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Recycling Coordinators: Job Description

Supervise curbside and drop-off recycling programs for municipal governments or private firms.

What Do Recycling Coordinators Take On?

Typical responsibilities of recycling coordinators span:

• Oversee recycling pick-up or drop-off programs to ensure compliance with community ordinances.
• Maintain logs of recycling materials received or shipped to processing companies.
• Supervise recycling technicians, community service workers, or other recycling operations employees or volunteers.
• Review customer requests for service to determine service needs and deploy appropriate resources to provide service.
• Provide training to recycling technicians or community service workers on topics such as safety, solid waste processing, or general recycling operations.
• Identify or investigate new opportunities for materials to be collected and recycled.

Skills and Knowledge

Top recycling coordinators rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Top Skills

The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Core Knowledge

Other Recycling Coordinators Job Titles

Common job titles for this role include:

• Agency Operator
• Corporate Recycling Manager
• Heavy Equipment Supervisor
• Materials Manager
• Recycle Coordinator
• Recycle Supervisor
• Recycling Center Operator
• Recycling Coordinator

Employment and Demand

There are roughly 1,186,167 recycling coordinators working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +7.8% over the projection horizon.

How Much Do Recycling Coordinators Make?

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$38,994
Hourly median	$18.75
10th percentile	$27,641
25th percentile	$33,317
75th percentile	$44,670
90th percentile	$50,346

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Tools and Technology

• Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)

Work Environment

The work environment for recycling coordinators reflects the following characteristics:

• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Telephone Conversations
• E-Mail
• Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
• Contact With Others

Education and Training

Most recycling coordinators positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Industrial Production Managers (Supplemental)
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (Supplemental)
• Logisticians (Supplemental)
• Project Management Specialists (Supplemental)
• Management Analysts (Supplemental)
• First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (Primary-Long)
• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (Supplemental)
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers (Primary-Long)

Sources

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 53-1042.01 (First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand).