Recycling collections driver vs garbage pick up worker

The differences between recycling collections drivers and garbage pick up workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a recycling collections driver, becoming a garbage pick up worker takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a garbage pick up worker has an average salary of $33,959, which is higher than the $32,074 average annual salary of a recycling collections driver.

Recycling collections driver vs garbage pick up worker overview

	Recycling Collections Driver	Garbage Pick Up Worker
Yearly salary	$32,074	$33,959
Hourly rate	$15.42	$16.33
Growth rate	4%	6%
Number of jobs	565,955	24,154
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 67%
Average age	48	43
Years of experience	2	12

Recycling collections driver vs garbage pick up worker salary

Recycling collections drivers and garbage pick up workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recycling Collections Driver	Garbage Pick Up Worker
Average salary	$32,074	$33,959
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $43,000	Between $22,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between recycling collections driver and garbage pick up worker education

There are a few differences between a recycling collections driver and a garbage pick up worker in terms of educational background:

	Recycling Collections Driver	Garbage Pick Up Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 67%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Recycling collections driver vs garbage pick up worker demographics

Here are the differences between recycling collections drivers' and garbage pick up workers' demographics:

	Recycling Collections Driver	Garbage Pick Up Worker
Average age	48	43
Gender ratio	Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0%	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 3.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 18.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 2.1% White, 51.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.0%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between recycling collections driver and garbage pick up worker duties and responsibilities

Recycling collections driver example responsibilities.

Preform complete pre-trip inspections including driver check-in procedures upon vehicle return.
Return products to Comcast corporate locations

Garbage pick up worker example responsibilities.

start hoisting device that raises refuse bin attach to rear of truck and dumps contents into opening in enclose truck body.
start hoisting device that raises refuse bin attach to rear of truck and dumps contents into opening in enclose truck body.

Recycling collections driver vs garbage pick up worker skills

Common recycling collections driver skills

CDL, 76%
DOT Regulations, 12%
Hoisting, 12%

Common garbage pick up worker skills

Recycling Collections Driver vs. similar jobs

Recycling Collections Driver related careers

Recycling Collections Driver related jobs

What similar roles do

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Transportation Industry
Recycling Collections Driver
Recycling Collections Driver vs Garbage Pick Up Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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