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Overview
Recycling workers clean, sort and move collected materials, place recyclable items in the right containers and may dismantle appliances, vehicles or other scrap for parts.
In job descriptions, look for waste sorting, recycling containers, conveyor belts, broken appliances, protective equipment, chemical cleaning agents, contamination checks, records and sorting equipment.
Explore this occupation
Open in Job ExplorerWork context
Recycling worker roles are practical sorting and handling jobs around collected materials, containers, conveyor belts and dismantling areas. The work requires safe movement, cleaning and separation of waste streams.
Skills and specializations
Useful signals include assessing waste type, operating recycling equipment, dismantling appliances, handling cleaning agents, using protective equipment, checking contamination, maintaining records and keeping sorting equipment working.
Salary context
Salary context depends on material type, exposure to contamination, equipment responsibility, shift pattern, dismantling tasks, record keeping and whether the role handles hazardous or non-hazardous waste.
Career paths
Possible steps include senior sorter, equipment operator, dismantling specialist, recycling records support, waste procedure adviser, collection schedule coordination or broader waste management work.
Good to know
Check whether adverts specify appliances, vehicles, hazardous liquids, conveyor sorting or container work. Those details reveal the handling risks and equipment level in the job.
Editorial note
This guide is editorial occupation context, not official labour-market statistics or exact salary data for this occupation.
Map overview
Click the map to search for recycling worker jobs.
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O*NET relationships
See occupations connected to this ESCO occupation in the official O*NET–ESCO mapping. The relationship type comes from the source and is not a ranking or recommendation.
O*NET relationships: 2
Recycling and Reclamation Workers
53-7062.04
O*NET occupation is broader
The O*NET occupation covers a broader field of work than this ESCO occupation.
Open in O*NETRefuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
53-7081.00
Close relationship
The occupations are closely related, but the official mapping does not treat them as exact equivalents.
Open in O*NETSource and method
These relationships come from the official European Commission O*NET–ESCO crosswalk.
Relationship direction: O*NET occupation to ESCO occupation.
Several O*NET occupations can point to the same ESCO occupation, and one O*NET occupation can point to several ESCO occupations.
AltoTrail preserves the source relationship type. The order is technical and does not show which occupation is best, most relevant or recommended.
AltoTrail validates and presents the source relationships without adding ranking or recommendation semantics.
Alternative labels
household waste reclamation worker
waste recycling site worker
waste reclamation worker
vehicle dismantler
recycling site operative
recycling operative
reclamation worker
recycling site worker
car dissasembler
vehicle breaker
household waste recycling site operative
commercial waste reclamation worker
car breaker
waste recycling site operative
household waste recycling site worker
Occupation group
Refuse sorters (9612)
Source facts
| ESCO URI | http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/4ed9ce62-75d4-4b05-80d4-e86528fecdcd |
|---|---|
| ESCO code | 9612.1 |
| ISCO group | 9612 |
| Concept type | Occupation |