I never thought I'd ever write a review for a refuse service... but we are living in strange times. And during this Shelter-in-Place period, I feel it's important that we recognize those "essential" businesses and employees who have risked their health to continue serving their community. One such unsung hero is the Mill Valley Refuse Service. Whether there's rain or fires or power outages or a worldwide pandemic, these hardworking garbage men consistently keep our homes and businesses clean. They come to my apartment building a few times a week (always at the same time in the morning, and never late). They don't take too long or make too much noise or leave behind a mess. They get the job done every time. Without them, we'd be living in a world with overflowing dumpsters and racoons sorting through smelly trash cans. So for that, I am extremely grateful for their service. read more

We have used Mill Valley Refuse for many years! Excellent service, prompt and professional replies to our inquiries. A-1 rated io our book! No cliche...they go the extra mile! Gary Superior Roofing Solutions read more

This company starts their trash pick up at 5:55 am in my neighborhood the loudest trucks ever. This should not be allowed. This should be illegal. Complaining does nothing. Never heard of a trash company starting this early before. read more

Great customer service every time I called them with a request or question, always professional, kind, and all-around great. Have been using them for 45 or so years. Great company. read more

Great customer service and easy setup of a new account when we moved to the neighborhood. Haven't had any issues with pickups and they are extremely personable and responsive over email. read more

They are a local, family-owned operation very responsive to customer needs. Every time I pointed out something they missed or needed special arrangements, they promptly took care of my need. read more

My trash is frequently not picked up on the scheduled day despite the can being put out at the curb the night before the morning pick up. All my other neighbor's trash cans are emptied. I have called and left messages at least three time a month over a period of many years. I always get an agent that promises me that "going forward it will never happen again.".....and then it does. Raccoons and rodents can tip over the can and pull off the tie down band, leaving trash all over the cul de sac!! Neither I nor any one of my neighbors are happy about this situation. read more

Worst company to deal with. They just hung up on me when I was trying to start service. They a monopoly and they could care less about their clients. Any garbage company would be better than these rip off agents. $52 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment. And they hang up on you if you ask why your apartment house is not considered for the cheaper $41 rate. read more

I have never in my life written a review, but here we go. Kelly was the worst customer service rep I've ever experienced. She did not give clear answers to my basic questions, was condescending, rude, unprofessional, snarky, nasty. Okay that's enough, I am sure you spot the trends here. I am relieved to hear I am not alone as other reviews express similar frustrations. I tried calling back to get another representative, but lucky me, I got her again. Wish me luck and pray I get the simple answers I need. read more

awful service. constantly concerned about them not picking up. rude on the phone. if they had any competition, they would be out of business. read more

Staffed by rude and completely indifferent people. Their lack of basic competence and any even mild sense of customer service is only compounded by their high rates and unreliability. Why bother picking up the garbage and green can when you can dump it on the sidewalk and leave it there instead read more

Mill Valley Refuse Service - Green can dumped on the sidewalk - Recycling Center Near Me - San Rafael, California

Every week the drivers drop and throw trash all over my parking lot. I put up a camera just to show this. Be responsible and do the job we pay you to do and have no other choice but to do so. Watch the video on you tube https://youtu.be/sE-dZWHFPjg read more

I agree with all the other one star rating comments posted! If there was an option for no stars, that would be my rating. The garbage man refuses to pick up our bin regularly; we are left with the garbage bin filled for days attracting raccoons, and other predators. He/she/them has broken our bin twice. When I called to report the issues, the phone assistant had the nastiest tone, she/he/them was mad at me, and was just so very rude! it is NOT a Favor, it is a service we pay for. If this business was not a monopoly, there is no way they would survive as a business, and they know it, and fully take advantage of that. Shame on them! read more

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Mill Valley Refuse Service. My son is the biggest garbage/recycling truck fan I know, and on the heels of his fourth birthday, he asked to have a "garbage/recycling" themed birthday party. I searched high and low for an idea, contacting over 61 different people/companies/neighbors/etc. and finally met a lovely human being named Gene Della Zoppa, one of the owners of MVRS. Gene kindly said "YES" and agreed to host my son and 11 other four-year-old boys at MVRS for a small birthday party. They don't typically do "birthday parties", so this was incredibly special. On the day of the celebration, Gene and his Team went ABOVE AND BEYOND our wildest expectations and dreams - inside the facility, they setup tables and chairs, heat lamps, decorations...they made personalized gift bags for my son and his buddies filled with loads of cool MVRS gear...they took all of the kids on an in-depth tour of the garbage "yard" and told them about all of the different trucks and waste management processes....they showed us the mechanic's shop where all of the trucks get repaired...they let each kid sit in the driver's seat of a parked garbage truck and honk the horn...they did a live demo of compost compression in the back of a truck...they let us hang a 'garbage truck piñata' off the back of the truck filled with candy...and so much more. It was one of the most special days of my son's life, and this magical experience was all made possible by MVRS because they genuinely care about the community and wanted to make a young boy's four-year-old dreams come true. A huge thank you to the MVRS Team for an absolutely OUTSTANDING experience and gift that you gave to our family. We will forever be grateful, and forever be fans of MVRS! read more

