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Recycling and Reclamation Workers in Florida

Thinking about a career as a Recycling and Reclamation Workers in Florida? Here’s what the data says. Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor. Includes all manual laborers not elsewhere classified. Excludes “Construction Laborers” (47-2061) and “Helpers, Construction Trades” (47-3011 through 47-3019). Excludes “Material Moving Workers” (53-7011 through 53-7199) who use power equipment.

What do Recycling and Reclamation Workers Make in Florida?

The recycling and reclamation workers working in Florida, the median annual wage is $36,980 per year (or about $17.78/hour).Earnings range from $29,190 at the 10th percentile to $48,300 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$29,190	$14.03
25th percentile	$33,070	$15.90
Median (50th)	$36,980	$17.78
75th percentile	$43,430	$20.88
90th percentile	$48,300	$23.22

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Florida compared to the national average — is 0.83, indicating fewer recycling and reclamation workers per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, recycling and reclamation workers earn a median of $61,426 per year ($29.53/hour), below the Florida median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 1,074,938 recycling and reclamation workers in the U.S.. In Florida alone, about 157,990 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 35,620 recycling and reclamation workers.

Top Florida Metros for Recycling and Reclamation Workers

These are the Florida metros with the most recycling and reclamation workers in Florida.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	49,710	$37,290
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	22,470	$37,140
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	19,660	$36,810
Jacksonville, FL	16,300	$37,870
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	6,150	$36,840
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	4,700	$37,740
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	4,400	$36,840
Port St. Lucie, FL	2,790	$35,780
Ocala, FL	2,730	$34,570
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	2,440	$36,350
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	2,380	$35,530
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL	2,250	$35,880
Naples-Marco Island, FL	1,680	$38,710
Tallahassee, FL	1,510	$34,810
Gainesville, FL	1,500	$35,200
Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL	1,180	$35,410
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	1,160	$36,210
Punta Gorda, FL	770	$37,360
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL	560	$36,420
Homosassa Springs, FL	330	$32,260
Wildwood-The Villages, FL	320	$36,160
Sebring, FL	230	$33,360

Top States for Recycling and Reclamation Workers Employment

These states have the highest employment of recycling and reclamation workers work.

State	Number Employed
California	382,740
Texas	224,960
Illinois	183,590
Florida	157,990
Pennsylvania	137,640
Georgia	135,950
North Carolina	113,330
Tennessee	111,240
Ohio	105,960
New Jersey	101,720
Indiana	97,350
New York	95,990
Wisconsin	74,510
Arizona	73,540
Michigan	68,080
Kentucky	58,120
Minnesota	56,030
South Carolina	54,530
Nevada	53,660
Virginia	53,180

Highest-Paying States for Recycling and Reclamation Workers

Where recycling and reclamation workers earn the most: recycling and reclamation workers.

State	Annual Median Salary
Washington	$45,850
Alaska	$45,720
Minnesota	$45,440
Colorado	$45,210
District of Columbia	$45,140
Massachusetts	$45,070
North Dakota	$44,630
Hawaii	$44,050
New York	$43,660
Iowa	$43,370

Skills

Key recycling and reclamation workers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for recycling and reclamation workers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

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

Work Activities

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Getting Information
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Training and Teaching Others
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel

Related Careers

Related occupations to recycling and reclamation workers include:

• Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
• Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
• Helpers–Extraction Workers
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Maintenance Workers, Machinery
• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Also Known As

Auto Dismantler, Bobcat Driver, Box Sorter, Computer Recycling Worker, Convenience Recycle Center Technician (Convenience Recycle Center Tech), Deconstruction and Decontamination Waste Operations Specialist (D and D Waste Operations Specialist), Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Worker, Materials Sorter, Non-Ferrous Material Handler, Pallet Sorter, Reclamation Worker, Recyclable Materials Sorter, Recycling Sorter, Recycling Technician, Recycling Worker.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 53-7062.04