Recycling Centers in California: 234 Locations

Recycling in California

California is home to 234 recycling centers spread across 108 cities, ranging from certified CRV (California Redemption Value) buyback centers to e-waste collectors, scrap yards, and household-hazardous-waste drop-offs. The state environmental agency is CalRecycle (Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery), which administers two landmark programs: the Beverage Container Recycling Program, which has paid deposits on eligible containers since 1987 under the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, and the Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Program, which has required a point-of-sale recycling fee on certain screens and monitors since January 1, 2005.

Recycling activity concentrates heavily in the Central Valley and greater Los Angeles basin. Fresno leads the state with 32 centers, followed by Bakersfield and Los Angeles at 12 each, Modesto with 10, and Visalia with 8. Smaller hubs include Clovis, Porterville, and Merced, each listing 5 centers. Neighboring states Nevada and Oregon also have bottle-deposit programs, making cross-border CRV redemption a common question for residents in border communities.

California's CRV deposit is 5 cents for containers under 24 ounces and 10 cents for containers 24 ounces or larger (aluminum, glass, plastic, and bi-metal); wine and distilled spirit containers in boxes, bladders, or pouches carry a 25-cent deposit effective January 1, 2024. Residents redeem deposits at certified recycling centers or through mail-in options. Under SB 1383, signed in 2016 and with enforcement beginning January 1, 2022, all California jurisdictions must provide organic-waste collection to divert food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard from landfills, targeting a 75% reduction in organic waste sent to landfills by 2025. Electronics covered by the CEW program — including CRT and flat-panel monitors and televisions — must be taken to an approved collector rather than placed in the trash.

For residents outside curbside-service areas, certified CRV buyback centers (many listed in this directory) accept eligible containers for cash. Scrap-metal dealers handle end-of-life appliances and vehicles, and county household-hazardous-waste (HHW) events accept paint, batteries, fluorescents, and pesticides free of charge for residents. CalRecycle publishes a statewide locator at calrecycle.ca.gov for both beverage-container redemption sites and certified e-waste collectors.

Top Cities by Number of Centers

Fresno 32 Bakersfield 12 Los Angeles 12 Modesto 10 Visalia 8 Clovis 5 Madera 5 Merced 5

All Cities in California

Anaheim 1 center Atwater 2 centers Bakersfield 12 centers Barstow 1 center Bell 1 center Biola 1 center Carson 1 center Ceres 1 center Chatsworth 1 center Chino Hills 1 center Chowchilla 1 center Citrus Heights 1 center City Of Industry 1 center Clovis 5 centers Coarsegold 1 center Colton 1 center Compton 2 centers Concord 1 center Costa Mesa 1 center Crows Landing 1 center Culver City 2 centers Cutler 1 center Delano 3 centers Dinuba 1 center Dos Palos 1 center El Cerrito 1 center Exeter 1 center Fontana 2 centers Fowler 1 center Fresno 32 centers Friant 1 center Fullerton 1 center Garden Grove 2 centers Gardena 4 centers Grass Valley 2 centers Half Moon Bay 1 center Hanford 4 centers Hollister 1 center Huntington Beach 1 center Huntington Park 1 center Imperial 1 center Jurupa Valley 2 centers Kerman 1 center Kettleman City 1 center King City 1 center La Puente 2 centers La Quinta 1 center Laguna Hills 1 center Lancaster 2 centers Lemoore 2 centers Lindsay 1 center Livermore 2 centers Los Angeles 12 centers Los Banos 2 centers Madera 5 centers Mather 1 center Menifee 1 center Merced 5 centers Modesto 10 centers Montebello 1 center Monterey Park 1 center Northridge 1 center Oakhurst 1 center Oakland 1 center Orange 2 centers Orangevale 1 center Oxnard 1 center Panorama City 1 center Parlier 1 center Perris 1 center Pixley 2 centers Pomona 1 center Porterville 5 centers Rancho Cordova 1 center Reedley 1 center Riverbank 1 center Riverdale 1 center Riverside 3 centers Roseville 2 centers Sacramento 5 centers San Bernardino 2 centers San Diego 2 centers San Francisco 1 center San Gabriel 1 center San Jacinto 1 center San Jose 2 centers San Pablo 1 center Santa Ana 2 centers Santa Fe Springs 1 center Selma 1 center Sonora 1 center South El Monte 1 center South Lake Tahoe 1 center Stockton 1 center Sun Valley 2 centers Sunnyvale 1 center Temecula 2 centers Thousand Oaks 1 center Truckee 1 center Tulare 5 centers Turlock 3 centers Valley Springs 1 center Van Nuys 1 center Visalia 8 centers Watsonville 1 center West Hills 1 center West Hollywood 1 center Winnetka 1 center

Recycling in California — FAQ

How does California's bottle deposit (CRV) work?

California charges a California Redemption Value deposit — 5 cents on containers under 24 ounces and 10 cents on containers 24 ounces or larger — when you purchase eligible beverages such as beer, soda, water, juice, and wine coolers. You recover the deposit by bringing the empty containers to any certified recycling center. Fresno, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield have the highest concentrations of certified buyback centers.

What is California's e-waste recycling law?

Since January 1, 2005, California has required a recycling fee on covered electronic devices (CRTs, flat-panel monitors, and televisions) at the point of sale. That fee funds payments to approved collectors and recyclers. It is illegal to dispose of covered devices in the trash; they must go to a CalRecycle-certified e-waste collector. CalRecycle maintains a directory of approved collectors at calrecycle.ca.gov.

What does SB 1383 require California residents to do?

SB 1383 requires all California jurisdictions to provide organic-waste collection so that food scraps, yard trimmings, cardboard, and paper are diverted from landfills rather than composted or emitted as methane. Residents must separate organics into the designated green or organics cart provided by their hauler. The law targets a 75% reduction in organic waste landfilled by 2025 compared to 2014 levels.

Where are the biggest recycling hubs in California?

Fresno is the largest single hub with 32 centers, driven by the concentration of independent CRV buyback operations in the Central Valley. Bakersfield and Los Angeles each list 12 centers, Modesto has 10, and Visalia lists 8. The directory covers 108 cities statewide.