Berkeley Recycling Center

Not impressed. The workers were acting like they were doing me a favor by answering questions. Having never been there before, I didn't realize that I had to sort the green, brown and clear glass from each other and put in separate bins. You also have to sort different clear from non-clear plastics. Make sure that you bring gloves. The plastic cans that you use to sort and carry the recycled materials are lined with scum and the scent of alcohol. They really need to power hose the place down weekly. Just because it's a recycling facility, does it have to look and feel like a dump. Oh, forget about getting 5 cents for each container under 24 oz. and 10 cents for each container over 24 oz. By paying by weight, the center can use a rate per pound formula that probably gives a 1/3 to 1/2 of that value. Oh, you get paid by check. Four, large plastic garbage bags of recycled materials = $6.02. From now on, I'll put it in the waste management recycling pickup.

Pretty straight forward recycling place just off of 80 at the Gillman St Exit in Berkeley, it's pretty much your first left turn if you're coming in from Oakland. The process is simple, dump your cans in one spot, plastic bottles in another, and glass in the bins and they weigh it out, give you a voucher and they give you a check that you sign and can deposit for a refund of your recyclables. The staff are pretty efficient and the line goes by quickly.

On Saturdays, it's open until around 4pm.

I went when there wasn't a huge line, but I was a bit lost on how the process works. There seemed to be a lot of regulars here dropping off huge truckloads of bottles and cans. I only had a small bag of glass bottles so I definitely felt out of place, but they will still accept it. So the process is:
1) Drive up in the line of cars. There's also some parking and you would walk up to the dump area but that's like walking into a drive-through fast food restaurant
2) Drop off your items
3) Grab the ticket that the employees give you
4) Take the ticket and go to the counter at the building and they'll give you money (I only got less than $1 so they just gave me some coins) and didn't ask for any ID card and I didn't have to fill out any forms

Overall, if you have a huge load of things to recycling, this might be worth it if you're looking for some cash back, but I think other places may be more worth it.

Sometimes there can be a long line and sometimes, you're lucky and can drive right up. Either way, Berkeley recycling is very efficient and moves people through quickly. If there are delays, it's usually user error - that someone hasn't pre-sorted their aluminum cans from their plastic bottles. Or have non-eligible items mixed in with their recyclables. The couple times I've come with my Dad, things moved along nicely. My Dad has been a regular here for decades but now it's a little harder for him to get here. They pay a fair price here and I highly recommend you give them a try. My parent's recycling is what provided me with my college savings account and I appreciate them for it. :)

Back in the 80's, we were educated on recycling and it was shoved down our throats - from PSA commercials, TV sitcoms, school, media and the government.

Well, "shoved" is kind of a strong word to described what happened, but it stuck with me until now. I separate plastic bottles, colored glass bottles, aluminum cans, bi-metal cans and other recyclables items to this day. It's a religion in my household, and I have a system down pat. I crumple every plastic bottles and aluminum cans to maximize every space that I can get as they can take up a lot of space if you don't manage them properly.

What's frustrating about recycling is it can take a lot of time off your day just trying to redeem them from recycling centers, and it doesn't help that the state has closed down so many recycling centers as if they don't want us to recycle. Going to recycling centers often feels like a battle and every man for themselves. People can get nasty and have short fuses...and it doesn't help that the people working here are sometimes rude and work so fricking slow. And I mean S....L.....O.........W that it has to be deliberate.

I'm a cheap bastard, and I'm gonna squeeze every money from wherever I can get...especially now during this pandemic. Since more recycling centers closed, I had accumulated more recycled items than usual and I needed to clean up. Also, I had extra motivation since a certain someone kept nagging me about it.

I found this place on Yelp and after reading the reviews, I picked this one out of 4 others. It's also near the freeway so it's easy to get to. Upon arrival, I was expecting a long line and there were several cars in line. However, the queue was moving fast. I parked in the stall and a worker came up to me if I needed help and he instructed me the process. I got a cart and plastic bins and started putting them in before I quickly realized that I didn't need to do that since they were already pre-separated. Plus, you had the option of doing it as a drive-thru, which was a revelation.

All I had to do was get in line and when it was my turn, dump the plastic and aluminum in the conveyer belt and the glass bottles on separate bins marked brown, green and clear glass. The glass bins were on a separate scale and the plastic and aluminum were all weighed and monitored electronically. The people working here were also very friendly and helpful, and one even offered me a mask since I was wearing a makeshift mask I made from my t-shirt. Before I could even blink, the process was done and they were cutting the checks.

The whole thing probably took less than 15 minutes and I was shocked...in a good way. It was so effortless and easy since the whole thing was automated and it was a revelation. They should copy this location as a model for every recycling center in the state. Now that I know where to go, I will no longer dread the process of redeeming them as it was a very pleasant experience.

#YelpChallenge2020 review No. 45

I am going "Marie Kondo" minimalist so went I to the dump.

Pro tips:
1) Cover your load with rope or some type of tarp. It's a $15 fee of you don't.
2) There's a long line to enter.
3) They will weigh your vehicle. When you leave, it gets weighed again. I paid $29, which is the minimum. CC accepted.
4) You are directed to a stall to back in. Attendants are there to guide you.
5) You throw your junk yourself.

So seem-less and easy! I didn't take my recycling there, however it's next door.

Came here for the first time today.

There is a little parking lot to the right when you enter. I looked completely lost so a friendly staff member came to help me.

I showed him that I had glass bottles, plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Because I had already pre-sorted my items, he said I could take my things (I could even drive up there) and load it onto the conveyor belt and someone would help me. Sure enough, a few seconds later, someone came to turn the machine on so that my items could be collected and weighed.

Once the conveyor belt was done, I was given a receipt which I turned into the person working at the desk. She gave me a check and I was on my way!

Pros:
-friendly staff
-easy system
-you get paid by check for your items

Cons:
-I actually pre-counted everything beforehand so I knew how much I should be getting back. However, they do it by weight instead of by item, so instead of getting $12.00 back, I got $9.00. Either way, I'm happy with how smooth the process was and would come back here again without counting cans since that's a hassle for just a few extra bucks.

I literally FILLED the bed of my pickup truck with aluminum cans. 14 large garbage bags full of CRUSHED (more cans per bag that way) cans. Took it to the buyback station and at the weigh station, they gave me credit for 45lbs... the guy said the computer was slow so I had to wait several minutes for it to weigh and calculate, and it must have still been half of the way thru when he printed the ticket... all that X $1.65 = $74. Ridiculous. Do not go here.

Super easy way to get rid of an old toaster oven and coffee maker. The guys working there were nice, too. Whole thing took less than 3 minutes.

The young garbage man clerk was very rude to me. His partner on the chair were just giggling and joking around.
I would not come back. Please check on your staff. Be more professional.

Some of the rudest workers! So many rules of what goes where. Always yelling at the people coming in to dump! Just be nice!!!