As of November 2026,
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors has an AI-exposure score of 44/100
(Moderate exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index. This is an estimate of task
exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Score inputs for this role:
This role starts from O*NET 31.0 occupational descriptors and is empirically grounded by Penn/OpenAI GPTs are GPTs study, Anthropic Economic Index (June 26, 2026), Felten, Raj and Seamans AIOE index. BLS labor-market figures are separate context, not score inputs.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
More exposed than 15% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$49,690. About 16,900 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 - growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) - your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
Will AI replace Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors?
No exposure score can predict whether AI will replace this role. The 44/100 score means our current model estimates moderate task exposure from the sources listed on this page. It does not predict an employer decision, headcount, or an individual outcome. The task map below shows the work assessed and where human judgment remains important.
Early-career context (study ages 22-25)
This role is in our Moderate exposure band, not our highest-exposure bands. The study's 16% finding should not be applied directly to this role.
The November 2025 revision reports a 16% relative employment decline for workers ages 22-25 in the most AI-exposed U.S. occupations, after firm-level controls, relative to workers in less-exposed fields and more experienced workers in the same occupations.
Use the task map to identify durable work and the skills worth building early.
Stanford Digital Economy Lab, Canaries in the Coal Mine - November 2025 revision
This is group-level U.S. payroll evidence, not a personal forecast. The authors do not claim that AI alone caused the change, and this context does not alter the exposure score.
How this role compares to similar Transportation roles
What this role usually involves
Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck. May drive truck.
Broad guidance for this preparation level; exact requirements vary by role and employer.
Source: O*NET 31.0 exact occupation - Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, SOC 53-7081.00. Context describes the role; the AI-exposure score remains a separate task-exposure estimate.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors tasks, by AI exposure
- Operate equipment that compresses collected refuse.
- Organize schedules for refuse collection.
- Communicate with dispatchers concerning delays, unsafe sites, accidents, equipment breakdowns, or other maintenance problems.
- Fill out defective equipment reports.
- Drive trucks, following established routes, through residential streets or alleys or through business or industrial areas.
No durable tasks identified for this role - its individually-assessed tasks split 71% augmentable / 29% automatable.
We analyzed all 14 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors tasks - 4 automatable and 10 augmentable. The full task map - every task with exactly what to do about each - is in your Career Report.
Your report unlocks three concrete artifacts
Every task scored with what to automate, augment, or protect.
Related roles with exposure deltas, salary, demand, and reachability. Lower-exposure options appear only when the data supports them.
A keepable roadmap plus resume and LinkedIn repositioning.
Grounded in O*NET-linked or curated role data, with Penn, Anthropic Economic Index, and AIOE signals where matched. BLS labor-market context is separate - not generic advice.
Adjacent career paths
This role is already among lower-exposure work. The adjacent paths below are shown for opportunity and skill transfer, not as lower-exposure alternatives.
Operate equipment that compresses collected refuse.
Your AI-Safe Career Report
Every task scored with what to do about it; adjacent paths with honest exposure deltas, salary, demand, and reachability; a skill-gap map; a 30/60/90-day roadmap; Agent Reality Check; plus a résumé and LinkedIn rewrite and professional PDF.
Grounded in O*NET-linked or curated role data, with Penn, Anthropic Economic Index, and AIOE signals where matched. BLS labor-market context is separate.
AI now appears in 7.3% of U.S. job postings on Indeed, up from 1.7% in January 2019 - the skills employers ask for are shifting, and adapting early pays. - Indeed Hiring Lab AI Tracker, 2026
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Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors - median pay by US state (BLS OEWS, USD)
Median annual wage, in USD. US national: US$49,690. More states are being added.