Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Waste Recycling Technician

🎯 Role Definition

A Waste Recycling Technician performs hands-on operations in a recycling or materials recovery facility (MRF), ensuring accurate sorting, processing, and preparation of recyclable materials for sale or disposal. This role combines manual material handling, machine operation (conveyors, balers, compactors), quality inspection, and strict adherence to environmental and workplace safety regulations. The Waste Recycling Technician supports waste diversion goals, minimizes contamination, documents process metrics, and contributes to continuous improvement and sustainability initiatives.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

General Laborer (warehouse or industrial)
Sanitation Worker / Waste Collector
Entry-Level Recycling Sorter

Advancement To:

Senior Recycling Technician / Lead Operator
Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) Supervisor
Recycling Operations Supervisor / Manager

Lateral Moves:

Equipment Maintenance Technician
Environmental Compliance Technician
Quality Control / Process Improvement Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Operate, inspect and maintain sorting lines, conveyor belts, balers, shredders, compactors, and screening equipment to process municipal, commercial, and industrial recyclables while minimizing downtime and ensuring safe operation.
Manually sort incoming streams (paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, metals, organics) to remove contaminants and non-recyclables, maintaining required purity levels and reducing contamination rates.
Load and unload trucks, roll-offs and containers using hand tools, pallet jacks, and powered equipment ensuring correct material categorization and proper documentation of inbound/outbound loads.
Set up, adjust and calibrate baler and tension settings for different materials; produce properly sized and labeled bales for shipment, and secure loads per company and carrier requirements.
Monitor process quality by performing visual inspections and sampling, recording contamination metrics, material weights and counts, and escalating quality issues to supervisors for corrective action.
Follow and enforce all site safety protocols, PPE requirements, lockout/tagout procedures, and emergency response plans to maintain OSHA and company compliance.
Identify and segregate hazardous or potentially hazardous materials (e.g., batteries, propane canisters, syringes, electronic waste) and follow hazardous waste handling and disposal procedures per EPA and local regulations.
Perform routine preventative maintenance tasks (lubrication, belt alignment, basic repairs) and report mechanical faults to maintenance personnel to maintain equipment reliability.
Operate forklifts and other powered industrial trucks to move processed materials, loaded pallets and bales to staging areas; maintain forklift logs and complete pre-shift safety inspections.
Accurately record daily production metrics in logs or digital systems (throughput, bale counts, downtime, contamination) to support operations reporting and KPI-driven improvement.
Assist with on-site training of new operators on proper sorting techniques, equipment operation, safety procedures, and quality expectations to ensure consistent performance.
Maintain clean work areas, sweep chutes and sort stations, keep drainage free of debris, and ensure proper housekeeping to reduce safety hazards and maintain efficiency.
Coordinate with scale operators, drivers and logistics teams to stage and dispatch material loads, verify pick-up paperwork, and ensure materials meet buyer specifications.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives (5S, Kaizen, waste diversion projects) to increase material recovery rates, reduce contamination and improve processing efficiency.
Respond to equipment jams, spills and line stoppages promptly to minimize production losses; perform safe clearing and restart procedures consistent with lockout/tagout.
Conduct spot checks and batch quality assurance inspections for outgoing bales and loads to verify compliance with market specifications and contractual requirements.
Follow reporting procedures for incidents, near-misses and injuries, contributing to root cause analysis and corrective action plans that improve workplace safety.
Support recycling education and outreach efforts by helping prepare educational material, participating in facility tours and demonstrating proper recycling guidelines to community partners.
Maintain accurate inventory of consumables, PPE and spare parts; request restock through procurement channels to prevent production interruptions.
Ensure environmental compliance by monitoring stormwater controls, containment for potential leaks, and proper disposal of non-recyclable residues and baler waste.
Engage with third-party processors, brokers and buyers to coordinate sample shipments and resolve questions about material quality, contamination or specification adherence.
Operate handheld scanners, scales and basic digital systems to capture material types and weights; participate in digital workflow adoption and data capture improvements.
Assist in sorting special waste streams (e-waste, textiles, rigid plastics, organics) per facility protocol, including pre-processing steps and vendor-specific segregation.
Support seasonal peaks and special projects, including facility cleanouts, equipment installations and process reconfigurations, working flexible schedules when required.

Secondary Functions

Support inventory tracking and data entry for recycled commodities, helping maintain accurate materials ledgers and saleable inventory counts.
Participate in cross-functional meetings to align operations with sales, logistics and environmental compliance goals.
Help develop or refine standard operating procedures (SOPs) and job aids for new equipment and processes, contributing hands-on feedback to documentation.
Provide input to the facility’s sustainability reporting by validating diversion stats, contamination rates and materials sold back to markets.
Assist maintenance and engineering teams during equipment start-up testing, troubleshooting and training to optimize performance and safety integration.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Materials sorting and characterization (paper, cardboard, PET, HDPE, glass, ferrous/non-ferrous metals)
Operation and basic maintenance of balers, compactors, shredders, conveyors and screens
Powered industrial truck (forklift) operation and certification (sit-down, stand-up, reach)
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures and basic mechanical troubleshooting
Hazardous material identification and safe segregation for disposal (batteries, aerosols, e-waste)
Knowledge of OSHA safety standards and PPE usage in an industrial recycling environment
Ability to read scales, manifests, bale tags and basic shipping documentation
Basic use of handheld scanners, barcode systems and digital log entry
Equipment cleaning, lubrication and basic preventative maintenance tasks
Quality control sampling, contamination measurement, and reporting for recyclable commodities
Understanding of environmental compliance requirements (EPA, local waste regulations)
Familiarity with common recycling markets and material specifications for bale acceptance

Soft Skills

Strong attention to detail with the ability to maintain high quality and purity standards
Physical stamina and comfort performing repetitive manual tasks and lifting up to facility limits
Team player who can collaborate with operations, maintenance and logistics staff
Clear verbal communication skills for safety briefings and shift handovers
Problem-solving mindset for identifying root causes and suggesting process improvements
Reliability and punctuality to support shift-based operations and continuous processing
Adaptability to changing material streams, equipment updates and production priorities
Strong work ethic and commitment to sustainability and waste diversion goals

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent (GED)

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or technical certificate in environmental technology, industrial maintenance, or related field
Certifications such as HAZWOPER, OSHA 10/30, forklift operator certification are highly desirable

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science / Environmental Technology
Industrial Maintenance / Mechanical Technology
Waste Management / Resource Recovery
Occupational Health & Safety

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 0–5 years (entry-level to experienced operator roles)

Preferred: 1–3 years experience in a recycling facility, materials recovery facility (MRF), waste transfer station, or industrial processing environment. Prior experience operating balers, conveyors, and forklifts; experience with quality control and hazardous material segregation preferred.

Physical requirements: ability to stand for long periods, lift up to 50 lbs (or facility-specific limit), perform repetitive tasks, and work in variable indoor/outdoor industrial conditions. Flexible shift availability (day, swing, weekend) may be required.