What the work involves, what it pays, and grounded tasks, skills, tools, and experience you can choose from.
Also called computer recycling worker, household hazardous waste recycling worker, reclamation worker and recycling worker.
$40,240
Median pay a year
2,950,280
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Real figures for this work, and lines you can use in your own resume. Where they come from is at the foot of this page.
An example
A Recycling and Reclamation Worker resume, filled in
Common skills that can help you remember what you used on the job.
Sorting recyclable materials
Operating recycling equipment
Decontaminating equipment
Cleaning production equipment
Cleaning work areas
Loading materials into production equipment
Cleaning materials
Operating forklifts and loaders
Operating grinding equipment
Repairing production equipment
Lubricating production equipment
Recording production data
Every line comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Recycling and Reclamation Worker
Summary
Recycling and reclamation worker preparing and sorting materials for recycling, identifying hazardous substances, and dismantling components of products like appliances
Experience
Recycling and Reclamation Worker
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Sorted materials like metals, glass, wood, paper, and plastics for recycling
Cleaned the recycling yard by sweeping, raking, and picking up debris
Operated forklifts and pallet jacks to load heavy items onto trucks for shipping
Sorted metals to separate high-grade types like copper, brass, and aluminum
Collected and sorted recyclable construction materials into containers
Extracted chemicals from discarded appliances using specialized machinery
Recorded logs of recycled materials and waste chemicals removed from products
Skills
Hands-On Work
Operating recycling equipment, Decontaminating equipment, Cleaning production equipment, Cleaning work areas, Loading materials into production equipment, Cleaning materials, Operating forklifts and loaders, Operating grinding equipment
Core Skills
Driver's license, Sorting recyclable materials, Repairing production equipment
Education
High School Diploma Your school, Year
Yours will not say this. You choose what matches your experience, and every line remains yours to confirm or change.
Nothing to write from scratch
What to put on a Recycling and Reclamation Worker resume
Real duties for this job, already written the way a resume reads. Inside Rung you choose the ones that were yours.
What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Sorted materials for recyclingCleaned the recycling yardOperated forklifts to load itemsSorted high-grade metalsCollected and sorted construction materialsDeposited materials into chutes
becomes
On your resume
Sorted various materials for recycling, ensuring proper categorization of metals, glass, and plastics
Operated forklifts to load and transport items safely within the recycling yard
These are written the way a resume line reads. Rung asks which ones are actually yours, keeps your own words, and never claims work you did not do.
Then it asks for one more thing
The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
Make it stronger
A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
Show what improved once the sorting was done
The line
Sorted various materials for recycling, reducing contamination in bins by ensuring proper categorization of metals, glass, and plastics
Show what improved once the sorting was done
Pick one that fits
Reduced contamination in recycling binsMade recycling process more efficientImproved overall recycling rates
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Mention if you were trusted to operate any special equipment
The line
Operated forklifts to load and transport items safely within the recycling yard
Mention if you were trusted to operate any special equipment
Pick one that fits
Trained new staff on forklift operationHandled hazardous materials with careManaged equipment during busy shifts
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
The work itself
What a Recycling and Reclamation Worker does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.
What it pays
How much does a Recycling and Reclamation Worker make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$36,090
Median
$40,240
75th percentile
$46,920
About 2,950,280 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$39,000
$44,510
$54,860
AL
$30,700
$36,670
$44,170
AR
$30,280
$35,920
$41,750
AZ
$37,280
$44,290
$48,170
CA
$37,890
$44,710
$48,950
CO
$39,610
$45,370
$48,770
CT
$37,810
$43,640
$48,060
DC
$40,200
$45,740
$52,000
DE
$34,920
$37,320
$44,960
FL
$34,710
$38,160
$45,390
GA
$34,970
$38,480
$46,100
HI
$37,830
$44,120
$50,630
IA
$37,420
$43,490
$48,390
ID
$35,160
$39,900
$45,400
IL
$35,890
$40,550
$47,560
IN
$36,390
$41,340
$46,910
KS
$35,580
$40,250
$46,300
KY
$35,510
$42,770
$46,830
LA
$29,350
$35,340
$41,870
MA
$38,920
$44,920
$49,190
MD
$36,960
$41,600
$45,760
ME
$36,690
$42,640
$46,720
MI
$35,730
$38,860
$46,390
MN
$39,110
$46,280
$52,070
MO
$35,080
$39,080
$45,730
MS
$30,830
$36,400
$43,750
MT
$36,610
$43,840
$46,670
NC
$35,030
$38,230
$44,470
ND
$38,470
$45,690
$49,580
NE
$37,440
$42,910
$46,610
NH
$36,770
$42,110
$46,570
NJ
$35,910
$39,540
$46,770
NM
$31,790
$37,230
$43,800
NV
$37,010
$39,350
$45,820
NY
$38,450
$44,630
$49,200
OH
$35,770
$39,460
$45,230
OK
$32,250
$36,990
$41,420
OR
$37,840
$44,750
$49,300
PA
$36,620
$42,480
$47,690
PR
$22,370
$24,560
$29,100
RI
$36,050
$41,690
$48,250
SC
$34,760
$37,530
$44,480
SD
$35,200
$38,980
$46,380
TN
$35,550
$38,160
$44,920
TX
$33,280
$37,540
$45,200
UT
$36,880
$42,370
$47,060
VA
$35,870
$39,380
$47,210
VT
$35,480
$39,390
$46,370
WA
$40,300
$46,190
$51,230
WI
$37,510
$44,610
$48,500
WV
$31,150
$36,990
$44,540
WY
$35,670
$38,330
$46,230
Other names
Other names for this job
computer recycling worker, household hazardous waste recycling worker, reclamation worker, recycling worker, refuse and recycling worker, scrap metal processing worker, sort line worker, auto dismantler, bobcat driver, box sorter, convenience recycle center tech, convenience recycle center technician.
More names for this work
D and D waste operations specialist, deconstruction and decontamination waste operations specialist, materials sorter, non ferrous material handler, pallet sorter, recyclable materials sorter, recycling sorter, recycling technician, refuse laborer, shredding specialist, sorter, transfer station operator, waste management recycling technician.
What you can already claim
Starting a Recycling and Reclamation Worker resume with no experience
Below are the tasks a Recycling and Reclamation Worker job is made of. Choose the ones you have really done. There is no wrong answer here, and you can change any of it later.
Which of these tasks have you actually done?
4 chosen. Rung never adds a task you did not choose.
Recycling and Reclamation Worker
Already yours: Operating moving or lifting equipment, Reviewing work orders, Monitoring cargo area conditions
4 of the 23 tasks this job is made of
Median pay
$40,240 a year
What you have not done yet. Securing cargo, Receiving performance instructions, Cleaning production equipment
Great news! Your skills can open up even more doors.
The tasks for Recycling and Reclamation Worker also qualify you for the jobs below. Creating a resume for one of these could help you land even more interviews.
Choose a job below that you would like to target next:
Railroad Conductor and Yardmaster
Already yours: Reviewing work orders, Recording production data
2 of the 12 tasks this job is made of
Median pay
$78,000 a year
What you have not done yet. Directing transport activities, Inspecting locomotives, Recording travel details
This page is about the occupation Recycling and Reclamation Workers. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.