Friendly staff. Easy location off I-80 westbound at Gilman and 2nd Street. The process was a little confusing at first. There are limited signs telling you how the process works. For you first timers...make sure you separate your aluminum cans from your plastic bottles. Drive in stay in your car, and wait your turn. Then when it's your turn get out of your car and dump your items onto one of two conveyor belts. The attendant will watch the system weigh your recycled items and then give you a ticket. You will then take your ticket to the window where the clerk will print you a check . After I figured out the process, it was pretty easy and I found it to be convenient. I recommend this place for your recycling needs. Now if I could just find a recycle place that also does high volume shredding. All would be good. read more

Quick and easy process. Open on Saturdays. Free to drop off boxes. I love that you can drive yourself around to complete what you came to do. read more

See all

First time coming to this recycle place it's simple and easy to get hang of the staff is super polite and helpful read more

Berkeley Recycling Center - Front desk cash register - Recycling Center Near Me - Berkeley, California

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. read more

Came in to recycle bottles+cans. There is a different car line for metal and bottle recycling. Process was quick and easy and the staff was able to help us with the recycling. Just put up your cans/bottles on the belt and then they'll be weighed out and you'll be given a check for the weighted amount. read more

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. :) read more

See all

I appreciate the drive thru drop offs and the help I receive while there. Pretty quick and efficient when not super busy. Wish it was closer. read more

Really not very personal, but the cost was alright and they accepted all the electronic equipment I needed to dispose. Thank you, Berkeley Recycling. You'll see me again in the future. read more

Overall, this is a good place to recycle. But if you are redeeming CRV containers, be VERY WARY if employee LARRY serves you. Check and double check your claim slip, because he has habitually and repeatedly omitted items that I brought and he weighed. For example, when I have brought and he had weighed aluminum, plastic and glass, the claim slip he gave me has only plastic and glass (no aluminum), or only aluminum and glass (no plastic). The first couple of times, I attributed it to him making an honest mistake, but this happens over and over, and only with LARRY. It is pathetic when you think about who is being stolen from. I hope management cracks down on this type of theft. read more

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 read more

See all

The recycling center is well organized and clean. I'm glad I went to this one instead of ones in West Oakland.

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

Thank you so much much for being a place that still pays for recycling!! Especially being in Berkeley you would think the traffic and arrival would be a hell hole but it's really organized and easy to drop bags of cans off. Also everytime I upload my check to chime it deposits within an hour or 2 so that's really cool. read more

They gave a child a check for his cans the kid can't cash the check Roth no id they kept his cans go elsewhere it's not worth the hassle read more

Berkeley Recycling Center - Check - Recycling Center Near Me - Berkeley, California

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. read more

Berkeley Recycling Center - My truck full of bags of crushed cans, all worth a whopping total of $74 here. - Recycling Center Near Me - Berkeley, California

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. read more

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. read more

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

Third time I've packed my recycling to bring to this center and it's closed, even though the website says it's open. No information on the outgoing recording and you can't actually speak to someone. Seems to me that the city of BERKELEY could do better. El Cerrito does. How about keeping your operating hours current. Thank you. read more

Super friendly staff and I was impressed with all the clearly marked sorting sections and how much stuff they recycle. Please note the ewaste center is at 620 Page St. Not at the Transfer or Glass/Metal recycling center. read more

What a terrific resource for recycling. It's so easy--you drive in, unload your stuff into clearly marked bins etc. And the staff are friendly and helpful. And it's conveniently located next to the dump-- For items that cannot be recycled. read more

Convenient and Comprehensive Recycling Services It's always busy here and not just in my vehicle-based drop-off line where we're recycling our cardboard and other stuff (including scrap metal) that might overwhelm our home-based service. There's also a long line of street folks cashing in their recyclables for cash and "mountains" of packaged cardboard and other processing in the back. All of this is being directed by a few efficient and no-nonsense type operating out of the trailer. And if you have green waste, construction material and other stuff, the Berkeley Transfer Station is right next door. read more

Check for times, because the close early on weekdays and sometimes not open on weekends.

Please do not go to Berkeley Recycling on weekends after2:00 p.m. I encountered most rude & pushy Hispanic lady she had to be in her 60's. She's all in your face instead of letting customers do their own thing she,'s coming to your car inquiring if you have cans. Letting people cut lines when I can trying to let customers a head of me finish their transaction. They are not during "Social DISTANCING " there. O was there between 2:45 p.m & 3:15 p.m. read more

So, after fifteen months, the lower portion of my house was overflowing with cans and bottles. The time to remove these things: this morning. The place to drop them off: the Berkeley Recycling center. In no particular order: -- The manager was ~35 minutes late: No kidding. Apparently, the scales for the buy-back operation are all controlled via computer, and the switch to power the computers is kept behind a locked door. Naturally, only managers have the key, and there are five managers. You'd think that with all of the redundancy and professional expectations that at least one of the managers would have been on-site when the place opened, but no. Better: of the five managers, apparently only one was picking up the phone. What should have been a 15 minute trip turned into a 45 minute slog. -- The staff members were courteous and professional: Warm and cuddly these guys are not, but I found them to be communicative, appropriately apologetic for the lack of management, and more or less helpful. -- There are times when the place is not packed: I went on a Wednesday first thing in the morning, arriving just as they opened the gate, and no one was there. --Sketchy area: It's at 2nd and Gilman, which is a stone's throw from the homeless megalopolis at the Gilman overpass. -- Dirty and loud: No surprise, but it would behoove one to bring gloves, and hearing protection if one is dropping off bottles. Scoring: +3 stars for basic buy-back service -2 stars for managerial craptacularity +1 for staff members who went out of their way to keep me in the loop as to when a manager, any manager, would show up. read more

First time coming here and it was pretty fast. Employees were helpful. It was more of a drive-thru. I would definitely recommend this place.

