As of June 2026, Recycling and Reclamation Workers has an AI-exposure score of 42/100 (Moderate exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.

AI Exposure Score for

Recycling and Reclamation Workers

42/100
Moderate exposure
LowModerateElevatedHighVery High

More exposed than 15% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$40,240. About 384,300 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 — growth plus replacement).

Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) — your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.

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How you compare to similar Transportation roles

Recycling and Reclamation Workers (you)
42
Passenger Attendants
43
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
43
Hoist and Winch Operators
43
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants
41
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
44
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Your tasks, by AI exposure

Automatable

No automatable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as augmentable (86%).

Augmentable
  • Record logs of recycled materials or waste chemicals removed from products.
  • Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling.
  • Sort metals to separate high-grade metals, such as copper, brass, and aluminum, for recycling.
  • Collect and sort recyclable construction materials, such as concrete, drywall, plastics, or wood, into containers.
  • Operate processing equipment, such as fiber-sorters and grinders, to sort, crush, or grind recyclable materials.
  • 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.
  • Deposit recoverable materials into chutes or place materials on conveyor belts.
  • Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins.
  • Operate balers to compress recyclable materials into bundles or bales.
  • Operate automated refuse or manual recycling collection vehicles.
  • Clean materials, such as metals, according to recycling requirements.
  • 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.
Durable
  • Extract chemicals from discarded appliances, such as air conditioners or refrigerators, using specialized machinery, such as refrigerant recovery equipment.
  • Collect recyclable materials from curbside for delivery to designated facilities.

Safer adjacent roles

Recycling Coordinators
80% skills overlap · High exposure
66
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
72% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$49,450
45
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
64% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$49,690
43
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
56% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$40,240
44
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
48% skills overlap · Elevated exposure · ~US$43,220
52
Machine Feeders and Offbearers
40% skills overlap · Elevated exposure · ~US$41,220
51
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
40% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$35,830
44
Helpers--Extraction Workers
40% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$47,730
43

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Important: This is an estimate of AI exposure, not a prediction that your job will disappear. It is designed to help you understand how your role may change and improve your career resilience.

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Recycling and Reclamation Workers — median pay by US state (BLS OEWS, USD)

California: US$44,710New York: US$44,630Texas: US$37,540

Median annual wage, in USD. US national: US$40,240. More states are being added.

More Transportation roles

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