0 stars. Tri-Ced failed to pick up my recycling, claiming it was inaccessible because a car was parked in front of the bin. This claim is completely unacceptable. The recycling bin was touching the street and placed directly next to two other cans that were serviced without issue by Waste Management. The driver got off the truck and serviced my address, proving accessibility was not the problem. I am located on a busy street and have no control over who parks or where people park. Expecting residents to manage street parking to accommodate Tri-Ced's convenience is unreasonable. When I called to resolve this, I was met with dismissive and poor customer service and was again told the bins were "inaccessible," despite clear evidence to the contrary. This is a failure in service, accountability, and customer support. Tri-Ced needs to own this mistake and correct it, not deflect responsibility with excuses. read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - This is Tri-ced photos, saying my cans inaccessible - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

It's been a while, so let's update! Still come here when I can when I have way too many cans at home. I do appreciate that it's all just by weight but yes in theory you may be getting less than the per item. But it's a great/easy way to still get cash back for all your aluminum and plastics and glassware. T I P S + Make sure you come with everything sorted. + Don't come first thing in the morning. There will be the longest line ever. + Come Wednesdays or Fridays and specifically afternoon. + Make sure you grab all the bags you came with as it's now part of the process. They can't throw your bags any more. Today I came around noon-ish, it wasn't too long of a line. But after I left it was completely empty. So if I came around 12:45/1pm it would've been in and out so fast. I had 4 big bags of aluminum cans at 15lbs, 1lb of plastics and 1lb of glass. Everything was about $27. Not bad. Definitely will fund my boba addiction. read more

Quick and easy drop off, the team was friendly and polite. I really appreciate the effort by the team.

This place accepts e-waste but in order to drop it off, they make you wait in the same line as people selling recyclables. The line can get so long that it's impossible. They really need a way for people to drop things off without waiting in a line for unrelated things. read more

WARNING : Sort all your cans and bottles in their own respective bags before coming here. There isn't a place for you here to sort and you will slow down the line and make the employees super upset (don't ask how I know). Been coming to here for years for selling cans and bottles ever since the one on Stevenson in Fremont closed. Unfortunately there's no senior perks here. This place is pretty cool as you can just drive up and the help does everything for you. The line goes a long way and sometimes you have to wait 40 min to an hour before you're up next. But there's 2-3 Poké stops if you're good at killing time. read more

Quick and easy, definitely will recommend it. The guys were really quick, make sure to have everything separated, take your recycle bags back they don't recycle those and they don't have a place to leave them. Over all a great experience. read more

Reduce, reuse, recycle! Came in to redeem some glass and plastic bottles and it was pretty quick! The staff work quick to help you unload your recyclables and get you paid. If it's your first time, make sure to separate your materials and for glass, separate them based on color (clear, green, brown) as it will help save some time. Check their hours and be mindful of peak times (I would say it's usually mornings). Near the entrance on the road, there's a lane to the far left side for entering into the lot in case there's a line. Just follow the signs (you'll end up making a left) to get to the redemption center. They'll take your stuff and put them in the respective bins to calculate the weight of each material. Stick around until they give you your receipt. Then take your car and receipt around the center where the green office is located. Park your car and get in line to get your cash. Sometimes the line gets long so bring a coffee to sip on while you wait. My last visit was in and out in about 15-20 minutes. Not bad during a lunch break. Every year residents will also be eligible to come redeem some bags of compost. The lines tend to get super long but they have tried to minimize the crowds by breaking up redemption groups by last names. I haven't gone in a few years but when I went, easily took over 30 minutes. Probably not worth the compost but if you're in for the experience, check it out! read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

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Used to be great but not sure who is managing this place now, I tried diff day of the week, and not once I stayed. I waited in line for good 10-15mins, it did not move at all. One day I thought I would give this place a try again, the line actually moved for 3-4 cars after10mins then it didn't move for 20mins. So I left. While waiting I got out of my car and talked to the driver in front of me who appeared to be a freq. he said yes, today line is actually shorter than usual. You ought to be kidding me, who would invest that much time to recycle a few bottles for the price? Also waiting in line against traffic is another illogical solution came up by whoever is running this place inefficiently. read more

Previously I used to stand in a line, with the smell of old beer, and standing on a sticky floor of dried beer and soda. To drag my bags or recycling at the supermarket parking lot. Those days are gone with the drive in option for Tri-Ced. I must warn you, you "DO" need to sort glass bottles by color, else you get put in to the penalty box and have to do that on the side lot while they help other customers. Once you have sorted that, they weight in your stuff and you get cash back. Also sort aluminum cans, plastic bottles in separate boxes or bags for easy recycling. If you sail through the line because you sorted everything correctly at the beginning. Your drive to the other side of the island and then go stand in line at the Kiosk and give them your paper work. Then cash in hand, blow it on chocolate and be happy. Please be aware of the "protocol" for driving in. Look at the Pylons that are along side the Tri-Ced property. They want cars to drive down the wrong side of the road, behind the pylons to avoid blocking any other businesses. Please be courteous as large trucks have to get through as well. See attached picture. read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

I weighed my aluminum cans at home it came out to lb 51 lb their scale waited at 35 pounds.

I am driving to this Tri-Ced recycling from Oakland almost every three months since several years with my bottles (glass and plastic bottles) and always receive $40 to $50. Today I got robbed at this place by the worker who handed me the receipt after weighing my bottles!!! I had almost 35 to 40 pounds of PET bottles in six bags(two of them being giant garbage bags) and he deliberately put 7 pounds to the receipt!!! Presumably he thought that I was old and an easy elderly prey for him! When the cashier handed me $10.29 I told him that there must be a mistake and I told him that for the same load I always received $40 to $50. The nice cashier asked me to show him my bags which I showed two of them. The cashier than prepared another receipt for $14.70!!!! So I received a total of $24.99!! instead of at least $40. I wish somebody in this company investigates this young man who was working at the first scale today (August 6, 2025) at 1:23pm. I wonder to how many other elderly customers he is doing this everyday. I am also thinking of contacting to the Union City Police Department about this theft. As I have all six bags in my possession it is very easy to calculate the total weight of the PET bottles! Just be careful when you take your items to this place. Thanks for reading to this point. read more

** They Close At 3:00 ** !!! Very poor customer service to the community to not have this information prominently displayed. TRI-CED - please post this as your closing time instead of a misleading 4:30pm as shown on the primary website as well as your business street-sign in front of the recycling center. It's not until you surf the "recycling" site and read through the fine print does is suggest you "please be in line by 3:00pm to be guaranteed service by closing time." They won't let you in after that. The "manager" was presumptuous, dismissive, and rude. Said in an attempt to normalize the situation, they "regularly have to turn people away". Then immediately says however that I and the community "should know" the 3:00pm cut-off time as it's "prominently posted on their website". His definition of "prominently posted" is head scratching. The message obviously has not reached the community as several cars were lining up behind me at 3:45pm, and, per his statement about them frequently turning people away. It's a waste of people's time, gas, and money to prepare and make the trip only to be turned away. Not to mention a negative hit to the air/environment to have horribly long lines of cars. It's also something cities need to reassess when the community is nickeled and dimed for the CRV's which they have to jump through hoops to receive the redemption, and further environmental harm in the process. read more

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This is the only recycling center that I'm aware of that's left in the area south of Berkeley. The location is in an industrial area of Union City. And it gets very busy!! If you are there in the morning to afternoon, expect a good 30 min wait at least. Unfortunately, everyone in the East Bay comes here because it is all that is left to bring your recyclables. They have a good enough system to handle the flow of patrons but it definely needs help. I understand the workers may not get paid the best wage to handle the constant flow of people and they have to lift cumulatively, a ton of stuff pretty much all day. But they do the best they can and I for one appreciate them for what they do. They have fair prices for the recyclables and I'm always surprised how much I get back. Of course, we pay the price for it before consuming. I'm so surprised more people don't attempt to get some of their money back trough this program. I guess it'll have to be worth your time and effort to do so. But at least, those who are less fortunate can get money this way while also gathering what is already out there. read more

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A little bit of a drive from my home. However, they are pretty quick. It is so pretty here not lie the other recycling places. I just drove up and I have six cars in front of me but however it's going so quickly. And also they are helping the people with their recyclables which is pretty cool. And I live in Oakland and this is in Union city but I'm sure it's worth the drive. Plus I don't think we have any more recycling place is open read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

I've come a few times now to recycle my bottles and cans here. Highly recommend avoiding this place as soon as it opens or early on the weekends. The line gets really long and wraps the block. I like to go at least 2 hours after open on a weekday to shorten my wait time. This is a drive through service. You can easily follow the signs to line up. When the employees are ready for you, they will wave for you to pull up to the building in front of the bins. Open your trunk/doors and they will help unload and place your recyclable items in the proper bins/stations. After that, you can loop to the small building and there are parallel spots you can park at. The person who helped you will walk over and give you a receipt with the weight of your items. Take the receipt to the small building to receive the cash. They make the process very simple and are nice. Only negative is the wait if it's busy. It's hard to find places that take recycling now a days. Glad this place is open. read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Drive through and there are two stations with people to help you unload your recycling - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

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Tri-Ced Community Recycling is located in Union City. Many recycling centers have shuttered. This is one of the few that remain in business. I bring my empty bottles and cans here for cash. It is convenient and practical. The staff are friendly and helpful. If you have bottles and cans to recycle, this is the place to go. read more

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I just dropped off some used electronic equipment at the site and had to wait in line for almost an hour. What's a joke? Whoever manages that drop-off site should be fired as soon as possible, so no one needs to wait in line for that long. The person who took in my recycling items was unfriendly and rude. I wish he had a name with him so I could put his name here. read more

One of the last places you can recycle in the Fremont/Newark/Union city area. My last visit the place looked even cleaner than before. Very nice for that sorta place. Staff is courteous and attentive. They do not make you remove bottle tops like other places which is also good. Lines are long, and I'm not sure if there is a best time to go, but there are some ways to get in and out quickly, just pay attention ;) read more

Tri-Ced together with Republic Services and Union City celebrates Earth Day on April 22 by giving away 2 bags of compost to every Union City resident on April 24. Republic Services, Tri-CED Community Recycling and the City of Union City at the Annual Compost Giveaway on April 24, 2022! It's their way of thanking residents for properly recycling their yard trimmings and food scraps each week in their green organics cart. Republic Services, Tri-CED Community Recycling, and the City of Union City invited Union City households participating in the organics recycling program to collect two (2) FREE bags of compost from 8 a.m. - noon (or while supplies last) at the BART Station parking lot #1 I (SW corner of Decoto Rd. and 11th St.) Compost is the end product of grass, branches, leaves, food scraps, and other organic material as it breaks down naturally. When this mixture of material biodegrades, it becomes a useful soil conditioner and fertilizer that retains moisture, conserves water and nourishes plants. Compost is meant to be used as a soil amendment - think of it as a vitamin boost for your plants and trees! Earth Day is about saving the planet and everyone is responsible for recycling and avoiding excessing amount of materials in our landfills. Everyone should educate themselves on what material is recyclable and what material belongs to compost. This event was well organized and the parking lot has several signs directing the cars to the designating pickup area. The wait was not long and there were several pallets of compost available for everyone. I want to Thank Tri Ced, Republic, and Union City for celebrating Earth Day 2022 with a compost giveaway. read more

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I weight the aluminum cans before coming today they weight 4.8oz. The ticket said 1.65 lbs. You should adjust your scale or this Co. is a ripped off! read more

What a bunch of GRUMPY unfriendly people. I arrived and greeted by a stern employee, with no smile. I smiled and said hello, and there is no comment. Met with another guy, and I smiled and asked how he was doing. At least he mumbled a somber "ok." Went to the window to cash out, and all these postings on the window block the face of the cashier and all I see are hands and another unfriendly voice with instructions. I DO appreciate their service, maybe management needs to show they're appreciated as well? Maybe that would be a start to a happy employee. read more

Supposedly this is the last recycling center open around this area and because of this the line is a lot longer than it used to be. I came here at 9am right when it opened and the line was super long. The wait can take up to an hour. But it makes sense sense everyone is going to start coming here. So we can't really complain. Just thankful that they are still open. In regards to the recycling I'm still unsure how they calculate on how many bottles or cans you have. Always seemed inaccurate when I get my receipt. All in all. Best place to recycle your stuff. read more