I have been calling the Mill Valley Refuse Service contact number DURING BUSINESS HOURS for 2 months but they don't answer. The call always goes to a general voicemail box where I leave my complaint and my contact number. I've left many messages but to date NOBODY has called me back. Both of my recycle bins are overflowing because they haven't been emptied since at lease JULY 5. Today is SEPT 19. IF it was an option, I'd rate them ZERO STARS. NOTE: My household garbage and Green Bin (Yard waste) are picked up every week without fail. So why don't they pick up the All Brown and Brown with blue lid recycle bins?. read more

The WORST customer service I have EVER experienced, EVER (Shawn). They have one job, to pick up the garbage & recycling at my business. They somehow find this too difficult a task and choose to only pick up half of my compost and recycling every single Friday. Last week, like every other Friday, I call and ask them to come back to pick up the 2 cans they forgot (again). They say they have no one available until Monday and that the recycling must be contaminated or they would have taken it. It wasn't btw. When I ask them what they propose I do with the overflowing trash over the weekend, they tell me to go to the hardware store and buy more trash cans or paper bags to hold the waste. Ok, so let me get this straight, you want me to use my time and pay for additional cans, which I don't have room for inside of my trash enclosure, to hold the garbage you forgot to pick up until Monday. Really. Really ???!!! When I tell them their 'solution' is unacceptable and I'd like a refund for my service that day at the very least, they tell me they 'do not do refunds'. Excuse me? But you didn't do your job. And if my trash is overflowing due to your incompetence on Monday you will also not take it, as you 'don't take trash that is overflowing'. Right. After arguing with Shawn about this, she hangs up on me. Yep. Hangs up on me. When I call back to ask why she hung up on me, she tells me she didn't and proceeds argue with me about how her service is excellent. Wow, just wow. What a racquet. If I had ANY other choice as to whom to use for my trash pickup I would gladly do so. But, nope. There is only one garbage company in Mill Valley. Ridiculous. read more

I spoke to a MVR customer service rep that was short, argumentative and unkind. Disappointed because I went with them because they are a family-owned business and wanted to support them. read more

The voters of Mill Valley need to demand a competitive bid for our refuse/recycling/compost pick up. Prices are exorbitant, service is spotty and customer service is rude. read more

Very questionable customer service! We've been a customer for ~3 years and suddenly our service stopped - while we continued to pay. No phone, email, or letter notice of why. When called customer service, the lady was rude and instant to blame us for not properly placing the trash bins, she then hung up on me when I told her it was wrong for them to keep charging us though they had stopped servicing us with no notice. In the future, clearer communication would be appreciated BEFORE stopping service, especially if you keep charging us. read more

We have no complaints about our on-the-spot garbage haulers, and dealing with Kelly in the front office about getting and picking up a dumpster/ small debris box was smooth, pleasant, and expeditious. (And very reasonable! $139, when hiring a guy with a truck on TaskRabbit to go to the dump would have been much more. We got to keep the box as long as we needed it.) True, they've given us a hard time when we did stupid things, like put ashes in the garbage after forgetting being asked not to. (They blow into the faces of the garbage haulers.) But we deserved it. And I imagine some of the 1-star reviews here represent similar situations. These guys (and maybe a few women?) do a tough, backbreaking, and dirty job and it's time entitled Marin put themselves in their shoes. read more

If I could give a negative score, I would. During this COVID time and at all times prior, this sole-sourced waste contractor has seeked to bleed MV residence of patience and money. They are staffed by the MOST arrogant customer support team I have every experienced in my life. They handle calls with the tone of a monopoly that knows: if you don't like their service, your loss; If you don't approve of a charge, too bad; If they missed your cans today, tough luck, wait till next week. They fall back upon age old collection support tactics of creating tension in the call by raising their voice and interrupting. I've never experienced such horrible support like this. And during this time of stress and anxiety, to approach their customers with complete disregard is truly astounding. The customer is NOT always right in their books. Field truck drivers defer to the phone agents to defer to their better evils. Their management is worse choosing $$ over service 100% of the time. I would prefer to burn my money than give it to this company. Unfortunately I can't burn my trash so these putrid humans continue to infect my life on a weekly basis. read more

