Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Also called: Garbage Man, Roll Off Truck Driver, Sanitation Laborer, Trash CollectorCollect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.1% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 6.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 68% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $46,240 | $36,280 to $54,910 | 2,790 |
| Alaska | $45,740 | $36,030 to $71,840 | 250 |
| Arizona | $46,910 | $34,860 to $60,010 | 2,380 |
| Arkansas | $35,640 | $29,320 to $41,420 | 1,600 |
| California | $64,890 | $55,420 to $75,070 | 13,930 |
| Colorado | $60,310 | $46,770 to $64,410 | 3,700 |
| Connecticut | $38,220 | $35,480 to $51,080 | 810 |
| Delaware | $61,290 | $48,130 to $63,290 | 600 |
| District of Columbia | $55,490 | $45,740 to $63,710 | 540 |
| Florida | $47,820 | $39,400 to $58,090 | 11,650 |
| Georgia | $46,960 | $37,220 to $55,990 | 4,830 |
| Guam | $32,520 | $28,270 to $38,810 | 40 |
| Hawaii | $56,270 | $39,150 to $64,080 | 770 |
| Idaho | $49,880 | $46,350 to $55,270 | 730 |
| Illinois | $75,050 | $58,750 to $84,300 | 4,910 |
| Indiana | $58,900 | $49,840 to $61,210 | 3,180 |
| Iowa | $49,850 | $46,190 to $58,050 | 1,780 |
| Kansas | $45,510 | $35,020 to $48,120 | 910 |
| Kentucky | $43,100 | $34,710 to $48,870 | 1,580 |
| Louisiana | $38,810 | $34,110 to $49,270 | 2,200 |
| Maine | $43,360 | $37,170 to $48,780 | 770 |
| Maryland | $41,870 | $38,290 to $51,190 | 3,120 |
| Massachusetts | $50,310 | $45,040 to $62,360 | 1,010 |
| Michigan | $51,030 | $37,510 to $61,460 | 4,020 |
| Minnesota | $62,570 | $52,030 to $65,980 | 2,500 |
| Mississippi | $39,170 | $35,530 to $48,100 | 1,970 |
| Missouri | $50,010 | $36,420 to $61,360 | 1,930 |
| Montana | $49,420 | $45,330 to $58,090 | 370 |
| Nebraska | $49,390 | $39,450 to $54,140 | 910 |
| Nevada | $61,310 | $50,490 to $79,860 | 770 |
| New Hampshire | $46,580 | $40,420 to $53,890 | 340 |
| New Jersey | $54,630 | $41,920 to $65,370 | 4,330 |
| New Mexico | $47,660 | $41,870 to $50,140 | 1,070 |
| New York | $64,950 | $47,020 to $86,310 | 11,630 |
| North Carolina | $44,670 | $34,650 to $49,030 | 7,250 |
| North Dakota | $59,000 | $47,770 to $61,640 | 360 |
| Ohio | $49,330 | $42,610 to $59,250 | 4,710 |
| Oklahoma | $43,060 | $36,300 to $48,900 | 2,030 |
| Oregon | $63,210 | $59,960 to $66,180 | 2,500 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,240 | $37,440 to $61,960 | 6,220 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,840 | $21,840 to $22,230 | 1,800 |
| Rhode Island | $55,970 | $47,790 to $59,970 | 470 |
| South Carolina | $34,880 | $27,850 to $42,150 | 2,020 |
| South Dakota | $32,950 | $29,620 to $37,820 | 340 |
| Tennessee | $43,270 | $35,410 to $57,330 | 2,550 |
| Texas | $46,330 | $35,880 to $50,040 | 12,860 |
| Utah | $59,310 | $48,010 to $61,640 | 960 |
| Vermont | $51,960 | $49,780 to $60,460 | 160 |
| Virginia | $46,530 | $34,230 to $57,430 | 4,330 |
| Washington | $74,620 | $61,700 to $80,750 | 3,750 |
| West Virginia | $35,840 | $29,430 to $43,460 | 1,000 |
| Wisconsin | $59,810 | $48,440 to $63,430 | 1,550 |
| Wyoming | $48,820 | $42,850 to $52,530 | 280 |
Nationally: $49,690. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 5 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Dump refuse or recyclable materials at disposal sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Refuel trucks or add other fluids, such as oil or brake fluid. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect trucks prior to beginning routes to ensure safe operating condition. | Not published |
| AI + software | Fill out defective equipment reports. | Not published |
| AI + software | Communicate with dispatchers concerning delays, unsafe sites, accidents, equipment breakdowns, or other maintenance problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive trucks, following established routes, through residential streets or alleys or through business or industrial areas. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Operate equipment that compresses collected refuse. | Not published |
| AI + software | Check road or weather conditions to determine how routes will be affected. | Not published |
| Not much | Dismount garbage trucks to collect garbage and remount trucks to ride to the next collection point. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean trucks or compactor bodies after routes have been completed. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate automated or semi-automated hoisting devices that raise refuse bins and dump contents into openings in truck bodies. | Not published |
| AI alone | Tag garbage or recycling containers to inform customers of problems, such as excess garbage or inclusion of items that are not permitted. | Not published |
| Not much | Make special pickups of recyclable materials, such as food scraps, used oil, discarded computers, or other electronic items. | Not published |
| AI alone | Organize schedules for refuse collection. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
- #44 Gather data about operational or development activities
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures | |||
| Gather data about operational or development activities | |||
| Schedule operational activities | |||
| Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Maintain vehicles in working condition |
Show all 14 activities
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Inspect vehicles | |||
| Climb equipment or structures | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report22%
- An analysis or summary15%
- An email or message11%
- An explanation or answer11%
- Configuration or infrastructure4%
How they worked with Claude
78% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for refuse and recyclable material collectors specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,299 moves out
- 1 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Moderate +2.5% 11%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 3 Insurance Sales Agents Very high +3.3% 9%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 5 Forest and Conservation Workers Low -1.5% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 2,152 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 9%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 4 Fast Food and Counter Workers Moderate +5.8% 4%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 2% less than high school
- 81% high school
- 6% postsecondary certificate
- 11% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 18% less than high school
- 49% high school
- 20% some college
- 6% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
- 1% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,001 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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