Recycling technician vs sort line worker

The differences between recycling technicians and sort line workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a recycling technician and a sort line worker. Additionally, a sort line worker has an average salary of $37,295, which is higher than the $33,687 average annual salary of a recycling technician.

The top three skills for a recycling technician include recyclable materials, pallets and pallet jack. The most important skills for a sort line worker are RF, , and .

Recycling technician vs sort line worker overview

	Recycling Technician	Sort Line Worker
Yearly salary	$33,687	$37,295
Hourly rate	$16.20	$17.93
Growth rate	1%	-3%
Number of jobs	26,197	65,038
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

Recycling technician vs sort line worker salary

Recycling technicians and sort line workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recycling Technician	Sort Line Worker
Average salary	$33,687	$37,295
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	Nebraska	-
Best paying company	SF-Marin Food Bank	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between recycling technician and sort line worker education

There are a few differences between a recycling technician and a sort line worker in terms of educational background:

	Recycling Technician	Sort Line Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Recycling technician vs sort line worker demographics

Here are the differences between recycling technicians' and sort line workers' demographics:

	Recycling Technician	Sort Line Worker
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8%	Male, 61.9% Female, 38.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.3% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between recycling technician and sort line worker duties and responsibilities

Recycling technician example 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.
Handle groundskeeper duties including mowing grass, removing weeds, and other landscaping.
Work independently, using judgment and discretion in making decisions that directly impact facility compliance.

Sort line worker example responsibilities.

Pack product according to spreadsheets and run distributing lines while conducting computer operating codes for organization.
Pack product according to spreadsheets and run distributing lines while conducting computer operating codes for organization.

Recycling technician vs sort line worker skills

Common recycling technician skills

Recyclable Materials, 18%
Pallets, 13%
Pallet Jack, 10%
Routine Maintenance, 10%
Hazardous Waste, 9%
Troubleshoot, 8%

Common sort line worker skills

RF, 100%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Recycling Technician
Recycling Technician vs Sort Line Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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