8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
8 - 11:30:00 AM
Closed
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Same Day Service Available
Price Quote Guaranteed
Top Dollar Paid for Your Vehicle!
Working Time and Location
Founded in 1996, we take pride in providing excellent, universal service for nearly three decades. Our mission is to consistently provide clients with industry-leading customer service and competitive pricing while being at the forefront of environmental stewardship.
We purchase cans and plastic bottles from walk-in customers for cash, as well as industrial metals from businesses. We are equipped with heavy equipment, including a shredder that sorts, crushes, cuts, and shreds all types of metals to be milled into metal for reuse. Our repurposed metal is shipped domestically and internationally by the tons.
If great pricing, clean facilities, and industry-best customer service are what you are looking for, then look no further!
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
8 - 11:30:00 AM
Sunday
Closed
What clients say about Universal Service Recycling in Stockton (CA)
I go there all the time. You just have to sort your metals, otherwise they won't pay much, but highest prices in stockton. Especially for cans. Most other places screw you.
Also, for those saying the scales are off, they are not. When i first started coming here, i weighed my stuff at home and there scales are accurate.
The people getting flats in the yard, all I can say is I have been coming here for years and never have I gotten a flat. You just have to use common sense when driving.
Sep 12, 2025
7 years later I am still coming here. I did not realize it had been so long.
You can find me on any social media, except tik tok.
@RobSLopezJr even on reddit. I didn't know it supposed to be anonymous. LOL
good, friendly people .to get the best price for your scrap metal .make sure that any aluminum, brass,copper has no steel on it.no screws.fittings.if it does, it is considered dirty, and you will lose money. Take the time to clean up your recycling for the best price.
This place is horrendous I went there last week and even though I told the attendant that I had a couple bottles of CRV hdpe #2 and 10 glass bottles by count they just ignored me and just pay me for my aluminum and PET plastic #1 by weight. by law they are suppose to pay the customer for at least 50 pieces of your CRV containers if you requested that way or by piece if you only have a few of certain CRV containers but they aren’t, I will be calling CAL Recycle on this guys for not following the state recycling rules
Horrible place. Everyone there has a piss poor attitude. They look for any little way to screw you over. Scrap prices are way too low compared to others. I took hundreds of pounds of scrap aluminum. Because a very few pieces had some steel screws They claimed all of it as 50% aluminum and paid less than half price. I know for a fact all together it was 99% aluminum. Probably 99.9%
Won't take my recycles anywhere else !!
These guys that work there are kind and helpful, my experience has been great, when I look at my receipt this is me
great employee = Happy
Customers. All the small box recycling centers like out east and downtown
There PAYOUT won't have you leaving with a smile.
Efficiently ran and able to quickly move through high volumes of one man's trash and turn it into cold flimsy cash to put towards our treasures!
Today is Fri. Dec.15th '23. That was two years ago. Now you have a website that says you're open till 430pm but if you show up at 405pm you'll run into a chunky blue pullover wearing whatchamacallit looking jerk that tells you that they are closed. When you tell chunky about the website saying you're open till 430 he will rudely tell you I don't care...So this is me telling him to go *$¡¿ himself!
Nice and friendly staff, however the system was updated a week ago and because of this "update" you will be waiting 30 minutes to an hour. I recommend going somewhere else.
They buy anything that you can recycle . You unload your stuff into wire carts and garbage cans,both on wheels of course. Take to the scales and give them your ID and they weigh up your recyclables and give you a receipt that you take over to the cashier window and in a few minutes you get paid in cash for CRV. Some other items are paid after a 3 day hold, to check that the materials are not stolen. Quick and easy! DON'T Get there right before they close, most of the time they won't let you in to unload. It seems that they have been changing their hours lately, I would ca ahead to make sure of the hours. They seem to buy just about anything you an think of. Been going there for 12+years.
Well according to my son's father they don't reimburse as much as the one off of Wilson Way BUT they're ONLY a few min down the way fr my so that's less . It wasn't crowded either, which is a major plus in over 100 today!!!!!
This recycling business is bigger. The employees are very helpful and controls traffic well. The Tracy facility is smaller and still close. The best part is that this location takes everything like metals, electrical wires ( not sure the requirements) bottles, plastic, and cans. I like this place it beats the locations in Tracy.
BEWARE THEY ARE NOT HONEST.
