Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RC
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.
Also called: Garbage Man, Roll Off Truck Driver, Sanitation Laborer, Trash Collector, Front Load Trash Truck Driver, Recycle Driver, Refuse Collector, Roll Off Container Truck Driver.
O*NET 53-7081.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $49,690
- Middle half earn $39,080 to $62,020. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 81% 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.
- Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition.
- Drive trucks, following established routes, through residential streets or alleys or through business or industrial areas.
- Refuel trucks or add other fluids, such as oil or brake fluid.
- Dump refuse or recyclable materials at disposal sites.
- Fill out defective equipment reports.
- Operate automated or semi-automated hoisting devices that raise refuse bins and dump contents into openings in truck bodies.
- Dismount garbage trucks to collect garbage and remount trucks to ride to the next collection point.
- Operate equipment that compresses collected refuse.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening2.9 / 5
- Speaking2.9 / 5
- Critical Thinking2.8 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.6 / 5
- Writing2.5 / 5
- Monitoring2.5 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical3.2 / 5
- English Language2.8 / 5
- Transportation2.6 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service2.5 / 5
- Public Safety and Security2.5 / 5
- Administration and Management2.1 / 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.
- Realistic100
- Investigative14
- Artistic0
- Social5
- Enterprising6
- Conventional59
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)
- refuse vehicle driver · DE Müllwagenfahrer/Müllwagenfahrerin · FR conducteur de benne à ordures/conductrice de benne à ordures
- refuse collector · DE Müllmann/Müllfrau · FR éboueur/éboueuse
- recycling worker · DE Recyclingarbeiter/Recyclingarbeiterin · FR recycleur/recycleuse
- sorter labourer · DE Abfallsortierer/Abfallsortiererin · FR opérateur de tri/opératrice de tri
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Heavy and large goods vehicle drivers (8211)273,400 employed
- Refuse and salvage occupations (9225)30,800 employed
- Waste disposal and environmental services managers (1254)25,500 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 “Elementary occupations”. 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 | €29,579 |
| Sweden | €28,305 |
| Austria | €27,215 |
| Netherlands | €24,577 |
| Ireland | €24,331 |
| Germany | €22,430 |
| Italy | €22,101 |
| France | €21,664 |
| Spain | €17,502 |
| Portugal | €9,424 |
| Poland | €7,534 |
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.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.28. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (53-7081).
Related careers
Is it a fit for you?
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