This rating is based on customer reviews, inventory size, pricing, and service quality
Action Recycling in Orange, CA draws mixed reviews. Positives: quick, clean drop-offs, friendly staff, decent parking, and some shoppers find parts easily at fair prices. Negatives are frequent: pricing complaints (low payouts for recyclables, parts higher than competitors, unexpected warranty/core fees, entry fee; online vs in-person mismatches), messy/oily yard, limited parking when busy, inconsistent inventory tracking, rude or unreachable phones, item denials after confirming, long waits (lines, slow checkout, no-show part pulls, system outages) and uneven service. Overall: 58/100.
What clients say about Action Recycling in Orange (CA)
Update and WARNING (5/17/2026): There is a 100lb limit for aluminum, and I was over by 14lbs. They said my only options were, to take it all back, or to surrender it all and only be payed half price for my aluminum. Unfortunately it's some part of CA law, and they are just abiding by the law... Thankfully, I spoke with the owner over the phone and he explained that they will hold my cans for me so I can come back tomorrow with new bags to take all my cans back. Because I am NOT losing HALF my hard earned money for these cans.
Original Review (3 years ago): Quick and easy and the staff is pretty nice. Grab the yellow buckets as needed, fill em up with your stuff, wait your turn, get your receipt from the guy, and walk to the window with the receipt, and the lady gives you the cash in exchange. Then you drive out past the cash window to leave the place.
Had a good experience here. The guy who cashed me out and weighed the cans was nice. Made like 30 bucks There was plenty of parking and bins to sort cans into. Overall not a bad place to recycle.
This is the easiest and BEST recycle yard around,fast, convenient,very good employees,good prices,they take just about anything you want/have to recycle
I called ahead to confirm they could take a specific item and they said they could. We loaded the monitors up, took them to the recycling place and they denied it in person, even though they had confirmed they could. What a waste of time.
Great fast money, (remember, you pay recycling fee at the grocery store every time you buy soda, or beverages, why throw that money away? .. I make $40-60 every couple months.
but, you gotta crush those cans and bottles!
I've been coming here for the last 10+ years and its always been a straight forward experience. Park your car, grab a bin, take it to the weigh-er... GET PAID. The people are always nice too 5/5 stars
Got here at 4:05 and couldn't get inside....I even told the guy I only have 2 bags and it's separated...people were inside still separating and I wasn't allowed in? Cmon what a joke....take your business else where...I can provide pictures and video upon request
They need to calibrate the scale they use to weight. I took in a large bag of aluminum cans which I weighed before I went using an accurate scale which was 8.5 lbs. Their scale said 7.6. I pointed this out to the staff but they seemed to not understand or chose not to.
Please beware. They are handing out paper receipts to take to the cashier.
I use to regard this place as decent but I am really disappointed.
Please be aware of how they are weighing your recycables.
Very quick and easy place to do your recycling. They have yellow bins with rollers, so just bring them to your vehicle roll them to be weighed get your note and cash in. Wish I started coming here years ago.
1st time I ever came to this location I accused the man working that he shorted the weigh total on my recyclables. He was kool didnt get upset or angry he showed me exactly how I messed up reading over the receipt for the gross 38lb of plastics within 6 separate bins. Place is real quick & smooth didnt even wait more then 4-5mins, plus all the bins are the same & are on wheels making things easier.
Super small but fast and easy to access, prices are on par with other larger centers. Found this place when my usual spot stopped with CRV recycling from staffing issues through COVID. Definitely happy to have stumbled across them.
Small with limited parking. No help but the workers made the process move along smoothly. We drug the yellow bins to our car, separated the plastic from aluminum and wheeled them to a small covered weighing station. They handed me a slip and I turned it in to the cashier for the amount. No ID required for cash payout. I saw someone loading glass bottles as well.
Actually I love this place..not only because it is close by.... But because of good people like alfredo and Mary.. but if I was to turn the coin over.. they have a phat girl working the pay out part of the business that is rude as hell. I believe her name is Christina and andy. They are good pleasent people. not sure on what in the name of God....
But ....what in gods name made you give her a job? I am a homeless person and am a disabled person who is forced to recycle for a living.. I do not appreciate the precieved mistreatment that I receive from her. Her Job is to say thank you have a nice day.. hope to see you again.. I do not recycle to find out what people think about me. I don't appreciate her telling me what she thinks about people like me ( the homeless People) before she gives me my money..
Easy to drop off, easy to get paid. I weighed my cans and plastic beforehand, and was curious what their scales would say... Plastic was exactly the same as what I weighed, and cans were 5% lighter, but that's well within a reasonable difference
Have had a few turn overs in their staff since I started going to action many years ago. Have always been treated kindly. Staff is very helpful and polite.
More available hours (open Sat) than other nearby recycling places. Typical to other recycling with barrels on wheels to transfer/separate your materials. Do it yourself rolling the barrels to the scale then they weigh them, write out a ticket, send you to the cashier window to collect your cash and that's it. Cleanliness is as good as any other recycling I have been to and the people there were friendly and efficient. Print out and bring a coupon for a little better price per pound.
This facility served it's purpose & the cashier wore a smile ... so I'm satisfied. It may not be very high tech, or clean; and customers are 100% in their own until you approach the scales BUT this was the nearest facility that I could find that was open at 3:40 on a Saturday afternoon.
Idk what the French toast others are complaining about, but I LOVE this place !! never left feeling cheated or scammed. . Fast friendly, I would appreciate some hanitizer but other than that great place ... twice a month visit 4 huge black bags 2 plastics 2 aluminum small glass bag easily make $30 .. my children's allowance paid off ..
I took for car rims over then they tell me I have to wait 3 days to get my money I go back on the third day they tell me I didn't give them all the information so now they hold my money for 6 days and it's a lousy $23 this place is despicable and a huge rip off they need to be investigated never take anything over there I don't mean anything take nothing these people need to go broke we take our cans and stuff over so we can have a few dollars and they hang on to it they are despicable rip off rip off rip off. They tell me its a state law that they have to hold your money for 3 days now
I walked away feeling ripped off. I brought 4 bags full of aluminum cans and 2 bags of plastic bottles & only walked away with $22. Their scale is on an incline. How can u get an accurate reading on an inclined scale? Then they take 20 lbs off your total gross weight for using their plastic holding bin. Not going back.
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