AI Career Radar

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.

AI exposure41 / 100Moderate exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation33
Freedom to set tasks67
Repeating the same tasks60
$49,690Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+2.1%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (below average)BLS Employment Projections
36Skill durability (fragile)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Active Listening
63
47
Speaking
63
47
Critical Thinking
63
44
Monitoring
63
38
Judgment and Decision Making
63
35
Coordination
62
41
Complex Problem Solving
62
35
Active Learning
62
31
Reading Comprehension
61
41
Time Management
61
38
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Writing
60
38
Social Perceptiveness
60
38
Instructing
58
22
Learning Strategies
58
9
Systems Analysis
57
9
Service Orientation
56
35
Systems Evaluation
56
9
Persuasion
54
25
Mathematics
53
0
Negotiation
52
25
Science
52
0
Management of Personnel Resources
50
25
Operations Analysis
49
3
Installation
48
0
Equipment Maintenance
47
44
Troubleshooting
47
38
Quality Control Analysis
47
31
Equipment Selection
47
19
Technology Design
47
0
Management of Financial Resources
47
0
Management of Material Resources
47
0
Operations Monitoring
46
50
Repairing
46
38
Programming
45
0
Operation and Control
43
50

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

#1TapersSkilled Trades
71/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$68,270
10-yr growth
-1.6%
Skill gap
14%
Retraining
Low
70/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$72,420
10-yr growth
-0.1%
Skill gap
22%
Retraining
Moderate

Skills to build: Active Listening, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring

70/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$53,140
10-yr growth
+36.5%
Skill gap
40%
Retraining
High

Skills to build: Installation, Quality Control Analysis, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making

69/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
44%
Retraining
High

Skills to build: Monitoring, Active Learning, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making

#6Wind Turbine Service TechniciansInstallation & Repair
69/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$64,120
10-yr growth
+29.5%
Skill gap
44%
Retraining
High

Skills to build: Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation, Learning Strategies, Troubleshooting

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.