Refuse or recycling collector
Collects trash or recyclable materials from containers and dumps them into a truck, and may drive the truck.
Will AI replace refuse or recycling collector jobs?
AI changes jobs more often than it replaces them. How much AI can help with this work: Low. More AI overlap than 7 in 100 jobs. AI touches a small part of this work. Most of the job happens with your hands, your body or in person. 0% of this job’s working time is already spent on tasks people bring to AI at work (Anthropic Economic Index). Based on Microsoft research on real AI use at work, matched to the tasks of each job in O*NET.
What AI already helps with
- Fill out defective equipment reports
- Talk with dispatchers about delays, unsafe sites, accidents, and breakdowns
- Organize schedules for trash collection
What stays human
- Inspect trucks before routes to make sure they are safe to drive
- Drive trucks along set routes through streets, alleys, and business areas
- Refuel trucks or add fluids like oil or brake fluid
10-year outlook · USA
Expected change in the number of these jobs by 2035: +2.1%. Typical pay: $49,690 a year. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. German figures differ, but the direction is usually similar.
Try Refuse or recycling collector for a day
MAYBE finds someone who does this work and sets up a real day with them. You see the job up close, including how AI shows up in it, and then we help you make sense of what you felt.
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