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Recycling Center Near Me

How we get our data

Recycling hours and rules change constantly, so we want to be upfront about where our information comes from and how far you should trust it.

Where listings come from

We combine several open and public datasets rather than relying on any single source:

  • Overture Maps Foundation — an open places dataset that merges business data from several contributors (CDLA-Permissive-2.0 and related open licenses).
  • OpenStreetMap contributors — community-mapped recycling centers and scrap yards, often including the materials each site accepts (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL).
  • Foursquare Open Source Places — an additional open places dataset (Apache 2.0).
  • U.S. EPA — public-domain facility data for materials recovery facilities, electronics recyclers and other recycling infrastructure.
  • U.S. Census Bureau — place names, ZIP code centers and population estimates used to build city pages and ZIP search.
  • State programs — public lists of bottle redemption centers, e-waste collectors and household hazardous waste sites published by state agencies.
  • Business websites — for some listings we read the business's own public website to find hours and accepted items.

How we clean and merge it

  1. We keep only places that are plausibly somewhere you can take recyclables: drop-off centers, scrap yards, bottle and can redemption centers, electronics recyclers and hazardous-waste sites.
  2. We remove businesses that only look relevant by name, such as auto-parts dismantlers, junk-removal haulers and architectural salvage shops.
  3. We merge duplicates that appear in more than one source using location, name similarity and phone numbers.
  4. We assign each place to a city using its address or the nearest U.S. Census place.

What we do and do not claim

  • We only show a material as “accepted” when a source tells us so, or the type of business makes it certain (a bottle redemption center takes bottles and cans).
  • We only label a place “Pays cash” when the business type or source supports it. Prices change daily, so we never publish rates — call ahead.
  • When we are not sure, the listing says Call to confirm accepted items instead of guessing.
  • Many recycling businesses serve commercial customers only. We can't always tell, so ask before you drive.

How often it updates

We refresh the underlying datasets regularly and show a “last updated” date on every listing. Pages are rebuilt automatically as data changes.

Corrections

Every listing has a Suggest an edit button. Business owners can claim their listing for free to keep it accurate. You can also contact us directly. We review every correction.

Independence

Placement in our lists is determined by distance, data quality and relevance. Businesses can pay for a clearly labelled Featured placement, but that never changes the facts shown about them. We may earn a commission when you request a pickup quote through us or use certain affiliate links.