Materials and Chemical Process Workers nec
What the work is
This is the official catch-all entry for materials and chemical process workers not listed separately. Tasks vary, so look at the related occupations below for what similar work involves.
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a recycling facility sorting paper, plastics, glass and metal from kerbside bins, with a plastics reprocessing line next door. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- The sorted bales stack up neatly and you know each one is clean enough to be reused
- Spotting a problem item early and keeping the whole line running
- A load comes in messy and leaves as clean, valuable material
Hard days
- Standing at the sorting belt for hours while it keeps moving
- Finding things in the bins that should never have been there
- Noise, dust and a belt that never stops
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 839199, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.