I recently encouraged my young son to collect aluminum for money. Once he filled a 30 gal container…read morewith crushed cans, we took his haul to what has to be the most expensive real estate in Austin in AM&I. On our first visit, the window gave him a $5 bill (a paltry 41¢/lb @ 12 lbs); however, our second visit yielded $4.92 paid in EXACT CHANGE! It was then that I learned another nearby recycler offered 50% more per pound, and have been traveling to Brown Ln ever since.

Terrible location and setup, but they pay WAAAY more than GreenGuy which screwed me out of…read morethousands on aluminum rims

If I could give them ZERO stars I would! We have utilized their shredding service for a while…read morenow. So why one star if we've been doing business for a while? Because they apparently don't use modern technology like calendars and phones. All is great as long as you don't need them to pick up the full bin. If you do, be prepared to get ghosted on the appointed day/time. Not just once but over and over again. This is where a calendar would come in really handy! They NEVER call you to tell you the schedule changed, or the driver is late or give you what ever (likely flimsy) excuse they have for not showing up. They must not have reliable phones! I would recommend this company to no one who needs reliable service. Look elsewhere.

I suppose now is as good a time as any to reveal I've begun an internship at a nonprofit group…read moredowntown; I was offered the position because I'm friends with the person who runs the office for the chairman, my friend "L". L knows that with my B.A. in Political Science, paired with a keen understanding of politics, and my ability to get things done, I should be going places if I stick with it. What do I do exactly? Basically, I'm L's bitch. It's "The Devil Wears Prada", except instead of being sent to glamorous boutiques and tony restaurants, I'm sent to such exotic locales as the Chuy's off Barton Springs and the downtown post office to buy stamp coils. Here's where Balcones Recycling comes into play. Since everyone's so busy on a day-to-day basis, it appears that the cans of La Croix and bottles of Dublin Dr. Pepper in our kitchen have been accumulating I'd say, in a rough estimate, since April of Way Too Long Ago. Additionally, there was more untouched paper recycling in both the kitchen and the copy room than I believe there was actual paper stock. Apparently, the attorney in our office was about to lose his shiat because of the mess, and I was assigned the task of getting rid of the junk. This is absolutely not a problem. When I get going on deep cleaning and/or organizational kicks, I get on a roll and I won't stop until everything is perfect; my OCD is a powerful force I only unleash to do good. I wanted the crap out ASAP myself. I found a website online that listed nearby recycling centers, and while a tad confusing about who accepted what items, I figured Balcones would be my best shot. I asked L if they paid for cans, and she said she wasn't sure but if they did, I could keep the money as a tip. All 75 cents of it, I was guessing. Score. The drive into East Austin always makes me nervous, and this time was no exception. I found the location with ease, but all the parking spaces were full. Large 18-wheelers are constantly moving and out, and there is no signage about where one would drop off recyclables. I "creatively" parked and popped inside the office, where a friendly girl behind the desk explained there is a white dumpster just across the way that I could toss everything into. I thanked her, even though I was bummed I wouldn't be paid for my monstrous bag of cans. Nervously, I threw everything away as I prayed Kar would not be crushed by those damn trucks driving everywhere. The dumpster said "paper and cardboard only", so I double checked with the nearest guy standing around and he said I could go ahead and toss the cans in, too. Works for me As I left by narrowly escaping another incoming 18-wheeler, I felt proud of myself. I realized that I had just done my part to help maintain a sustainable environment for us, for our children, and for our beloved Planet Earth. Plus, L said I had to. 3 Stars.

This guy named Eddie truck number 95 was very helpful and very professional he made the whole…read moreexperience a great one!!

Thalia and the Break It Down crew have gone above and beyond in my experience. They helped my…read morecompany out with a very quick turn around time and were communicative, problem solving and professional every step of the way. I would highly recommend them to anyone using composting or recycling for their business.

I hired this company back in 2020 and had a really great experience, so I figured I would use them…read moreagain. Unfortunately, this time around, my experience wasn't nearly as good. The actual people who did the pickup were fine. A bit more bumping into walls than I'd like, but otherwise ok. The problem was scheduling. I booked a month in advance and they said they would be there the morning of pickup between 8 and 10 am. They were texting me to ask for pictures of what I needed taken away as early as 8:15. At 9:45 they texted me a quote. I messaged them around 10:30 asking if/when they were coming b/c the pickup window had passed. And then I didn't hear anything until around noon. Two hours after the pickup window. That's when they told me that they weren't going to be there until around 4. In reality, it was around 4:50. The reviews here are still generally really good, so I'm hoping my experience was just a fluke, but the lateness combined with the lack of communication made for a really disappointing experience.

Speedy, friendly, communicative service - have used them a few times for rentals where goods were…read moreabandoned and recently for a purge at a home I just moved to and some small reno projects. Can't recommend enough! Sarah

The e-cycling service in town. They will pick up all electronic waste for free- so you can feel…read moregood about not adding to landfills AND save time by not having to haul it anywhere.

I've known and done business with Shiloh and the Sector crew for years now and have nothing but…read moregreat things to say about them. The Return2Sector service is a great service to the community and businesses that need to get rid of old electronics (and data stored on those electronics!) easily and responsibly. Thanks as always for the excellent service!

We ordered a dumpster for some trash we had from remodeling our house. They scheduled us quickly,…read moregave good flat-rate pricing, and then came out again the day we said we were done with it. The service over the phone to the drivers who dropped off/picked up our dumpster were fantastic. I highly recommend this company if you are doing a large clean up on your property.

I am amazed at the OUTSTANDING customer service at Gardner. I had a ladder that was recalled. Part…read moreof the process was to recycle it and send pics of proof that I completed the steps. That evening I realized that I did not get pics of the recall number written on the ladder. I called first thing in the morning to see if they happened to still have access to it. I spoke to Steve and he not only located the ladder, but sent me pics so I didn't have to go back up there. Everyone I have spoken to there were friendly and helpful. They deserve 10 stars! Not sure if I'll ever need the service again, but if so, I know where to go. Thanks Steve and everyone else at Gardner! You saved the day =)

I had no issues whatsoever scrapping with Gardner, I was in and out. They were very organized and I…read moreappreciated it

Good good did I say good? YES! Good people. Good service. Good experience…read more What else do u want?

Ruined both of my $75 shirts and tried to blame me. Told me that my suitcase cause the problem…read more Never again.