Recycling and Reclamation Workers
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 53-7062.04
Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Identify and remove hazardous substances. Dismantle components of products such as appliances.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.09–0.14· 3 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 9329Manufacturing Labourers Not Elsewhere Classified0.12
- ISCO-08 9333Freight Handlers0.14
- ISCO-08 9624Water and Firewood Collectors0.09
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only18 rated tasks · 1 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (5.6%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 4 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Record logs of recycled materials or waste chemicals removed from products.O*NET Task ID 17881 | 1.0 |
Cut discarded products, such as appliances and automobiles, into small pieces using saws, blow torches, or other hand or power tools.O*NET Task ID 17870 | 0.0 |
Extract chemicals from discarded appliances, such as air conditioners or refrigerators, using specialized machinery, such as refrigerant recovery equipment.O*NET Task ID 17871 | 0.0 |
Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling.O*NET Task ID 17872 | 0.0 |
Collect recyclable materials from curbside for delivery to designated facilities.O*NET Task ID 17873 | 0.0 |
Deposit recoverable materials into chutes or place materials on conveyor belts.O*NET Task ID 17874 | 0.0 |
Dismantle wrecked vehicles by removing parts and labeling and sorting parts into containers.O*NET Task ID 17875 | 0.0 |
Operate automated refuse or manual recycling collection vehicles.O*NET Task ID 17876 | 0.0 |
Operate balers to compress recyclable materials into bundles or bales.O*NET Task ID 17877 | 0.0 |
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.O*NET Task ID 17878 | 0.0 |
Operate processing equipment, such as fiber-sorters and grinders, to sort, crush, or grind recyclable materials.O*NET Task ID 17879 | 0.0 |
Operate shredders to reclaim steel from discarded appliances.O*NET Task ID 17880 | 0.0 |
Sort metals to separate high-grade metals, such as copper, brass, and aluminum, for recycling.O*NET Task ID 17882 | 0.0 |
Clean materials, such as metals, according to recycling requirements.O*NET Task ID 17883 | 0.0 |
Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins.O*NET Task ID 17884 | 0.0 |
Collect and sort recyclable construction materials, such as concrete, drywall, plastics, or wood, into containers.O*NET Task ID 17885 | 0.0 |
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.O*NET Task ID 17886 | 0.0 |
Remove copper from circuit boards.O*NET Task ID 17887 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (14)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling. | Core |
| 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 |
| Sort metals to separate high-grade metals, such as copper, brass, and aluminum, for recycling. | Core |
| Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins. | Core |
| 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 |
| Extract chemicals from discarded appliances, such as air conditioners or refrigerators, using specialized machinery, such as refrigerant recovery equipment. | Supplemental |
| Collect recyclable materials from curbside for delivery to designated facilities. | Supplemental |
| Deposit recoverable materials into chutes or place materials on conveyor belts. | Supplemental |
| Operate automated refuse or manual recycling collection vehicles. | Supplemental |
| Operate balers to compress recyclable materials into bundles or bales. | Supplemental |
| Operate processing equipment, such as fiber-sorters and grinders, to sort, crush, or grind recyclable materials. | Supplemental |
| Record logs of recycled materials or waste chemicals removed from products. | Supplemental |
| Clean materials, such as metals, according to recycling requirements. | Supplemental |
| Collect and sort recyclable construction materials, such as concrete, drywall, plastics, or wood, into containers. | Supplemental |
1.68/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling. | E2 structured facilities |
| 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. | E2 structured facilities |
| Sort metals to separate high-grade metals, such as copper, brass, and aluminum, for recycling. | E2 structured facilities |
| Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins. | E2 structured facilities |
| 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. | E0 none |
| Extract chemicals from discarded appliances, such as air conditioners or refrigerators, using specialized machinery, such as refrigerant recovery equipment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Collect recyclable materials from curbside for delivery to designated facilities. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Deposit recoverable materials into chutes or place materials on conveyor belts. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate automated refuse or manual recycling collection vehicles. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate balers to compress recyclable materials into bundles or bales. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate processing equipment, such as fiber-sorters and grinders, to sort, crush, or grind recyclable materials. | E2 structured facilities |
| Clean materials, such as metals, according to recycling requirements. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Collect and sort recyclable construction materials, such as concrete, drywall, plastics, or wood, into containers. | E2 structured facilities |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
Values for the whole SOC 53-7062 group (Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand), not for this O*NET occupation alone.
