Also called: MRF Manager, Materials Recovery Facility Manager
Runs a 'MRF,' the giant sorting plant where recycling is separated into paper, plastic, metal, and glass to sell.
You manage a plant where conveyor belts, magnets, air jets, optical scanners, and AI robots sort 30 tons of recycling an hour. You watch commodity prices for bales of cardboard, keep machines running, and keep workers safe.
Industrial production managers; estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in business, engineering, or environmental science, or years of experience rising through operations.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Environmental Science.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Industrial production managers.
Low risk for 10 years. AI sorting robots change the plant floor; managing staff, safety and buyers for the materials stays human.
Classes: Business, Chemistry, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-3051.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.