Those of us living around Sunnyvale on the HWY-101 side are really lucky to have the SMaRT Station within a few miles drive. It's right next to the San Francisco Bay, and there is a hiking trail you can go on. BUT, most importantly, you can recycle your bottles, cans for refund, you can also drop off unwanted electronics. Even better, you can get free compost for your gardening needs, how good is THAT! read more

I love the SMART station - they organize hazardous waste dumps twice monthly and you may bring just about any recyclable here for disposal for free. As others have mentioned, the facility is fairly well run, open for long hours, and comprehensive. If you have batteries in your home, bring them here for disposal! Save the planet! The best part is they've gotten rid of the nasty speed bumps so my sports car that's 3" off the ground can actually make it into the facility. read more

I took advantage of the free dump last weekend and they will also have one this upcoming weekend. First 2 weekends on oct. I cleaned out a bunch of stuff over Labor Day, most I donated and other stuff was just garbage. I had 5 expired car seats that unfortunately can't be recycled. It has to be destroyed. Most people don't know this and try to sell it on craigslist, but yes, they expire after 5-6 yrs from date of manufacture. It's definitely big and bulky. I loaded those up and off to the dump we went. This place is huge!! It was a first time for me and the smell was quite an experience! I will say however, that it was very organized with all the workers helped coordinate drivers where to go. It would be chaos otherwise! You can't imagine how much garbage there is. Whatever could be recycled was, in huge bins, so that was great. But yes, I definitely agree. Garbage is serious business! read more

Every staff member was friendly and helpful. Most of the recycling facilities in California were recently shut down, so they absolutely need to post more staff in the recycling center because business is PICKING UP. Despite how busy they are, everyone was still very attentive and kind. Please add some support to the glass/plastic/aluminum recycling station. It's become much work for one staff member to have to bear, especially on weekends when the office is closed and the staff at the scales are in charge of cashing-out sellers as well. read more

The recycling of recycling. This is where you take your items for recycling and disposal. They take more than just cans and bottles. They pay better than most smaller centers. Organized and friendly. Rare 5 stars read more

Wish I can give negative stars...Borrowed a truck, spend the morning sorted and loaded the bags of cans/bottle into the truck/back seats,front seats. Drove to this place a d spent over an hr waiting in line for ONE worker to process the cans and bottle on Sat afternoon. Dragged 15 bags along the slow line, sorted them into 6 separate separate bins, finally it was my turn, only to be told by worker that because I had a few bottles with TRACE amounts of liquid inside they were gonna reject ALL of my cans/bottles. I asked the manager to come and inspect it he came and said the same thing. I told him cans/bottles was for a fundraiser and if they can take it and just give me half of the price. They refused said I had to take them all away meaning need to bag them all up and load them into the truck again. I was so tired hungry and thirsty and just felt overall disappointed. But they were willing to take them of my hands for free. This company is crooked AF. Somebody there got to pocket about $100 of fundraising money. Bad karma to you!! read more

Ok... if I ever run into a place that does this stuff, and it's clean... I'm not sure if I'll be happy that they are clean, or unhappy in that they are probably using something not-so-environment friendly to make it that way.... So.. inherently... can a place like this get 5 stars? either way.. 4 is pretty good. Take your stuff in.. recycle it.. .get some cash back. for the most part, my household recycles for the idea of recycling, not necessarily for the $$ for it... but if there is $$ to be had, why dump it to the city and get nothing? for cardboard and other plastics.. I dump it in the big grey bin... for aluminum and glass and plastic bottles.... I get $$ for it. thanks smartcenter!! read more

The guy was helpful and respectful to sort out what you can recycle. They almost basically recycle anything u can think of. This place takes appointments and it's not full of people. read more

I needed a place to drop off recycling and looked up SMaRT station in Sunnyvale - the fact that they were open 7 days a week was definitely a plus since I was only able to go on the weekend. This place is a classic example of why American's don't need to buy anything else and need to cut down on consumption. It's basically an organized junk yard. It smelt really badly. The good news was they were recycling our precious lightbulbs, microwaves, old computer monitors, etc., so that we don't harm the environment anymore than we already have. Bottom line, if you have junk to get rid of or need a good place to drop off recycling then SMaRT station is your stop. read more

I've been going to the dump here since I've been a resident of Sunnyvale - over 8 years now. While it's good to have a dump that you have access to - since I'm a resident, I'm always disappointed with how much money I have to pay to dump a truckload of misc crap from my back yard (clippings, old wood, old stuff that good will can't use). Every time I check in, the guy comes out with his measuring stick. Please dude, its a full size truck - long bed pick up. They've been the same frigging size since the 50s but yet you measure every time. I think you do this so I won't feel so bad when you hit me up with a 40+ buck dumping fee... I swear sometimes if I have 1 twig above the top of the bed I get charged and extra 10 bucks. Sunnyvale dump roulette.. one time its OK, the other time its way to much $ read more

