How To Become A Recyclable Materials Sorter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a recyclable materials sorter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a recyclable materials sorter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.48 an hour? That's $28,030 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 358,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRecyclable Materials SorterUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $28,030

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.98%

Asian 3.22%

Black or African American 10.34%

Hispanic or Latino 21.02%

Unknown 3.44%

White 60.00%

Gender

female 24.87%

male 75.13%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a recyclable materials sorter

Explore recyclable materials sorter education requirements

Most common recyclable materials sorter degrees

High School Diploma

48.9 %

Diploma

18.2 %

Associate

12.5 %

Start to develop specific recyclable materials sorter skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Regulations	31.47%
Recycle	30.34%
Aluminum Cans	9.13%
Power Lifts	7.31%
Stainless Steel	6.49%

Complete relevant recyclable materials sorter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New recyclable materials sorters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a recyclable materials sorter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real recyclable materials sorter resumes.

Research recyclable materials sorter duties and responsibilities

Use automate systems and RF units to manage inventory.
Provide leadership need to instill a team-orient, customer experience, and driven team.
Process mail using automate mail processing equipment or manual methods of sortation and distribution.
Process mail using automate mail processing equipment or manual methods of sortation and distribution.

Prepare your recyclable materials sorter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your recyclable materials sorter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a recyclable materials sorter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable recyclable materials sorter resume templates

Build a professional recyclable materials sorter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your recyclable materials sorter resume.