Since all the other recycling centers around here have closed down. I was happy to find this place. China is no longer buying our aluminum and the prices have tumbled so low it doesn't pay for recycling centers to stay open... That said we still had bags of cans piled up in our backyard that I wanted to get rid of. Google and YELP helped us find this place nearby in UC. The first time we went the line was wrapped around the block! There was no way I was waiting in that... maybe if I had a truck load. Which I didn't! We tried again and the line wasn't nearly as long. This recycling center is super clean. They have a victory garden with picnic tables, for employees lunch breaks I assume. An employee was painting it while we were in line. Another employee was raking leaves. It is well cared for. Everyone was wearing masks and gloves. The employees get the recycling out of your trunk or truck... Is this a Covid19 thing? IDK?! It was my first time but it was helpful and efficient! This place is very well run & managed. I think I will just put ALL my recycling in the recycling can for pick up from now on... That said I totally recommend you take your recycling here. E-WASTE is accepted here for free! read more

It's a fast and clean recycling center. It seems to be very well organized and efficient. They have an extra side of bins for you to sort if yours isn't sorted already. Payment and transaction seems to be smooth no issues whatsoever. read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Entrance to recycling - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

This recycling center takes E-Waste, glass, plastic bottles and aluminum. The line of cars and PU trucks go around the block filled with bags of recyclable plastic bottles and aluminum cans. The service one car at a time. The redeeming factor is there are employees that will help take your recyclables out of your large garbage bags and place them in the weighing bins. This is way better than having to do all that yourself as in other recycling centers. After all your recyclables are weighed, they give you your weight receipt where you give to the booth to collect your money. Overall, the car line moves decently. Not every car or PU truck have a boat load of recyclables. Note: max of 100 Lbs limit read more

For a place that's known for trash and garbage, this place doesn't smell that bad. The smell is tolerable and it doesn't make you want to vomit, lol. I accompany my mom at least once a week to drop off our recycling from the week. Tri-Ced Community Recycling is super organized and the guys that work here are friendly- so that's why we continue to drop off our recyclable items here! Not to mention it's about a 5 minute drive from our home so, the close proximity works for us. So you basically drive up, follow the signs and the recycling process begins. They take aluminum cans, plastic items and broken down boxes. You get paid accordingly, for the aluminum cans and plastic bottles. On a good day we drive away with $30-$40, not bad for helping keep out keeping the earth clean and waterways free of plastic stuff. We will continue to visit Tri-Ced recycling, you should consider visiting too! read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

I've gone to a couple other recycling center, and this one is the best one so far! As soon as you drive in someone will be there to help you unload all the bottles and dump into the machine. The entire process was so efficiently through I was questioning like "wait that's it?" Definitely recommend!!! read more

It doesn't get much easier. Wait in your car, open the trunk they do the work. Have things separated obvi. Seems like a good operation. read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Prices July 2023 - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

My family and I have been visiting here since the late 90's and it's been a good experience these (decades) lol years. Now that re-planet closed (local competitor) , the traffic and wait time here has been longer than usual. Typical wait times vary on weekdays and better to go in mornings or mid afterNoons as the line can be 15-20 cars OUTSIDE of the driveway!!!!!! Weekends are crazy busy and over 2 hour wait times that its just not wortth it. Only 4 stars as they are so understaffed and workers are overworked and underpaid. 3 fulltime staff is what one of the staff told me & rest are the partTimers on diff shifts. I rEad some of the complaints on here but seeMs unjustified- one person said they rip u offf lol, i figure we're lucky to have this service where we get paid in return. Most just throw their stuff in their recycle bins and wait for city to pick it up during trashdays.... ur getting paid $ for giving triced ur recycle stuff instead - where is the rip-off at? Anyway, i posted pics of their pricing guide to help you w/info so u can decide if it's worTh it in your day or not. read more

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A very efficient and clean recycling center. You are required to separate coloured glass, clear glass and plastics before arriving at the center. The only downside I encountered was the long lines. If you plan to visit, I recommend going on a weekday, preferably 2-3 hours after opening, to avoid the crowds and save yourself some time. You can drop off cardboard boxes as well (No need to wait in line for this) read more

The recycling center I've been using for years recently closed, so I went to Tri-Ced yesterday. I arrived around 11am and it took about an hour to drop-off my aluminum cans and plastic bottles. I gave the Tri-Ced employees the bags from my car and I pulled around to the booth and an employee dropped-off my receipt to me. I walked to the booth and collected my money. The wait could have been shorter had the employees been a bit more energetic and to help more than one vehicle at a time. The customers in line could be more attentive so no one cuts the line, which causes those who've been waiting to wait even longer. It would also help if the customers would pay attention to the line as it moves, since some are distracted or not paying attention. Otherwise, recycling is a good thing and I'm bummed the Recycle Center I've been using for years is now closed. Otherwise, be patient and their process is simple to follow. read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

About 40 cars in line, 2 people working and looks like they want to be there. Waited 45 minutes already and still halfway there.

