and Reclamation Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Recycling and Reclamation Workers make?
Recycling and Reclamation Workers earn a median of $40,240 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 21% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $19.35/hr. The middle half earn between $36,090 and $46,920. The top 10% earn $55,140 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Recycling and Reclamation Worker?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Recycling and Reclamation Workers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 74.1% hold high school diploma.
Is Recycling and Reclamation Worker a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 1.5% over 2024–2034 against 3.1% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 384,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Recycling and Reclamation Worker do?
Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. A core O*NET task: 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. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Spreadsheet software, Word processing software.
Which states pay Recycling and Reclamation Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Recycling and Reclamation Workers are Minnesota ($46,280), Washington ($46,190), District of Columbia ($45,740) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $51,361.
What personality type suits a Recycling and Reclamation Worker?
O*NET scores Recycling and Reclamation Workers highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.