I'm just glad they were opening, the cities nearby have decided recycling doesn't matter anymore. Anywho they're pretty efficient

Since all of the local drop off recycling centers have shutdown Berkley comes through. So glad to get rid of all my recyclables piled up in my yard. read more

I've never reviewed a recycling center before, so here goes: the Berkeley Recycling Center is great. Conveniently located, easy to get in and out, and very helpful. Very responsive to questions, too. A lot of people are really resistant to taking care of their garbage and helping the planet. If more places were this easy, maybe more people would get on board. read more

I like this recycling plant. It's the most organized I've been to and if you come with your stuff sorted it's a lot faster. And I know this seems strange but they seem to provide a larger return amount ‍. They pay for returns by check so make sure you have your ID with you so they can verify & issue your check. COME EARLY. The line gets long fast. They open @ 9 so about 8:35/9:40 you wanna show up. Also it's right off the 80/580 exit to the left. You'll miss it if you blink lol read more

It's right near where I live, but I've had mostly poor to bad experiences here. For the deluxe area recycling center head over to El Cerrito. For buyback: the staff is surly, the scales seem to under-weigh, and they pay out only in checks. The place is really set up for the homeless bringing bulk items, they even post a list of check cashing places that will work without ID. For dropoff, they take a lot less types of stuff compared to El Cerrito, and it's dirtier. For dumping, I was really disappointed that everything goes into the landfill, even clean dirt. For clean dirt options see the list at StopWaste.org or head to Bee Green Recycling and Supply in Oakland ( https://www.oaklandlandscapesupply.com/ ). read more

When recycling bottles. It was quick and easy and the employee was helpful. Bring your own pen to sign for your check! read more

Berkeley Recycling Center - Buy back rate 03/2017 - Recycling Center Near Me - Berkeley, California

I have been using the recycling center for many years now The staff are very friendly and helpful. Especially since. I have very heavy trash cans full of bottles. They are very kind, courteous and professional. Thank you read more

They don't buyback paper like books or magazine. The lady said they do cardboard and newspapers though. For books and magazines, you can recycle them in the three big blue bins near the fence that say BOOKS on it. To recycle electronics, go down the street to the Computer and Technology Resource Center. read more

Berkeley Recycling Center - Recycling Center Near Me - Berkeley, California

I do my share in being environmentally friendly by practicing the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In my book, there's a fourth. R-E-F-U-N-D baby!! Here at the Berkeley Recycling Center, their friendly and helpful staff make the process effortless. You can jam in and out of there in less than five minutes with some $cha-ching$ back in your own pocket. Enter the parking lot, zoom past the shopping cart drivers, pull up to the buy-back area and dump your empty aluminum cans, wine bottles, beer bottles, plastic water bottles and containers in their color designated bins. In exchange they hand you an invoice which you redeem at the cashier window. You exit smiling, holding a check in hand worth almost....a WHOLE gallon of unleaded gas! Other recyclables are welcomed (check website) and you'd never think that the last two weeks of the Chronicle were worth that much. For the sake of efficiency, make sure you pre-sort and caps off! read more

I was completely amazed by the customer service here. I had a carload of water bottles to exchange at their buyback line. Ok, so this was first time at any recycling center & I was unaware of their sorting requirements. One of the kind gentlemen asked me to park to the side & guided me by providing me with several garbage bins you sort out my bottles. Everting I encounteted went out of their way to help me out. I had a very pleasant ejjj read more

The Berkeley Recycling center (off of Gilman, by the freeway) is a decent recycling center with cardboard, paper, cans, bottles, scrap metal, and book drop-offs. They even have a buy back area for aluminum cans and wine bottles and really friendly staff directing the facility. They are also conveniently next to the Berkeley transfer station, which takes green waste and other debris. My only complaint is the drop-off area is really small and dirty and they don't take hazardous waste (i.e. batteries and oil) or old appliances or have a Good Will trailer like the El Cerrito recycling center, whose large facility in the old quarry spoils me. For some reason, I expect more from Berkeley. But I can't complain since they were open on New Year's Eve afternoon, when with a completely packed station wagon, I discovered that the the El Cerrito recycling center had closed at noon. They saved me from unloading and reloading the remaining recyclables from my newly cleaned garage so I could party for New Year's. read more

Was looking for a spot to recycle 2 years worth of cans that was open during COVID. Our usual spot was closed. BCR to the rescue. Super easy, drive up, place your recyclables into the appropriate bins, then go and pick up you check. Our new recycling spot from now on. read more