What skills should a Recycling and Reclamation Worker put on a resume?

O*NET rates Operation and Control, Active Listening, Monitoring, and Operations Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Recycling and Reclamation Worker list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word, and Work scheduling software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Recycling and Reclamation Worker work?

O*NET records 24 titles for this occupation, including Non-Ferrous Material Handler, Sort Line Worker, Sorter, and Transfer Station Operator. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Recycling and Reclamation Worker need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 74% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Recycling and Reclamation Worker role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Recycling and Reclamation Worker resume example

A resume for a Recycling and Reclamation Worker needs to show the work itself: prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Day to day that means work like this: 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. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Non-Ferrous Material Handler
Sort Line Worker
Sorter
Transfer Station Operator
Bobcat Driver
Box Sorter
Convenience Recycle Center Technician
Convenience Recycle Center Tech
D and D Waste Operations Specialist
Auto Dismantler
Computer Recycling Worker
Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Worker
Materials Sorter
Pallet Sorter
Reclamation Worker
Recyclable Materials Sorter
Recycling Sorter
Recycling Technician

O*NET records 24 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

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.

14 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
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, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Sort metals to separate high-grade metals, such as copper, brass, and aluminum, for recycling, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Word
Work scheduling software

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Adjustable hand wrenches
Belt conveyor systems
Blow torches
Cardboard balers
Channel lock pliers
Claw hammers
Cordless drills
Crushing machines
Desktop computers
Extension ladders
Fiber sorters
Forklifts

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Operation and Control
02Active Listening
03Monitoring
04Operations Monitoring

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Production and Processing
Mechanical
Administration and Management
Public Safety and Security
Education and Training
Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Personnel and Human Resources

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

74%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
15%Associate's Degree
8%Doctoral Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Recycling and Reclamation Worker do?: Prepare and sort materials or products for recycling. Day to day that includes work like sort materials, such as metals, glass, wood, paper or plastics, into appropriate containers for recycling and Clean recycling yard by sweeping, raking, picking up broken glass and loose paper debris, or moving barrels and bins.
What skills should a Recycling and Reclamation Worker put on a resume?: O*NET rates Operation and Control, Active Listening, Monitoring, and Operations Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Recycling and Reclamation Worker list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word, and Work scheduling software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Recycling and Reclamation Worker work?: O*NET records 24 titles for this occupation, including Non-Ferrous Material Handler, Sort Line Worker, Sorter, and Transfer Station Operator. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Recycling and Reclamation Worker need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 74% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Recycling and Reclamation Worker role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.