Green Job Series: Careers in Recycling—Material Recovery Facility Managers

Keeping a constant flow of recyclables collected, sorted, processed, and sold requires a proficient staff of sorters, drivers, mechanics, technicians, machinery maintenance workers—and experienced material recovery facility (MRF) managers to supervise it. This installment of The Daily Leap's green job series describes the job of MRF managers.

Material Recovery Facility Managers

Job Duties

MRF managers keep the recycling facilities working efficiently and safely. They have a broad range of responsibilities, including overseeing site improvements, submitting budgets, and developing long-term goals for the facility. MRF managers might also work with the sales team to identify new clients who might be interested in purchasing recyclables. When it is necessary to deal with the public or press, MRF managers are the face of the recycling operation.

MRF managers are also responsible for recruiting, hiring, and training employees. They evaluate employees' performances and offer feedback to senior managers on how to reward and compensate employees. Finally, because heavy machinery and large vehicles at an MRF can pose a risk to employees, a substantial part of MRF managers' jobs concerns workplace safety, such as providing employees with regular safety briefings and reviewing technicians' inspection and maintenance reports.

Education and Training

Positions for MRF managers may require education beyond a bachelor's degree. Many MRF managers have earned a master's degree in business administration (MBA) or a master's degree in industrial engineering. Management experience, especially in the waste industry, can sometimes be substituted for education. A combination of a graduate degree and several years of experience is ideal.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have data specifically for MRF managers; however, these workers are included in the occupation general and operations managers. The median annual wage for general and operations managers in the remediation and other waste management services industry group was $90,790 in May 2010. The wage is the median annual wage for the United States as a whole; wages vary by employer and location.

For more detailed information on MRF managers in the recycling industry, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Next week’s recycling industry series installment: Route Managers

Green Job Series: Careers in Recycling—Mechanics, Technicians, and Machinery Maintenance Workers

Recycling operations rely on various kinds of mechanics, technicians, and machinery maintenance workers to inspect and repair the automated equipment in MRFs (Materials Recovery Facility) and to maintain recycling trucks. This installment of The Daily Leap's green job series describes the jobs of mechanics, technicians, and machinery maintenance workers.

Mechanics, Technicians, and Machinery Maintenance Workers

Getting recyclables from waste bins to manufacturers requires different types of workers. Drivers collect the recyclables and transport them to a MRF, at which mechanics, technicians, and machinery maintenance workers work.

Job Duties

Mechanics and technicians monitor and operate the machines in MRFs, including balers (compactors) that shape the recyclables into a form to simplify shipping to and use by manufacturers. They also regularly inspect the machinery and diagnose and repair any problems with the electrical or hydraulic systems of the compactors. They record their work in detailed logs.

Other mechanics, technicians, and maintenance workers are needed to repair and maintain the recycling trucks. They run inspections and diagnostic tests and perform preventative maintenance and vehicular repairs. Truck technicians also document vehicular part usage and repair times. They may be required to make emergency roadside calls if recycling trucks experience problems while out on collection.

Education and Training

Whether they work on machinery or recycling trucks, mechanics and technicians should have at least a high school education or a G.E.D. They should also have at least a year of formal education and experience performing repairs on machines or vehicles. Workers can learn these technical skills through vocational training programs or apprenticeships. While mechanics used to specialize in one area, many now have knowledge of multiple disciplines, including electricity, electronics, hydraulics, and computer programming. Machinery maintenance workers usually receive on-the-job training that lasts for a few months or a year.

Mechanics and technicians are required to pass drug tests and background checks. They should have clean driving records and need to be able to move equipment that weighs up to 50 pounds.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have data specific to mechanics, technicians, and machinery maintenance workers at MRFs. However, these workers are included in the occupations industrial mechanics; maintenance workers, machinery; and bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists. The table below shows wages for these occupations in the remediation and other waste management services industry group. The wage is the median annual wage for the entire United States. Wages vary by employer and location.

Occupation	Median annual wage
Industrial machinery mechanics	$47,280
Maintenance workers, machinery	$41,870
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists	$38,780

For more detailed information on mechanics, technicians, and machinery maintenance workers in the recycling industry, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Next week’s recycling industry series installment: Material Recovery Facility Managers

Green Job Series: Careers in Recycling—Sorters

Collected recyclables are taken to an MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) to be sorted and processed. At MRFs, workers unload the recycling trucks, and dump the recyclables onto slow moving conveyor belts. As the recyclables move down the conveyor belt, they are sorted into different groups by their material. This installment of The Daily Leap's green job series describes the job of a sorter.

