Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Waste Recycling Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Waste Recycling Coordinator is responsible for planning, implementing and continuously improving municipal or corporate recycling and diversion programs. This role coordinates day-to-day recycling operations, manages vendor and hauler relationships, ensures regulatory compliance, conducts waste audits, leads community education and outreach, and uses data to drive programmatic improvements that increase diversion rates and reduce contamination. The coordinator acts as the primary point of contact for internal stakeholders, external partners, residents, and contractors to deliver efficient, safe, and measurable recycling services.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Recycling Technician / Material Sorter
Environmental Technician / Field Services Technician
Public Works Laborer with recycling responsibilities

Advancement To:

Recycling Program Manager
Sustainability Manager / Director of Sustainability
Environmental Compliance Manager
Operations Manager — Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

Lateral Moves:

Waste Reduction Specialist
Outreach & Education Coordinator
Materials Recovery Facility Supervisor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement and manage end-to-end municipal or corporate recycling programs (curbside, drop-off, organics, commercial recycling), including designing collection routes, establishing service levels, and determining program scope to achieve diversion and sustainability targets.
Lead regular waste stream characterization studies and full-scale waste audits to quantify material flows, identify contamination sources, and prioritize opportunities to increase diversion and material recovery rates.
Coordinate day-to-day operations at materials recovery facilities (MRF) and transfer stations, including scheduling staff, monitoring throughput, optimizing sort lines, and communicating operational issues to maintenance and management teams.
Manage vendor, hauler and processing contracts: draft scopes of work, solicit bids, evaluate proposals, negotiate terms, track performance metrics, and enforce service level agreements to ensure efficient and cost-effective recycling operations.
Oversee inbound and outbound material quality control, establishing contamination thresholds, coordinating residue management, and implementing corrective actions with haulers, residents, or commercial accounts when contamination exceeds acceptable limits.
Develop and implement contamination-reduction programs, including targeted outreach campaigns, signage and labeling improvements, pilot programs, and on-site education at high-contamination locations.
Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies and inspectors to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal waste handling, transportation (DOT), and storage regulations; prepare for and respond to inspections and regulatory inquiries.
Create, manage and report on recycling program budgets, capital expenditures and grant-funded projects; monitor spending, forecast expenses, and provide monthly/quarterly financial updates and variance analysis to leadership.
Design and execute community outreach and education initiatives—workshops, school programs, public events, digital campaigns, and multilingual materials—to increase participation and improve sorting behavior among residents and businesses.
Monitor commodity markets and resale opportunities for recovered materials; coordinate marketing, storage, and shipment of recyclables with brokers and processors to maximize revenue and minimize stockpiling.
Implement and manage organics and composting programs, including commercial organics collections, residential curbside organics pilots, in-vessel or windrow composting coordination, and partnerships with compost processors.
Collect, analyze and interpret program performance data (participation rates, tons diverted, contamination rates, cost per ton, revenue per ton); produce dashboards, KPI summaries and actionable recommendations for leadership and funding agencies.
Prepare grants, funding applications and performance reports for state and federal recycling and sustainability programs; track deliverables, ensure compliance with grant terms, and manage grant budgets and reporting deadlines.
Develop and deliver staff training programs on safe handling, sorting protocols, equipment operation, and hazard recognition (including hazardous household waste and universal waste), and maintain training records and certifications.
Coordinate household hazardous waste (HHW) collection events and special materials collections (electronics, batteries, textiles), including logistics, vendor coordination, staffing, safety planning and post-event reporting.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives and process optimization projects at recycling facilities and collection operations to increase throughput, reduce downtime, and lower operational costs using lean principles and data-driven analysis.
Maintain accurate records and documentation for manifests, weigh tickets, shipping documents, and chain-of-custody records for recyclables and residual waste; ensure documentation supports auditing and regulatory compliance.
Manage customer service and stakeholder inquiries related to recycling collection, bin placement, missed pickups, contamination disputes and billing issues; serve as the escalation point for complex or high-profile complaints.
Plan and oversee capital projects such as collection vehicle procurement, MRF equipment upgrades, scale installations, ADA-compliant drop-off infrastructure, and site improvements; coordinate procurement, timelines, contractors and commissioning.
Develop, maintain and update public-facing materials—web content, FAQs, social media posts, newsletters, signage and outreach collateral—optimized for accessibility and multi-language communities to improve program understanding and participation.
Supervise, mentor and schedule part-time and full-time recycling staff, interns and volunteers; conduct performance evaluations, enforce safety policies, and maintain a positive workplace culture that prioritizes safety and quality.
Design and run pilot programs and feasibility studies for new technologies and initiatives (single-stream vs. dual-stream, PAYT, EPR partnerships, edible food recovery networks) and translate pilot results into scalable program recommendations.
Coordinate emergency response and incident management for spills, equipment failures, or contamination events at recycling sites; develop contingency plans and ensure staff are trained and equipped to respond safely.
Maintain inventory of recycling supplies, containers, signage, PPE and spare parts; coordinate purchasing decisions and manage relationships with suppliers to ensure operational continuity.