Fall 2011 Update Cons: recycling plastic shopping bags is not allowed anymore I'm a hypocrite and guilty of overly using plastic shopping bags. I have perfectly good re-usable bags in the back seat of the car. I just can't seem to remember to bring them in with me. I justified it by recycling my plastic bags at the Smart Station. No longer an option! Now I have to jam them in the already packed Safeway recycle bins for bags. I figured Joe Blow at Safeway would toss them in the regular garbage when no one was looking. I was saving Planet Earth by driving over to the Smart Station with my bags. Pros: I can still get Free Mulch/Compost "The good Earth--we could have saved it, but we were too damn cheap and lazy." Kurt Vonnegut . read more

Go recycle your stuff! If you need some motivation to do so, well they will get you some cash. You can always be like me and recycle all your co-workers' cans and bottles for them (you know they're too lazy to do so on their own) and maybe come ahead (not really). If you want to maximize how much money you get, you can bring in 50 items or less and ask to be paid "by count," i.e. full CRV. How much more is than than by weight? I don't know, I majored in English. Eventually I decided it wasn't worth my while to come by there so often, but your mileage may vary. I will say that no one will go out of your way to explain this to you, but once you figure it out, they won't argue with you either. And actually... the best thing about this place is not having to go into a grocery store to get your cashback, as you had to do in SoCal. I don't know if that's common here, this is the only place I go to recycle and I'll never need anywhere else! read more

I found this place on Internet. I had a few bags of plastic bottles to recycle. Finding the place was a day of adventure. It's tucked away in its own little area but if you follow the signs you should be fine. Once you enter there are some tollbooths but you don't need to pay. I think that's where the garbage trucks check in. If you want to recycle keep on driving straight towards where all the stuff is and you do a U-turn to get to the recycle station. There's a person in a booth waiting for you who will come out and weigh the stuff. They give you a receipt and then you go into the building where they pay you. The process is really simple. I'll be coming back to recycle all my other stuff! read more

I am so happy to be Sunnyvale resident! The city is well organized and always looking out for their residents. One of many things they do for us is provide this availability to properly recycle, dispose of bulky garbage, and get free organic compost. Compost is not cheap at the stores, and this is a great way to recycle and help residents in their gardening endeavors at the same time. After visiting the SMaRT station, I feel that the City of Sunnyvale puts in their best effort into doing the best thing for the planet. They also have a great educational video online that describes what happens to our garbage and the impact we can make as individuals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOpYa5OKGgY read more

Taking cans and bottles here is really painful - long lines, confusing instructions, few bins, and one employee. It's almost like it's designed to be painful so you do to want to come. read more

It's easy to get in and out, park, and find the bins needed to sort recycling. You can get free compost. It's very rich, so much so that it might burn your garden, so use sparingly (and it stinks!). The "Smart" hazmat recycling is awesome. And if you're turning in cans and bottles for CRV money, you get top dollar on the first 50, and after that it's per-pound. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We really like Saul. He made it fun, and worked hard to guide us newbies through the process. Thanks Saul, for your help and patience! They are lucky to have you there! :-) read more

I came here with my friend, since I'm a nearby resident in this town, I get free admission... my friend wanted compost. We had a compost party, bagging free compost to load into the trunk of her BMW. There's no shame in rolling in with a luxury ride to pickup compost. Next time I'm bringing gloves, nose mask, and trash clothes to wear! read more

Please recycle your batteries, light bulbs and old electronic devices at the SMART station which is right by the bay lands. I took my old cell phone and batteries there and got paid for a few aluminum cans. Friendly staff and the facility was pretty clean! read more

SMaRT Station - Recycling Center Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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For Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale residents, this is a great free recycling facility for e-waste and other household waste that is not garbage friendly. Just drive in and by pass the scale and then pull into one of the parking spaces where the drop off area is. The times I have been there, the works have been friendly and professional. According to the Sunnyvale SMaRT Station website (may change so please check): Drop off the following recyclables at no charge: * Aluminum and bi-metal cansClothes and shoes * Cooking oil* * Electronics: computers, TVs, monitors (limit four), small appliances * Fluorescent bulbs and tubes (20 tube limit) * Glass bottles and containers (no auto glass, ceramics or mirrors) * Household and auto batteries * Mercury items: thermostats, thermometers * Paper and corrugated cardboard * Plastic # 1-7 containers * Sharps (needles and lancets) * Used motor oil and oil filters, antifreeze* I am hoping that the facility disposes of the e-waste in an environmentally friendly manner, i.e. not sending it to some third wold country where it ends up in drinking water or some place kids end up playing in it. Verdict: If you're a resident of the above three cities, no need to wait for those once or twice a year e-waste collection days that other communities have. Don't dump it in your regular trash! read more

By far the easiest to navigate, cleanest, friendliest dump I have encountered; and believe me....I've encountered. The prices for disposal of old furniture & broken lamps is fair. Accessible recycling bins for everything else. Let's give it up for the compost & wood chip piles! read more

Free dumping for residents... easy and straight forward. Just show ID, drive in-dump... drive out!