Be aware of what you have and the estimated weight. It took an hour to unload everything from my trailer. The person who then weighed my truck and trailer said only had 280lbs. Understand 280lbs wouldn't squash the 4 tires on any trailor Once I complained about the lost weight and suggested that we bring in the police. Suddenly some but not all of the weight was found.
Was pretty fast getting in and out. Could have been better at having staff direct customers at where to go but most of the customers are professionals and I am not. Great place to recycle a lawnmower.
I have been taking my recyclables, as well as scrap metal, car batteries to Universal Service Recycler now for about twelve years or so? I go there, at least maybe once a day, sometimes more. It helps alot, especially with putting gas into the car. I've come to really "appreciate" this company, and that I'm able to recycle there, pretty easy? In the earlier days, when I first started going there, it was somewhat different? Since then, they have had a few staff members who are no longer there, because they retired? And no one, does things the same exact way? So, yes I do go recycle there often, it's close to my residence, so convenient, but it has changed alot, since there's new people working, be certain to be aware, of what it is you have to recycle, what it's worth? And then check, and double check the reading of scale, and even the arithmetic of the "weighmaster"!?? ( I try going to only one, specific person) and for me the entire process, works, has worked well for me, always! The real, only other alternative, is Waterloo?
My first experience went smooth. Last minute necessity needing to Run from the Waterloo/Harding {currently not accepting scrap metals} recycling center at 3:³⁵pm. Advised to show by 4:¹⁰pm, gates closed at 4:¹⁵pm. I drove in told the scale attendant my first visit, he gave simple instructions to the yard the unload took 3mins.
I called to check hours. There was no answer first couple times I called, didnt go to vm or anything just disconnected when no one answered. When the woman finally picked up the phone she said "are you trying to reach someone?" With a super snotty attitude. No hello, no thanks for calling, no stating the business name. I said "I'm just checking your hours because they keep changing with covid." She responded "it's on the recording! We're closed!" Absolutely rude. This is not how to run a business. Very disappointed because I've been coming here for years.
Never ever do business with them, I called them and told them “do you guys buy scrap metal?” They said yes, I drove 10 miles to the universal service recycling, when I got there, they did not pay me and said it was just for a donation.
In defense of the negative reviews, I have been to Universal recycling several times. All the cashers, scale house operator speak English as well as Spanish. And it is a scrap yard! Use common sense! watch where you are driving. Don't drive over scrap metal or it is possible to get a flat tire. No different then on the road. After hundreds of visits I have never had a problem.
To the person who said they are crooks. All the scales are certified by the state just like at the gas pumps at a gas station or any other business that buys and sells by weight or volume. I would highly recommend Universal Service Recycling, and I do to friends and family. Why haul it to the landfill and be charged to dump it when you can take your scrap metals to USR and be paid. They take all kinds of metals not just cans and plastic bottles. Old washer or drier, anything metal.
This place is shady and either has uncalibrated scales or they are flat out crooks.. Never going back.. Maybe a start would be to communicate in english when conducting business and interacting with a majority of english speaking clients in the USA
I don't know where to start with these guys..but great place great service great help been doing business with them for more that 15years I highly recommend these guys than sim metals
I had a confrontation with a universal service recycling driver today and when i called to speak to the owner about his driver pulling out a four foot steel wench bar and threaten my life he disregarded it like as if it wasnt that important to even address the issue, now i hope for all you potential customers looking to purchase services from Universal Recycling Service keep in mind the just how their drivers preform while on duty. I have filed a police report and i will be pressing charges on the driver for threatening my life with a lethal object thats a four foot long steel wench bar thats purpose is to be use to tighten down heavy equipment attached to tractor trailers.
I completely agree with each of the negative reviews, I spent hours getting my aluminum crv crushed and packed for recycling. Universal brags about having the highest pay outs but when you finally receive the pay slip you find that you are docked 29% because you're cans weren't sterilized. I actually washed every can and completely air dried them a month in advance. So I know the lady that did the inspection just wanted to screw me. She actually pretended not to speak English when I asked her about the penalty. That day I recycled the rest of my crvs at Alco(now only accepting scrap) they didn't even look at the cans and paid me full value. Today I went to Stockton Recyclers and I received full value for all my recyclables without any hassles.
Fast and efficient service, UNFORTUNATELY I've gotten a flat almost every time I go out there because their driving paths are littered with sharp metals. They say they clean up the paths daily. I doubt it, Otherwise I wouldn't have so many issues with needing to spend money replacing tires.
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