Secondary Functions

Support grant writing, reporting and compliance tasks for sustainability funding programs and assist with budget reconciliations related to awarded grants.
Provide ad-hoc data requests and produce exploratory analyses for cross-functional teams (public works, sustainability, finance) to inform strategic decisions and capital planning.
Collaborate with procurement and legal teams to translate program requirements into contract language and to review proposals from equipment vendors and service providers.
Assist with GIS mapping of service coverage, bin locations and collection routes to support operational planning and resident communications.
Coordinate volunteer recycling ambassadors and community partners for outreach events, neighborhood cleanups and education workshops.
Participate in interdepartmental project planning, sprint planning or agile-style meetings when recycling system upgrades are part of larger city or corporate initiatives.
Maintain and update safety management and training documentation, including JHAs, PPE inventories, and incident logs, and coordinate OSHA-related reporting as required.
Support marketing and communications teams to create SEO-optimized web content and digital campaigns about curbside recycling, composting, and responsible disposal.
Track key performance indicators and help build dashboards (Power BI, Tableau or Excel) for executive leadership and public transparency portals.
Perform occasional fieldwork: route rides, facility walkthroughs, contamination spot checks, and event staffing during peak outreach periods or emergencies.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Waste stream characterization and waste audit design and execution.
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) operations knowledge, including sorting equipment and throughput optimization.
Knowledge of recycling commodities, markets, and commodity pricing dynamics.
Regulatory compliance: local/state solid waste rules, DOT shipping regulations, universal waste and hazardous household waste handling.
Contract management: RFP development, vendor selection, performance monitoring and SLA enforcement.
Data analysis and reporting: Excel (advanced), Power BI/Tableau, KPI development and dashboarding for diversion and contamination metrics.
Budgeting and grant management: grant application writing, budget tracking, and compliance reporting.
Organics and composting systems operations and coordination (curbside organics, commercial organics programs).
Basic equipment maintenance scheduling and familiarity with collection vehicle types and MRF equipment.
GIS mapping and route planning fundamentals for collection optimization.
Health & safety competencies: OSHA basics, PPE standards, incident reporting and emergency response planning.
Experience with public outreach platforms, CRM systems or municipal service portals for service request tracking.

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication, with experience producing clear resident-facing materials and public presentations.
Strong stakeholder engagement and public outreach skills; ability to work with elected officials, community groups, schools, businesses and contractors.
Project management skills: planning, scheduling, budgeting, risk management and delivery of multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Analytical mindset and problem-solving orientation; able to interpret data and convert insights into operational improvements.
Leadership and team supervision: coaching, performance management, and fostering a safety-first culture.
Customer-service focus and conflict resolution skills when addressing resident or business complaints.
Time management and prioritization under variable field and office workloads.
Adaptability and change management: navigating evolving regulations, market conditions, and technological advances.
Multilingual communication preferred in diverse communities (Spanish or other language skills a plus).
Attention to detail for accurate documentation, chain-of-custody records and compliance reporting.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED required; relevant certifications (e.g., Certified Recycling Professional, SWANA certification, OSHA 10/30) strongly preferred.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Public Administration, Business Administration, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science / Studies
Sustainability / Resource Management
Civil or Environmental Engineering
Public Administration / Policy
Business Administration / Operations Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of progressive experience in recycling, solid waste, public works, MRF operations, sustainability programs, or related environmental services.

Preferred:

3–5+ years in municipal recycling program management, MRF supervision, or sustainability operations with demonstrated success improving diversion rates, managing contracts, and leading community outreach campaigns.
Experience with grant-funded programs, vendor negotiations, and commodity marketing preferred.