Yup. Awful customer service and surprisingly surly communication style on the phone. What's going on from a culture standpoint over there that the people in that office are so sour? read more

Combative, nasty customer service representative. At any other company, speaking to clients the way their reps speak to customers would likely result in instant termination. Pickup service is unreliable, and forget trying to schedule special pickups. I've seen drivers open a bin, look inside to see it only half full, and walk away from it instead of dumping it. The City of Mill Valley ought to consider bidding out contracts for trash and recycling to a different company. read more

Worst customer service I've ever experienced. Wish I could upload phone recordings, wow!

Since they started doing the dual steam recycling system, they have failed to pick up our recycling bin two times now. This is because of the paper bags we have needed use to transport everything from leaky cans to juice jugs. Because of this, our recycling bin is overflowing. On top of it, they are charging an extra $25 for a special pickup (despite the fact that the slip they left says $20). I don't see why we should be penalized for this, since they are the ones profiteering off the recycled materials. And since they have a monopoly on local trash pickups, we have no option but to play by their rules. read more

Customer service is consistently rude and hostile. The pick up service is unreliable. It's always an argument to get service mistakes resolved. read more

Worst service company ever. Overcharged for everything. Bad customer service and dishonest charging practices. I will never use them again at my job sites in Marin county. read more

Quick update - while customer service lady has a stick up the .... she sent me over to her manager. Not sure who he is - but a good guy. Was helpful - no nonsense, good attitude. If can get a hold of him - recommend you state to the problem/confusion - he will add clarity and help solve quickly. read more

MVR is the single biggest reason why NOT to move to Mill Valley. Maybe that's a bit much, but the huge onus that they put on residents with so very little support is out of balance. I feel like I have to become a student of trash (under independent study) to make sure that every week they take the refuse in all of the cans that are to be left out that week (and there is an alternating-week recycling pickup, which is another opportunity for mistakes). It hasn't been infrequent when I discover some can still full at the end of a pickup day. There's usually an email with a vague explanation, but come on. Listen, I care about the planet, I care about recycling, I am a conscious consumer, but the level of expectation on the MVR customer would, under normal circumstances, be met with an at-home orientation class and ongoing guidance rather than 100% rejection of a load based on a mistake. I'm left to be trash cop in my home, which is not the role I want, and I have fallen back on the mantra, "when in doubt, throw it out" rather than risk the hassle of getting a failing grade on my sorting that means I have to start over (and store paper for 2 weeks after it's already full). MVR has more interest in each article of waste than it does in its customers. Another lame monopoly. read more

Like speaking to a wall. Their customer service is excellent at saying "no". If Mill Valley Refuse Service had competition maybe they would have to answer to their customers. For them, no customers, means no competition and no recourse on our part. If I could leave zero stars I would. That said, their garbage collector is a great guy. It's just the office staff. read more

The problems continue, and the trash is only picked up intermittently. I am paid through March, and they have failed to pick up my trash for two weeks running. I am literally having to call them every other week or so. Then when I left a message to call me after noon, on my cell phone, they called me at 8am, on the landline. A couple of times, I've even heard them banging around at my trash cabinet door - and then still found they hadn't actually taken the trash! These people simply don't pay any attention to what you tell them, they give out wrong (and incomplete) information about billing, and they obviously just don't give a damn. As Tristan N. said, this does seem to have been a fairly abrupt change since sometime last fall. They were never perfect, but also never even remotely this bad. What happened? read more

My company has been using Mill Valley Refuse for years for their portable toilets. The company has been great, but just now I had a surprising reaction when I called them. We had ordered a porto potty to be placed in San Francisco, as we always do. They asked something that I had never been asked before, "do you have a preference to where we put it?" I said no, as there was a good amount of space on either side of the scaffolding and I figured they would know best. Well, they didn't. They put it in the driveway. Anyone who has ever been in San Francisco knows that you don't block driveways. This is common sense. I did not honestly imagine that this was an option to them, to block the driveway with it. I called to let them know and to ask if someone was available to move it, since we had a very upset customer wanting to know why she couldn't access her garage. Generally when I call I speak with Rebecca, who is wonderful. This time, however, I spoke with a woman named Deborah. Deborah told me that basically, this was my fault for not having specified to not block the damn driveway. I was really shocked by the way she spoke to me, and I expressed dismay that I had to deal with this, and that she was being so rude to me. She apologized in the way that a bratty teenager apologizes before flouncing off to their bedroom, and again I said that her tone was incredibly unapologetic. I understand that mistakes happen. I think the way that a company addresses complaints says a lot about them. Despite working with Mill Valley Refuse for over five years, I will be finding a new company that we will use for our needs, one who possibly values customers rather than frustrating them further when they call about a frustrating situation. Deborah, I hope you have chronic hemorrhoids for the rest of your life. read more