- Employment, 2025
- 2.9M
- Projected employment, 2035
- 3.0M
- Change (2025–35)
- +1.8%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $40,240
- Typical education needed for entry
- No formal educational credential
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 88201 | 재활용 처리 기계 조작원 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
| 94141 | 재활용품 수거원 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 9329Manufacturing Labourers Not Elsewhere Classified
- ISCO-08 9333Freight Handlers
- ISCO-08 9624Water and Firewood Collectors
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- hazardous waste technicianESCO 3116.1.4This occupation is broader
Hazardous waste technicians dispose of materials that have been in contact with or are ignitable, corrosive, reactive, toxic or a combination of the aforementioned hazardous traits. They remove the waste from industrial facilities or households and transport them to a treatment facility to ensure they are treated and disposed of according to regulations. They may also advise on the proper treatment of hazardous waste, and aid in the clean-up of hazardous waste spills.
- recycling workerESCO 9612.1This occupation is broader
Recycling workers clean materials and remove waste, and ensure the waste and collected materials are sorted in the appropriate recycling containers. They also dismantle vehicles and sort the parts collected, and deposit recyclable materials onto conveyor belts where they can be further sorted.
- sorter labourerESCO 9612.2This occupation is broader
Sorter labourers sort recyclable materials and waste from a recycling stream, and ensure no unsuitable materials wind up among the recyclable materials. They inspect the materials and perform cleaning duties, and work in compliance with waste regulations.
- dismantling workerESCO 7214.1Overlapping, not the same
Dismantling workers perform the dismantling of industrial equipment, machinery and buildings as instructed by the team leader. They use heavy machinery and different power tools depending on the task. At all times safety regulations are taken into account.
- liquid waste treatment plant operatorESCO 3132.2Overlapping, not the same
Liquid waste treatment technicians remove hazardous chemicals and pollutants from liquid waste such as oil so that it can be safely used for new applications. They operate and maintain liquid waste treatment equipment, monitor operations, and test samples to ensure the safety standards are met.
- recycling specialistESCO 2143.1.3Overlapping, not the same
Recycling specialists research recycling policies and legislation, and supervise implementation in an organisation to ensure that waste management occurs according to regulations. They perform inspections, provide recycling equipment, and supervise recycling workers. They also advise organisations on ways they can improve their waste management procedures.
- refuse collectorESCO 9611.1Overlapping, not the same
Refuse collectors remove waste from homes and other facilities and put it in the bin lorry so it can be transported to a treatment and disposal facility. They assist the driver of the bin lorry, help unload the waste, and record the amount of refuse collected. They may also collect waste from construction and demolition sites, and hazardous waste.
- solid waste operatorESCO 3132.3Overlapping, not the same
Solid waste operators operate and maintain solid waste treatment and distribution equipment, and test samples to monitor pollution. They assist in the collection and disposal of solid waste, such as construction and demolition debris, and ensure treatment is compliant to safety regulations. They ensure community waste containers are emptied, ensure proper differentiation between waste which needs to be recycled or disposed of, and monitor equipment.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| H2704 | Technicien démonteur / Technicienne démonteuse de batteries de véhicules électriques | This occupation is broader |
| I1608 | Démonteur / Démonteuse de véhicules hors d'usage | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| K2304 | Agent / Agente de tri des déchets | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| K2308 | Opérateur / Opératrice de tri en récupération et revalorisation | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| K2309 | Technicien / Technicienne réutilisation recyclage | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| K2324 | Ferrailleur / Ferrailleuse de métal | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 9442 | Clasificadores de desechos, operarios de punto limpio y recogedores de chatarra | This occupation is narrower |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 34332 | Berufe in der Abfallwirtschaft - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the same |
| 34301 | Berufe in der Ver- und Entsorgung (ohne Spezialisierung) - Helfer-/Anlerntätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the sameprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 739 | その他の運搬・清掃・包装等従事者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 715 | 産業廃棄物処理従事者 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources