Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Occupation · SOC 53-7062.04
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.
Also called: Non-Ferrous Material Handler · Sort Line Worker · Sorter · Transfer Station Operator · Bobcat Driver · Box Sorter · Convenience Recycle Center Technician (Convenience Recycle Center Tech) · Deconstruction and Decontamination Waste Operations Specialist (D and D Waste Operations Specialist) · Auto Dismantler · Computer Recycling Worker · Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Worker · Materials Sorter
Job family: Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-53-7062-04/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+1.5% by 2034)
- 384,300 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $38,940/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (71st); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (4th)
4th-percentile task overlap — yet about 384,300 openings a year (+1.5% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 3rd | -1.7 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 7th | 0.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 12th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.0), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 71st percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +1.5% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 384,300 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 2,988,900 → 3,033,100 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international 3 occupations below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Recycling and Reclamation Workers sits at the 6th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
12% mean task exposure (2025)
6th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Freight Handlers · 9333 | 14% | Not exposed |
| Manufacturing Labourers Not Elsewhere Classified · 9329 | 12% | Not exposed |
| Water and Firewood Collectors · 9624 | 9% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Collect and sort recyclable construction materials, such as concrete, drywall, plastics, or wood, into containers. Supplemental · importance 4.3
- Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling. Core · importance 4.3
- Extract chemicals from discarded appliances, such as air conditioners or refrigerators, using specialized machinery, such as refrigerant recovery equipment. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Deposit recoverable materials into chutes or place materials on conveyor belts. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins. Core · importance 4.1
- Operate balers to compress recyclable materials into bundles or bales. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Clean materials, such as metals, according to recycling requirements. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- 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. Core · importance 4.0
- Sort metals to separate high-grade metals, such as copper, brass, and aluminum, for recycling. Core · importance 4.0
- Record logs of recycled materials or waste chemicals removed from products. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Operate processing equipment, such as fiber-sorters and grinders, to sort, crush, or grind recyclable materials. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- 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. Core · importance 3.8
- Collect recyclable materials from curbside for delivery to designated facilities. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Operate automated refuse or manual recycling collection vehicles. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Cut discarded products, such as appliances and automobiles, into small pieces using saws, blow torches, or other hand or power tools. Supplemental
- Dismantle wrecked vehicles by removing parts and labeling and sorting parts into containers. Supplemental
- Operate shredders to reclaim steel from discarded appliances. Supplemental
- Remove copper from circuit boards. Supplemental
Work activities
- Decontaminate equipment or sites to remove hazardous or toxic substances.
- Sort recyclable materials.
- Load materials into production equipment.
- Operate recycling equipment.
- Operate forklifts or other loaders.
- Operate grinding equipment.
- Record operational or production data.
- Clean materials to prepare them for production.
- Clean work areas.
- Clean production equipment.
- Repair production equipment or tools.
- Lubricate production equipment.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Manual Dexterity | 3.8 | |
| Control Precision | 3.6 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.5 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.5 | |
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.3 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.3 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.3 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.1 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.1 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.1 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Rate Control | 3.1 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.1 | |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 3.0 | |
| Far Vision | 3.0 | |
| Depth Perception | 3.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 2.9 | |
| Response Orientation | 2.9 | |
| Static Strength | 2.9 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.9 | |
| Speech Recognition | 2.9 |
Transferable skills
| Operation and Control | 3.3 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.8 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 2.8 | |
| Critical Thinking | 2.8 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Work scheduling software | Calendar and scheduling software |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 74.1% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 14.6% | |
| Doctoral Degree | 8.0% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 1.9% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 1.4% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.3 | |
| Conventional | 4.4 | |
| Investigative | 2.0 | |
| Enterprising | 1.6 | |
| Social | 1.3 | |
| Artistic | 1.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $30,810 |
| 25th percentile | $35,410 |
| Median (50th) | $38,940 |
| 75th percentile | $46,370 |
| 90th percentile | $53,180 |
| People employed | 2,982,530 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 53-7062), not for the specialty alone.
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 997,400 | $43,190 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 535,240 | $35,780 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 424,240 | $35,540 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 408,770 | $39,990 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 406,630 | $41,260 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 332,400 | $36,150 |
| Construction · Sector | 47,590 | $43,760 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | 41,250 | $39,180 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 40,250 | $42,330 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 32,340 | $44,310 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 22,140 | $35,260 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 21,640 | $37,560 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 8.27× | 424,240 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 6.98× | 997,400 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 3.5× | 408,770 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 3.06× | 535,240 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters · National industry | 2.23× | 3,120 |
| Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers · National industry | 1.75× | 3,860 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 1.65× | 406,630 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting · Sector | 1.27× | 10,360 |
Related occupations
Part of the Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.
- Recycling Coordinators · 53-1042.01 Compare →
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers · 47-4041.00 Compare →
- Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors · 53-7081.00 Compare →
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-9111.00 Compare →
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand · 53-7062.00 Compare →
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment · 53-7061.00 Compare →
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers · 53-7063.00 Compare →
- Helpers--Extraction Workers · 47-5081.00 Compare →
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9012.00 Compare →
- Helpers--Production Workers · 51-9198.00 Compare →
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators · 51-8031.00 Compare →
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers · 51-6011.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Recycling and Reclamation Workers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- No formal educational credential · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 6th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Recycling and Reclamation Workers show 4th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 384,300 annual U.S. openings
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers rank in the 4th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 384,300 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.5%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $38,940, across about 2,982,530 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Recycling and Reclamation Workers show 4th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 384,300 annual U.S. openings • Recycling and Reclamation Workers rank in the 4th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 384,300 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.5%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $38,940, across about 2,982,530 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Recycling and Reclamation Workers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7062-04 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Recycling and Reclamation Workers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7062-04
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Recycling and Reclamation Workers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7062-04
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-53-7062-04,
title = {Recycling and Reclamation Workers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-53-7062-04}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.