Recycling and Reclamation Workers
On the Job
Recycling and Reclamation Workers work in recycling plants. They sort recycling material and remove hazardous materials. They may operate equipment such as forklifts, power lifts, or front-end loaders. They may put materials on conveyor belts.
Physical Demands
This career requires time standing, walking, or running.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Operate forklifts or other loaders.
- Operate grinding equipment.
- Operate recycling equipment.
- Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
- Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
- Clean materials to prepare them for production.
- Clean production equipment.
- Clean work areas.
- Load materials into production equipment.
- Sort materials or products for processing, storing, shipping, or grading.
Typical Working Conditions
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- Exposure to contaminants (like gases or odors).
- Standing.
- Working outdoors exposed to weather.
- Frequent contact with others.
- Working with a group or team.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
- The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.