El Cerrito Recycling Center CA 94530

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J L

I love this place! It is so convenient to come and drop off your recycling waste and help the environment at the same time. The facility is nicely run by competent and helpful workers and is operated very efficiently in everything from the drive-thru driveway, parking, and bin placement. There are several areas that are available for you to utilize and that is the main recycling area where you can drop off your glass/plastic bottles, batteries, cardboard, scrap metal, electronics, mixed papers, office papers, used motor oil and cooking oil, etc. You can drop off your unwanted clothing into the large lock bins and there is even a donation trailer where they can take your household goods and get a tax receipt. Whatever can't be recycled in the bins or donated can be left in the exchange zone where it is a free-for-all area where people can go and pick up other's usable items. One thing I need to let you be aware of when you go to the recycling center that I really don't like is all the vultures (i.e people) loitering around looking into your car and your stuff waiting to pounce on anything you are leaving behind so they can pick it up and go sell it online or in their shops instead of going to the needy people or be recycled. The recycling center has rules and policies to deter people from picking up stuff from the bins unless it is in the exchange zone. But you get those people who will come up to you and pretend they work there asking if you have clothing or other goods to drop off. I just ignore them and put the stuff in the designated bins and keep a watchful eye on my car. One other thing to be aware of is if you are dropping off your electronics like laptops or computers please destroy the hard drive and when tossing the items into the bin, make sure to toss it far enough away that someone can't grab it. If the bin is full, ask a worker for a new bin. Update: as of April 1, 2024 the exchange zone is temporarily closed for renovation. It will reopen tentatively on July 1st. Update: August 2024. Exchange zone is now open with new rules and restrictions. See website for details. The whole experience is so much better now that it is monitored and there is no longer the loitering and people running up to you, looking into your car, yelling at you for things that they want to take from you which made the whole experience of going to the recycling center or donation truck an uncomfortable experience. Another great experience dropping off stuff to get recycled. Update May 2025: they optimized the layout a bit at the recycling center. The magazines that used to be at the Exchange Zone is now at the same section of the drop off circle where you can get clothes hangers, CDs, pots, and corks. Also, the electronics waste area has been expanded so you can securely drop off your data sensitive devices such as your laptop, tablet, and mobile phones. Update: Fall 2025. Styrofoam is only for El Cerrito residents. Alternatively you can take it to National Recycling Corp in Oakland. They are the only ones nearby that take styrofoam free from the public.

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Ton T

Very nice community waste and recycle center for the household. Items taken include e-waste and books. There’s also a book repository that you can browse and take books from. Always the interesting.

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S B

Too many rules about when / how / what you can drop off even for west contra costa residents. I come here and sometimes can use the service sometimes not. Even though I live in the county and pay taxes here. Very frustrating. It’s also not consistent when and which customer is asked. For example today I went to drop something off. Person before me no problem. Not a question asked. They went up and dropped it. I came up and was questioned and told no even though the person before got a free pass.