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.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors is $49,690 a year ($23.89/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 0.9% through 2034, with about 16,900 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
SOC 53-7081Transportation and Material MovingLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $49,690
- Projected growth
- +0.9%
- Openings a year
- 16,900
- Typical education
- No formal credential
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Front Load Trash Truck Driver, Garbage Man, Recycle Driver, Refuse Collector, Roll Off Container Truck Driver, Roll Off Truck Driver.
How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make?
10th percentile$33,590
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$39,080
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$49,690
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$62,020
Upper quartile
90th percentile$75,900
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $49,690 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $23.89/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $52,820 |
| People employed | 147,240 |
Versus all US occupations
At $49,690, Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors earn 3% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $1,290 a year.
Versus transportation and material moving occupations
Inside the Transportation and Material Moving group, where the middle occupation pays $58,405, this is 15% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $75,900 or more while the bottom 10% earn $33,590, a gap of 2.3×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 28% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Illinois pays the most at $75,050, and still leads at $75,082 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $75,050 | $75,082 | 4,910 |
| Washington | $74,620 | $69,730 | 3,750 |
| New York | $64,950 | $60,183 | 11,630 |
| California | $64,890 | $58,607 | 13,930 |
| Oregon | $63,210 | $61,155 | 2,500 |
| Minnesota | $62,570 | $63,445 | 2,500 |
| Nevada | $61,310 | $61,323 | 770 |
| Delaware | $61,290 | $61,408 | 600 |
| Colorado | $60,310 | $58,524 | 3,700 |
| Wisconsin | $59,810 | $63,563 | 1,550 |
Is Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector a growing career?
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors0.9%
All US occupations3.1%
+0.9% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors to change 0.9% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 1,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 16,900 openings are projected each year, 11.4% of the 147,900 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 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector
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 refuse and recyclable material collectors.
- High School Diploma81.5%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)11.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate5.7%
- Less than a High School Diploma1.6%
What does a Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector do?
Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.
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
- Dump refuse or recyclable materials at disposal sites.
- Refuel trucks or add other fluids, such as oil or brake fluid.
- Communicate with dispatchers concerning delays, unsafe sites, accidents, equipment breakdowns, or other maintenance problems.
- Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition.
- Operate equipment that compresses collected refuse.
- Fill out defective equipment reports.
- Check road or weather conditions to determine how routes will be affected.
- Clean trucks or compactor bodies after routes have been completed.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Active Listening2.9/5
- Speaking2.9/5
- Critical Thinking2.8/5
- Reading Comprehension2.6/5
- Writing2.5/5
- Monitoring2.5/5
- Active Learning2.3/5
- Learning Strategies1.4/5
Transferable skills
- Operations Monitoring3.0/5
- Operation and Control3.0/5
- Equipment Maintenance2.8/5
- Coordination2.6/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.5/5
- Troubleshooting2.5/5
- Repairing2.5/5
- Time Management2.5/5
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Compliance software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Facilities management software
- Map creation software
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
- Mobile location based services software
- Time accounting 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 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary7.0
Investigative1.8
Artistic1.0
Social1.3
Enterprising1.4
Conventionalprimary4.5
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.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector: frequently asked questions
How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make?
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors earn a median of $49,690 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 3% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $23.89/hr. The middle half earn between $39,080 and $62,020. The top 10% earn $75,900 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, 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, 81.5% hold high school diploma.
Is Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 0.9% over 2024–2034 against 3.1% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 16,900 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector do?
Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. A core O*NET task: dump refuse or recyclable materials at disposal sites.
Which states pay Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors the most?
The highest state medians for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors are Illinois ($75,050), Washington ($74,620), New York ($64,950) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector?
O*NET scores Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors 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.