Tri-Ced Rip-off, The Powerpoint Version: 1. Tri -Ced Union City appears to be ripping people off. See one and two star reviews on Yelp. Address: 33377 Western Ave, Union City, CA 94587. 2. Went there today and felt they were clearly taking advantage of the crush of recyclers now visiting them because of the closure of RePlanet Recycling in California even though Tri-Ced's bright green flyer tries to besmirch the State of California's Cal-Recycle as the only bad guy here. What's that saying about the pot calling the kettle black? (Google: "Watchdog group seeks overhaul of California's recycling program", Orange County Register to see Cal-Recycle's own rap sheet.) 3. Tri-Ced appears to be docking about 30% of the value that RePlanet used to pay out, which could possibly explain why Tri-Ced is still in business. The State seems to be having its own problems, so it's not clear who is gonna police who in this case. read more

Tri-Ced Community Recycling - Pot calling kettle black? Tri-Ced besmirching the state while appearing to short-change stranded recyclers after Replanet Recyling closure. - Recycling Center Near Me - Union City, California

The customer service representatives are super rude. I've called in multiple times to get an issue resolved and this last time, the person literally clicked while I was still talking! Don't work in customer service if you don't have the people skills to do so. read more

I have mixed feelings about this place... PROS: - It's one of the very few recycling locations that are actually open right now (or at least willing to answer when you call them to confirm that they're open), at least in the East Bay. So thank you to this place for being open!! - You can recycle almost anything here from cans, bottles, to e-waste, and even clothes & other things you want to get rid of. - The workers are all really helpful. They'll remove the cans/ bottles from your car & take care of it, where a lot of other places you have to do it yourself & drag the bins to the machines. - They're responsive & will pick up when you call. CONS: - Wayyy too busy and crowded. Disclosure that their computer was down the day I went, so they had to manually enter things so it was very slow that day. Not sure if it's a typical issue for them or not though? Other than this one con, I would've given it a full 5 stars! read more

I love the fact that you drive up then empty the bags out of your car. You don't need to empty your recycling into bins. Once you've empty your car (they help you too), you drive up by the kiosk and wait for the employee to hand you your receipt. You hand it to the cashier, sign a paper and they give you cash! read more

I am thankful for this recycling center not far from me, however, since these recycling centers are far and few between in the Bay Area, you will definitely face a wait. So just be prepared for that. I would say 95% of the times I've brought my recyclables here I waited around 20 minutes plus. With everyone idling in their cars it gets me thinking, this is damaging to the environment. But i dunno. Employees work quickly and efficiently and never really had any issue with them. They try to keep the look of the place semi nice with a garden and picnic bench. read more

Horrible! You want to drop off cardboard for recycling and you have to wait in a block long line of people who are selling the aluminum cans and what not. Cardboard bin for recycle should have a separate access. read more

I wanna switch to Waste Management for my blue bin..its the second friday of the month now that they didn't collect in my community. All of our neighbor's blue bins were just waiting outside our garages to be picked up. Last saturday I even have to call them just for their truck to pick up and empty our blue bins and yes the person I talked to is aware that our collection day is every friday. read more

Great little place to bring your recycling, if you want to avoid a higher trash collection payment and want to get some small $$ back for your bottles. You drive up on the right side and these dudes will carry out all the bottles and recycling goods from your car, then you drive around to the other side where you wait. The dudes who dump the trash into categories will bring you a receipt, which you'll bring to the front kiosk area, and they'll give you cash for your bottles. They like it if you can separate the green glass vs. clear glass vs. aluminum cans vs. plastic bottles. They don't give you any money for bringing cardboard boxes but it's nice that you don't have to store them in your garage or wait for someone to pick them up. Very fast if you go on a weekday/weeknight, I try to avoid going on weekends because it gets crowded and you might have to wait a while. read more