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Inner City Recycling is a small recycling center in East Oakland that locals use to keep cardboard, cans and other recyclables out of the landfill. Neighbors dropping off apartment-room purge stuff and folks with weekend-shed debris both stop by here.
Drive up to a fenced lot with an entrance booth and a scale; the scale is used to weigh loads and many recycling centers charge by weight so expect to stop twice. Pull up to the booth to check in, then follow signs and arrows to the rows of open-top containers and sorting areas. The site looks industrial-piles of baled material and open bins-so plan for a bit of noise and dust. There are usually separate bays or containers for paper/cardboard, glass, metal and mixed plastics, and some centers offer special drop-off programs for things like electronics or bottle buy-back.
Facility Information
Before You Go
- Have materials pre-sorted and easy to access in the vehicle-unload the heaviest items first and keep boxes flattened to save space.
- Avoid peak weekend times if possible; mornings on weekdays tend to be quicker.
- Bring a tarp or gloves for handling dusty or wet items and secure loose items so nothing blows out while in line.
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Disposal Guides
Learn how to properly dispose of common items.
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