Recology

Awesome! Drop off additional recyclables for free and they buy back CRV recyclables. Their dump service is competitive and easy to maneuver. Thank you!

Requested their help in removing a sofa, loveseat and TV from my home that i own. Someone named Brianna said only the property manager can authorize removal from my home (a condo which I have owned for 18 years) Ridiculous. i can authorize any furniture removal I want.
Do not deal with these people. Can’t believe the ignorance.

Received a call from their area supervisor after I left my umpteenth message since the beginning of the year about their trash guys not following the city laws in regards to picking up refuse at the proper time (they’ve even picked up at 4am back in June (!))
She assured me that it was a misunderstanding and spoke with the employees responsible. I really, really hope so — when people work long hours to live in over-​priced places here in the Bay Area, no one I know — who gets up at 6 or 7am — wants a rude awakening by some trash guys throwing around garbage cans at 530am. Thank you for the effort.

So since Recology was awarded the garbage contract our rates have skyrocketed at least 40%. Our local officials have done us tax payers a dis-​service. With this increase we get worse service than BFI. So I missed getting my green waste out by 6 am, got it out by 7am, the usual time of driver is 8am. We get 1 free courtesy pickup, after that it’s about $ 18. BFI was much better about this. Funny we have the same drivers from BFI with rebranded trucks and a newly remodeled transfer station to house the new layer of management. Recology is just another layer of management that the county couldn’t handle. We we once again fleeced by our politicians and are paying dearly for it. Recology has definitely turned for the worse as stated by other reviewers. We voted for the change can we vote to take them out? Since Recology took the reins, ox mountain went from $ 20 a pickup truck load to $ 150. Partly because we pay a special fee for the city of Palo Alto to have methane gas produced and transported to them from half moon bay. 1 county to another. Is this really green? How come San Mateo county tax payers don’t benefit from this and why do we pay added fees? Don’t be fooled by the happy green logo.

so Recology offers two free bulk items pick ups a year. That is true unless you want to have it done in December. Then they are «sold out» for appointments and can only pick up extra trash bags. I can even understand «sold out» part if you can have an extra pick up the following year. But — not their policy.
I do not get how you can offer and promote a service you have no ability to provide it at 100% or, at the very least have a contingency plan.

came here for recology day and for garbage day. they have tents set up and tours given. normally tours are only on week days but since these are special events they were given on saturdays. smelly place but hey its garbage! the tour was actually really informative. just to see all the tons of garbage and recycling and compost they get daily. its cray! and then you get to see the education building which is fun. they do field trips for elementary schools. all the workers were nice and friendly. they do free e waste and other waste that you can dump which is amazing. now i know where to dump all my big wastes. open monday to saturday so it makes it easy to come anytime.

Bummer… the good customer service I first experienced with Recology has been overshadowed by the drivers who, periodically, do not pick up the trash. Would be less infuriating if they said, «oops, sorry we missed you, and that your trash is piling up!», but that has never been how they handle it. Every, single time I’ve called the agent to ask why they didn’t pick up the trash, they tell me the same thing… the driver reported that they were there to pick it up, but my bins were not put out. Not sure if they are confused or chronic liars, but the bin is always out on the same day, in the same place, and it gets tiring playing these games between the people who answer the phone, and those who pick up the trash. They have no problem charging my credit card for their service, on the dot, every time, rain or shine, whether or not they provide the service.

Recology has actually gotten better over the years. They still leave stuff in the cans, but for the most part, it gets collected. I also love that they collect compost and recycling every week. It makes me wonder how we managed to only do recycling every other week.

I work in San Carlos and a few times per year they miss picking up our commerical recycling bin. When I call customer service their notes on our account say the driveway was blocked and it couldn’t be picked up.
Funny because my security cameras show that they slowed down, kind of looked at our driveway and kept going. Our video footage shows no blockage.
They have missed two weeks in a row. The promise of sending out the driver again is always broken as well as the return phone call from the route supervisor.
My bin currently is stuffed with two weeks work or recycling and I have a feeling they won’t pick up until next week.
In their eyes it’s never their fault that they didn’t pick up my recycling. Perhaps if they didn’t have the county contract and we had an optional garbage company we could hire it wouldn’t be like this.

Why write a review for a garbage service? Because recently I was amazed by their customer service. I called to complain that the daily pick up at our apartment building was too early (530am) and too loud and woke us up consistently. I wasn’t sure if they could change it but they did. The supervisor actually called me back to discuss and they have addressed the problem. Real people who are nice — a rarity in customer service these days!