Absolutely rude service at the switchboard, and often you sit on hold for a length of time to work out problems. Rude, rude, rude, with a little lazy and stupid mixed in. But the company is a monopoly, so what can you do? Take your own garbage to the dump? Not an option. read more

We have had problems for the last few years now... For whatever reason they continuously skip our green. It has literally been a month and they STILL have not picked it up. It goes out every week... and it is ignored. This happens time and time again and I call them and complain... it gets picked up for maybe a week or two... then goes right back to being skipped again. I don't understand how this keeps happening. We are on a main street that is easily accessed. When I asked to be refunded or compensated some how for my service now being done for a month... I was told there is nothing they could do. Oh well i guess huh? At lease they are coming out today to pick up the VERY FULL Green bin... lets see how long the service lasts this time. read more

I'd give them one star, but they get a bonus star because Mill Valley Refuse gave us good service for 13 years. All that changed in the fall of '13. First, without any notification, they stopped picking up our garbage cans. Then, their drivers started looking in our recycling bin to verify our address and would not pick up the can because the address on the discarded mail didn't match. I'm not making this up! For those interested in the details, read on... We live on steps just off a cul du sac on a hill (as do many of MV residents). The garbage collector used to come down to our house from the street to pick up our cans...a distance of perhaps 50 feet. One week, our garbage wasn't picked up. When we called the service line, the rather unhelpful lady informed us that driver/collector is new and he doesn't want to walk down the steps. Ok, so you've changed a policy based on one of driver's whims? Without even telling us? Their website still states, "Trash cans must be in a visible location (accessible side or backyard locations are OK) by 6:00 a.m. on your designated pickup day." Our cans are accessible by this definition. But it was no use arguing with them. Ok, fine, we will bring the cans up to the street. It's worth noting here that we also share the same property with three houses, each with its own street address. Between us, we share a single green can and recycling can. We've placed these cans at the end of the cul du sac for all these years. Soon after, they missed another pick up, including the green and recycling cans. We called and were told they can no longer fit their truck at the end of the street. We'd have to bring all our cans 200 feet down the street, in front of a neighbor's curb. Ok, so now we have to do that too. Around this time, we decided to consolidate all our garbage into a single can, since we were never filling up two cans anyway. The property owner now takes care of the bill (so I'm technically not a direct customer anymore). This week, they again failed to pick up the recycling, even though it was placed where they could get at it. The property owner called to ask what happened, when he was told about the mail address mismatch (which happens to be our house's address). This feels like a shake-down, a blatant move to punish us and get us to reinstate our service. Shouldn't we be rewarded for generating LESS trash? I'll be contacting the City of MV to file a complaint. read more

Excellent service. I called them to learn about disposing of a television. I was told that if I gave them notice before my next pick-up, they would pick it up. read more

This goes only to the COMPOST section. Trash and Recycle get 5 stars. The Compost truck doesn't take compostable bags? Two weeks went by and they didn't pick up my compost trash because of this. For 2 weeks no one told me why they weren't picking it up. Now I have to stick my hand in a two week compost bin to manually take out already broken down compostable bags. A message/email/phone call would have helped. read more

I completely appreciate Mill Valley Refuse because 1) I have never had to worry about the service and 2) if they didn't do their job so reliably, it would make my life miserable. I imagine it's a business that definitely skews towards receiving reviews from only completely dissatisfied customers, so here's to trying to reclaim the space for a local business one review at a time. read more

Worst service I have ever encountered! Every single person that answers the phone in that office is extremely rude! Have called multiple times about missed pickups and every time I'm greeted by hostility, yelling and they even hang up on you!!! Don't understand how they are still in business and how the owner can keep people with zero customers skills on his payroll. I'd be ashamed to have employees like these! They simply DO NOT care about their customers at all. read more

Thank you to the two men who found and returned my wallet with the $200 cash still in it, along with everything else. They work for the Mill Valley Refuse Service and they are such honest and good quality people. We need more people like them to help make this world a better place. read more