Sorters

In single-stream recycling systems, many different kinds of recyclables are collected together. Sorters separate the various types of recyclables so they can be processed.

Job Duties

Sorters work along conveyer belts in MRFs. As waste materials come down the conveyer belt, sorters pull out any items that cannot be recycled and should be disposed of. They sometimes work as quality control inspectors and remove unwanted materials from a single stream. For example, they might remove paper products from a stream of plastic containers.

At older MRFs, sorters are also responsible for separating all the different types of recyclables by material type. MRFs are increasingly relying on automated equipment as a faster way to sort recyclables. Even in these plants, however, sorters are necessary to ensure that no stray recyclables fall into the wrong group. Sorters also monitor the waste stream before it reaches the automated equipment to pull items that could damage the machinery, such as garden hoses, from the conveyer belt.

Education and Training

There are no specific education requirements for sorters. Many companies conduct drug tests and background checks on prospective employees. Sorters need to be physically capable of working on their feet for the entire day. They also need strong backs to handle repeatedly bending over to pick items off the conveyor belts. Sorters must have excellent vision to spot items as they come down the conveyer belt.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have data specifically for recycling sorters at MRFs; however, these workers are included in the occupation laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand. The median annual wage for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in the remediation and other waste management services industry group was $23,570 in May 2010. The wage is the median annual wage for the entire United States. Wages vary by employer and location.

For more detailed information on sorters in the recycling industry, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Next week’s recycling industry series installment: Mechanics, Technicians, and Machinery Maintenance Workers

Green Job Series: Careers in Recycling—Drivers

Getting recyclables from waste bins to manufacturers requires different types of workers. Drivers collect the recyclables and transport them to a MRF, at which sorters, plant managers, and technicians and mechanics work. Skilled personnel in support roles, such as sales and logistics, are also essential to the recycling industry. Larger recycling firms also employ workers in many other occupations, including management and human resources, but these occupations are not covered in this report. This installment of The Daily Leap's green job series describes the job of a driver.

Drivers

Recycling companies or local governments offering home pickup services employ drivers, also called recyclable material collectors, to pick up and transport recyclables to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

Job Duties

Several drivers usually work together as a team to collect recyclables. One drives the truck, stopping alongside each recycling bin, while the other workers ride inside the cabin or hold onto the side of the truck. At each stop, at least one worker exits the vehicle, grabs the curbside recycling bin, and empties it into the bed of the truck. When the truck finishes its assigned route, the workers return to the MRF where the recyclables are unloaded.

Depending on the type of truck used, workers might have to lift and empty the recyclables from the bin themselves. Other vehicles have hydraulic lifting mechanisms—in either the rear or front of the truck—that can be used to empty the bins automatically. To protect themselves from accidents around the trucks and lift systems, drivers follow detailed safety procedures.

Drivers are required to collect recyclables year-round and in all weather conditions. And, in order to pick up recyclables along long routes, some workers begin shifts as early as 5 or 6 a.m.

Recycling companies that offer services to construction firms pick up recyclable materials from construction sites. Because of the high volume and large size of construction waste, these workers might drive roll-off trucks, which can haul the large dumpsters used on construction sites back to special construction and demolition debris facilities.

Drivers are responsible for inspecting their vehicles at both the beginning and end of every workday. They inspect the tire pressure, fluid levels, safety equipment, and all gauges and controls.

Education and Training

Drivers should have at least a high school education or a G.E.D. To be certified to handle large recycling trucks, drivers must have a Class A or B Commercial Driver's License with airbrake endorsement. Recycling companies prefer drivers who have several years of experience with large commercial trucks.

Drivers need to pass drug screening and background checks. They should have clean driving records. Drivers must also be physically capable of lifting, pushing, and pulling full recycling bins repeatedly throughout the day.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS does not have data specifically for drivers of recycling trucks; however, these workers are included in the occupation refuse and recyclable material collectors. The median annual wage for refuse and recyclable material collectors in the remediation and other waste management services industry group was $29,610 in May 2010. The wage is the median annual wage for the entire United States. Wages vary by employer and location.

For more detailed information on drivers in the recycling industry, follow the Occupational Outlook Handbook link.

Tomorrow’s recycling industry series installment: Sorters