How To Become A Recycling Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a recycling technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a recycling technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.2 an hour? That's $33,687 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 46,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRecycling TechnicianUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,687

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.2

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.92%

Asian 6.59%

Black or African American 11.63%

Hispanic or Latino 18.48%

Unknown 4.35%

White 58.02%

Gender

female 13.79%

male 86.21%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress level

5.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a recycling technician

Explore recycling technician education requirements

Most common recycling technician degrees

High School Diploma

44.0 %

Bachelor's

20.4 %

Associate

17.8 %

Start to develop specific recycling technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Recyclable Materials	17.88%
Pallets	12.95%
Pallet Jack	9.79%
Routine Maintenance	9.55%
Hazardous Waste	9.23%

Complete relevant recycling technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New recycling technicians 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 recycling technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real recycling technician resumes.

Research recycling technician duties and responsibilities

Handle hazardous materials according to OSHA standards.
Sort a variety of recycle materials such as concrete, drywall, plastics and wood into containers or bucket loaders.
Bale cardboard in baling machine.
Experience with torches, saws, shredders and balers.

Prepare your recycling technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your recycling technician 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 recycling technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable recycling technician resume templates

Build a professional recycling technician 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 recycling technician resume.