← All 785 jobsFile 53-7081
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 2.1% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- Joint #685 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +2.1% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $49,690 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 156,400 in the US, with about 15,500 openings a year
The work, 14 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Inspect vehicles11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain vehicles in working condition10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Dispose of waste or debris10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Notify others of emergencies or problems8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate industrial processing or production equipment8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Climb equipment or structures7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Gather data about operational or development activities7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 251 conversations, and it got them there 88% of the time.
Still yours: Operate lifting or moving equipment6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Explain regulations, policies, or procedures4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 76 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Schedule operational activities2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 102 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 15,500 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
The jobs closest to this one. None of them is much less exposed.
- Shares 43% of the workTaxi Drivers23% AI does, against 0% here+11.5% by 2035 · $42,100 · No formal credential
- Shares 43% of the workShuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs18% AI does, against 0% here+7.1% by 2035 · $37,290 · No formal credential
- Shares 38% of the workLight Truck Drivers18% AI does, against 0% here+6.3% by 2035 · $44,860 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.04, higher than 7% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 53-7081 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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