Materials Recovery Facility Supervisor

Career Guide

A Materials Recovery Facility Supervisor oversees daily operations at a recycling and sorting facility. The role focuses on keeping people safe, meeting production targets, maintaining quality standards for sorted materials, and coordinating equipment uptime, staffing, and shipments.

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Key Responsibilities

Lead daily floor operations for sorting lines, balers, and loading areas
Enforce safety procedures and correct unsafe behavior quickly
Schedule staff and assign work to meet production goals
Monitor material quality and reduce contamination in outbound bales
Coordinate with maintenance to minimize downtime and address equipment issues
Track key production numbers and report results to managers
Train new employees and coach team performance
Coordinate inbound and outbound logistics with drivers and scale house staff
Handle shift handoffs and ensure clear communication across teams
Support audits and compliance tasks for environmental and safety programs

Top Skills for Success

Safety Leadership

Team Supervision

Shift Scheduling

Coaching And Feedback

Conflict Resolution

Production Planning

Quality Control

Process Improvement

Equipment Awareness

Maintenance Coordination

Incident Investigation

Regulatory Compliance

Waste And Recycling Knowledge

Data Tracking

Cost Awareness

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Materials Recovery Facility Supervisor Operations Supervisor Shift Supervisor

Recycling Operations Lead

Transition Opportunities

Operations Manager Plant Manager Safety Manager Maintenance Manager Quality Manager

Continuous Improvement Lead

Route Operations Manager

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

KPI ReportingRoot Cause AnalysisStructured Problem SolvingLeadership Under PressureLabor PlanningInventory ControlVendor CoordinationEmployee Development PlanningChange ManagementBasic Budgeting

Development SuggestionsBuild comfort with simple daily metrics, run short improvement meetings, and document standard work for key tasks. Ask to lead one safety initiative and one quality improvement project to demonstrate measurable results.

Market Intelligence Report

Materials Recovery Facility Supervisor is part of the Plant & Line Supervision category.Explore our market intelligence report to see how AI and hiring demand are shifting for these roles.

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Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUSD 50,000 to 65,000

Mid LevelUSD 65,000 to 85,000

Senior LevelUSD 85,000 to 105,000

Growth Trend

Steady demand. Hiring is supported by ongoing recycling needs, stricter contamination requirements, and continued investment in facility automation and safety programs.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

Waste ManagementRepublic ServicesWaste ConnectionsGFL EnvironmentalRumpkeCasella Waste SystemsRecologyWaste ProClean HarborsVeolia

Industry Sectors

Waste And RecyclingMunicipal ServicesEnvironmental ServicesManufacturing And Materials ProcessingLogistics And Transportation

Recommended Next Steps

Create a weekly scorecard for safety, throughput, and quality

Standardize shift handoff notes to reduce missed issues

Partner with maintenance on a downtime log and a prevention plan

Refresh training for contamination reduction and quality checks

Earn an OSHA safety credential or equivalent local safety training

Take a short course in frontline leadership and coaching

Document two process improvements with before and after results

Update your resume with measurable outcomes such as throughput, downtime, and incident reduction