Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code ECR
Recycling Coordinators
Supervise curbside and drop-off recycling programs for municipal governments or private firms.
Also called: Heavy Equipment Supervisor, Route Supervisor, Solid Waste Division Supervisor, Waste Reduction Coordinator, Recycle Coordinator, Recycling Coordinator, Recycling Manager, Recycling Program Manager.
O*NET 53-1042.01
At a glance
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 47% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Oversee recycling pick-up or drop-off programs to ensure compliance with community ordinances.
- Assign truck drivers or recycling technicians to routes.
- Maintain logs of recycling materials received or shipped to processing companies.
- Create or manage recycling operations budgets.
- Prepare bills of lading, statements of shipping records, or customer receipts related to recycling or hazardous material services.
- Supervise recycling technicians, community service workers, or other recycling operations employees or volunteers.
- Inspect physical condition of recycling or hazardous waste facility for compliance with safety, quality, and service standards.
- Negotiate contracts with waste management or other firms.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Speaking3.9 / 5
- Active Listening3.6 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.5 / 5
- Monitoring3.5 / 5
- Writing3.1 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
- Administration and Management4.0 / 5
- Administrative3.8 / 5
- Education and Training3.7 / 5
- Production and Processing3.6 / 5
- Mathematics3.6 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic50
- Investigative21
- Artistic0
- Social40
- Enterprising63
- Conventional60
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- waste management officer · DE Abfallbeauftragter/Abfallbeauftragte · FR responsable service gestion des déchets
- recycling specialist · DE Recycling-Fachkraft · FR rudologue
- landfill supervisor · DE Deponieleiter/Deponieleiterin · FR responsable d’installation de stockage de déchets
- waste management supervisor · DE Aufsichtskraft Abfallentsorgung und -recycling · FR superviseur en gestion de déchets/superviseuse en gestion de déchets
- waste broker · DE Abfallmakler/Abfallmaklerin · FR courtier en collecte et valorisation de déchets/courtière en collecte et valorisation de déchets
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Production managers and directors in manufacturing (1121)227,800 employed
- Skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades supervisors (5250)42,900 employed
- Building and civil engineering technicians (3114)20,100 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Related careers
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
- First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
- Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
Is it a fit for you?
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