Easy in and out. We went after 4pm on a Sunday knowing we cut it close since they close at 5pm. They had cones in the street and no left turn at Carl. Had to do a u turn at Crossman. We got in at 4:20 and saw signs that they closed at 4:30. When we left at 4:49, the cones were gone, and I don't think they were letting anyone else in. You have to have a tarp or other cover over your haul or they fine you $15. Makes no sense. They said it's in case you're hauling a couch and there's a quarter in it that flies out. Okay but I just drove 5 miles at 35mph without a tarp, and I'm here now going 3mph for 200 yards. Was surprised that everything we had got dumped together (mattress, box spring and a ton of broken down boxes). Had read it was $17 per piece for the bed but we didn't get charged. Overall, easy experience if you can stand the smell! read more

The Smart Station is quite 'smart' you can recycle most anything here that is recyclable from plastic, aluminum cans, glass bottles, computer monitors, cardboard, phone books and more. http://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/Public+Works/Solid+Waste+and+Recycling/SMaRT+Station/ Although there are a lot of flies here, it's actually quite organized and orderly here and the staff were pretty nice. They are also open 7 days a week. read more

I wanted to recycle an old microwave and TV, so I decided to drop them off at the SMART station. The station itself is about what you'd expect, but I thought the whole process was a little confusing, so here are my tips: To get to the SMART station you turn right from Borregas onto Carl, not left as Google Maps would have you believe. The drop off area is not at the building labeled SMART station, rather it's outside in the area labeled Recycling center/ customer drop off. To get to the drop off area, after you turn right onto Carl, bear right and at the end, make a U-turn. The drop off area is out in the open, not the very large covered warehouse area. read more

Awesome place. Absolutely loved it! The first thing you notice when you get off in the recycling center is that there are a lot of truckers here, which add to the feel. The slight garbage stink in the air is not as bad as some reviewers claim and also add to the special experience you can only get in a dump or recycling center. The lady who counted my plastic bottles was nice and even gave me the choice of getting compensation by the count or the weight. She smiled. If she hadn't, I would have given it only 3 stars. After I got my receipt, I was told to drive over to the office. The parking lot next to the office was full, so -0.33. However, when I got in there, I was met with this 1970s groove of a building, the sort of Western bureaucracy feel I've been longing for for such a long time in the Bay Area. The lady who took care of my receipt was very efficient and smiled too, so thanks for that. When I was leaving the place, I saw somebody dressed in something looking like a camouflage suit picking up trash. That made me associate to radioactivity, Fukushima and all that, which made me nervous, so -0.33. Please don't do this in the future, or if you do, put up a sign that this is not dangerous. This gives the place a total of 4.33, which rounds to 4. You're strongly encouraged to use this place for its efficiency, nice people and attention to detail. They even have a compost! However, this is not the place for those who like the accidental snack since the smell of the dump would quickly be harmful to your appetite. In the end the choice is up to you, based on your specific needs and what you want from this fine establishment. read more

Easy to use. Pricey. Able to dump our loveseat and large mirror on a Sunday. Not a far distance from Fremont.

A little hard to navigate at first, but once I got in, it was smooth sailing from there. As said in many other reviews about the 50 or less rule, you should take that opportunity if you get it. Anyways the crew that helped me were not mean, and helpful, guiding me in and out. Good place to get rid of cans, making a little money, and also getting rid of light bulbs. read more

I just moved to Sunnyvale from Santa Clara. In my new place I had some light bulbs I had to change out. I go on the city of Sunnyvales website to see where I can responsibly dispose of its states Home Depot which is 10 mins away. I get to Home Depot they re-route me tithe smart station because they don't except tube fluorescent bulbs, ok I'm annoyed but I gotta do what I gotta do. I drive another 20 mins only to drive up (and someone almost hit me as I pull in because they are going the wrong way) so I'm already annoyed. As i pull in get out of my car light bulbs in hand i wait my turn patiently for 5 mins. The dude asks for my ID which I'm like ok here and he says sorry you need to live in Sunnyvale we can't take those, so i say I just moved to Sunnyvale I'm just trying to get rid of these, he says sorry we can't take them. I walk away because I know if I don't have anything nice to say to walk away before I make a scene. So I'm sitting here now thinking to myself you've got to be kidding me. I drive out of my way to do the right thing for the damn planet and you can't take my bulbs because of my address on my license! I don't get it, they are bulbs that need to be recycled, I'm trying to recycle them take my damn bulbs. So after all this I'm going to dispose of them my way..so nice job smart station. Thanks for being a pain in my ass when I'm trying to do good. read more