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Recycling officer: Job description and activities

Job description

Recycling officers help plan and develop the environmental and waste reduction policies of local authorities, such as county, district, borough and metropolitan councils. They achieve this in a variety of ways, including:

• managing local recycling schemes;
• creating and delivering educational programmes;
• organising community and media liaison initiatives.

Recycling officers may work in departments of local government, e.g. environmental services, waste management or community services. Recycling officers are finding more work opportunities in the private sector as well.

The role of recycling officer has increased in importance at least partly due to government targeting initiatives for reducing domestic and industrial waste.

Typical work activities

The role is concerned primarily with promoting recycling within the local area by improving existing recycling facilities and developing new ways to meet local and national targets.

Typical work activities include:

• highlighting the importance of recycling to the local community and media;
• encouraging and initiating new recycling schemes;
• monitoring and expanding existing schemes, e.g. recycling banks, kerbside collections and composting;
• monitoring the use of facilities;
• advising on the management and development of recycling, e.g. via local focus groups;
• collecting data, compiling statistics and drafting reports;
• managing budgets, assessing tenders and preparing funding bids;
• advising and assisting local community groups;
• developing a recycling infrastructure;
• preparing, managing, and monitoring contracts;
• promoting initiatives to encourage the support and cooperation of the public through advertising and publicity campaigns;
• evaluating the benefits of collection, transportation and processing methods against the savings made in energy and natural resources;
• managing the operation of collection schemes for recyclable treatment plants and composting process plants;
• keeping up to date with current recycling best practice and legislation;
• advising local businesses on waste disposal and recycling initiatives;
• recruiting and training volunteers in community organisations.

AGCAS

Written by Andrew Whitmore, University of Manchester

Last updated:

February 2008

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