I remember the good old days when BFI had the garbage pick up in Redwood City. In 20 years they never missed picking up my trash. But somehow these awful drivers with Recology have managed to «miss” picking up my garbage a half dozen times. What is there to miss? There is a garbage can on the curb where you have requested it and yet you miss it? The recycle and green compost bins have been emptied but you just «miss» the garbage can!!! Really?
Lazy drivers not doing their job. Last Christmas I put my Christmas tree out exactly as they requested on the day they requested and it sat outside for over two weeks, I kept calling to complain and they kept saying they were coming to get the tree.
No one who runs a business this badly should be allowed to stay in business.

They’re nice when you call but their trucks are SO LOUD, it’s very disturbing. It doesn’t help that they come at 6 pm. I’m not sure why the 3 trucks don’t follow each other so we’re only woken up once. It’s a suggestion. How about some trucks that don’t break the sound barrier when they come through. I feel like I’m under attack.

We just moved to a new house and I called them on Monday to start my service. Wednesday morning they were at my door, took the garbage and recycle and gave us brand new bins. They also took all the boxes (about 50) we used for the move at no charge. The lady I talked to on the phone was super nice and helpful.

I moved here very recently and just started my service with Recology. I have called twice and had super pleasant experiences both times (first time to set up service and then today because I had an issue with pick-​up — not a Recology issue but a space issue for can placement.) Basically there are too many people with too many cars and the end result is that I have no place to actually put all three bins without going way down the street. My neighbors sadly put theirs in front of my house and then acted indignant when I blocked their driveway by like 10 inches. Sheesh. I just want to get my trash/​recycling/​composting out people! Anyway, I called the City of San Mateo and spoke to them and they arranged to have Ronnie come out to my house to see what could be done for me. Due to the neighbors being snarky and leaving my bins on the sidewalk, NOTHING was picked up today. Considering there is only once a week pick up and this is the 3^rd week of this nightmare, Ronnie was kind enough to take all of my stuff away for me and made a note in my file that I am allowed to have my bins on the sidewalk. Now, this is exceptional service that no one expects. I had Roxanne from the city and Ronnie from Recology at my house within 15 minutes of speaking to Roxanne. My neighbors might be bitchy but I can tell the level of service from the city and a utility company are top notch. Thank you. Thank you. Thank You!

Not like you have much choice in the matter but for folks who do have options avoid this company like the plague.
I have paid on time for many years and have gotten the run around every time I try to schedule a large pickup (supposedly we get 2 ‘free’ large pickups per year).
We are moving now and when I called for a large pickup we were told they do not do extra pickups for the ENTIRE MONTH of January. They will only pickup Bags on regularly scheduled trash days. Guess the trash will be out on the curb for 5+ days as I am not sitting around waiting for garbage day to move.
I really hope the city reads the Unilocal reviews before they consider renewing the contract with these lazy cretins. It won’t be my problem soon and for that I am terribly grateful. If I could give zero stars I would. They are violent with the trash cans and leave trash on the street on a regular basis. This latest interaction is just adding insult to injury.

I really cannot believe we are paying so much for this type of service. The front desk admin was rude. I greeted to her first and she never smile a bit during the time I was there to pay for the past due bill. When I asked her that I did the online payment a month or so ago, why it did not work? She simply said «you did not do it.» This is not the type of attitude I would like to pay the service for. I wish we can have a free choice on the trash service. I thought WM was good.

They consistently pick up my garbage and recycling each week.
:)
Seriously, why are we reviewing this place? WE DON’T HAVE A CHOICE, this is our garbage service! May as well accept it.

This place is a dump!
I had some clean up to do after a construction job… 5 large van loads of construction debris… all the same size… and I was charged 5 different amounts based on what the guy at the gate feels like charging.
They are the only game in town… not many other choices without a drive!

Many of the reviews here concern curb side recycling/​waste service. This review isn’t about that.
There are many things we accumulate in life which we accrue so slowly that we rarely are in the habit of putting out curbside. Motor oil, e-​waste, light bulbs, cooking oil, batteries — these items gather slowly and after awhile, we have enough on hand to recycle. Where do we go?
If you live or work in the San Carlos area, Recology on Shoreway is the place to go. They take almost everything (no used medication, no hazardous waste) and you can dump each item in its own bin. I find myself visiting Recology once a month and I never spend more than five minutes there. Awesome!

Lazy, arrogant, inconsiderate and incompetent monopoly. Ridiculous sorting requirements. Remember you’re providing a paid service to the residents, not the other way around.
City of Belmont, please change to another company please!!! If that means breaching the contract, I’m willing to chime in $ 100 to cover the cost.