Home Scrap Metal Recycler Salary
Scrap Metal Recycler salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a scrap metal recycler is $68,500 per annum, before tax, up $14,600 since 2018.
- Many yards pay under the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award, while others use a waste management award or an enterprise agreement, so the same job can sit on different rates.
- Overtime and shift penalties add a lot in a yard where average full-time hours run to 44 a week.
- Pay also rises with the licences you hold and the machines you can run unsupervised.
The median salary rose by $14,600 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than scrap metal recycler
The largest typical pay rise is $33,400 a year, moving into Truck Driver.
- Truck Driver+$33,400/yr
- Loader Operator+$26,100/yr
- Motor Mechanic+$15,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher scrap metal recycler salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time scrap metal recycler salary is $68,500; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Operations management and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general scrap metal recycler experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Truck Driver pays a typical $33,400 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Scrap Metal Recycler salary questions
How much do scrap metal recyclers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a scrap metal recycler is $68,500 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is scrap metal recycler pay rising or falling?
The median scrap metal recycler salary is up $14,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than scrap metal recycler?
Truck Driver pays a typical $33,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to scrap metal recycler.
Related salaries
- Forklift Operator salary
- Loader Operator salary
- Process Worker salary
- Truck Driver salary
- Motor Mechanic salary
- Recycling Worker salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.