Bay Area Green Business Program

City of El Cerrito Home

Hours:	Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 4:45pm (PST); 8:00am - 5:45pm (PDT)
	Saturday - Sunday: 9:00am - 4:45pm

Location: 7501 Schmidt Lane
From San Pablo Avenue, turn east onto Schmidt and continue all the way until the end of the street. The Center is located on the left.

Rules and Regulations: All materials are accepted free of charge. The Recycling Center does not buy back bottles and cans from the public. For CRV centers, visit http://www.bottlesandcans.com/where.php.
Please respect the Center and its neighbors by not leaving materials outside the gate after hours.

Materials accepted

• Scrap metals (including water heaters, stoves, washers and dryers)
  
• Used motor oil & filters (up to 20 gallons per visit / 5-gallon container maximum)
  
• Automobile batteries (lead-acid cell)
  
• Household batteries (from residents only)
  
• Cell phones (non-working cell phones are accepted in a bin for recycling and working cell phones can be donated to the Reuse Station - see below)
  
• Clean dry plastic film of any color: grocery, dry-cleaning, newspaper, and bread bags. Popped bubble wrap ok. (No Styrofoam, no dirty food wrap.)
  
• Items in good condition for reuse: books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, audio tapes, video tapes (see below for more information)
  
• All curbside recycling materials, including large quantities and large pieces of cardboard
  
• Glass bottles and jars
  
• Clean hard/rigid plastics: almost every kind of clean plastic labeled #1 - # 7: plastic bottles, toys, hangers, nursery pots, non-Styrofoam take-out containers. (No Styrofoam, no items with non-plastic components)
  
• White office paper (remove from plastic bags)
  
• Mixed paper
  
• Aluminum cans
  
• Tin cans
  
• Aluminum foil and trays
  
• Corrugated cardboard

Materials NOT accepted

• Refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens
  
• Computers, computer monitors, TVs, other electronics
  
• Gas tanks, 55-gallon drums, pressurized cans or tanks
  
• Wood, grass clippings, any type of furniture or garbage
  
• Plate glass, glassware, mirrors, ceramics, Pyrex

For information on where to recycle or dispose of materials not accepted at the Recycling Center, visit our FAQ page.

MULCH PILE

The Corporation Yard (across the street from the Recycling Center) makes free mulch available during the summer months to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. Customers must bring their own shovels and containers. The mulch comes from trees and plants from the City's parks.

REUSE STATION

Goodwill Industries operates a trailer located at the Center, open daily from 10am-4pm. Goodwill accepts reusable goods, clothes, and toys in excellent condition. No computers, TVs, or other large items. Do not leave items if the trailer is full or not open (you can call the Recycling Center at 215-4351 to check if the trailer is accepting donations before coming to the Center). For more information about Goodwill and acceptable materials, call 1-888-4GOODWILL or visit http://www.eastbaygoodwill.org

BOOK EXCHANGE

The Recycling Center is also home to a free, community-run book exchange.

Visitors to the Center may take or leave books as they wish. Books that remain on the shelves for a long time will be reused in other communities or recycled. If you would like to drop off books, please place all books on the shelf. Do not leave books on the ground.

Recycling Center Holiday Schedule

The Recycling Center is closed on the following holidays each year:

New Year's Eve (Open from 8am - noon only)

New Year's Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Presidents' Day

Memorial Day

Independence Day

Labor Day

Veterans' Day

Thanksgiving Day

The Day after Thanksgiving

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

 

El Cerrito Recycling Center
7501 Schmidt Lane
Phone: (510) 215-4350     E-mail: recycle@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us     Fax: (510) 215-4352