Re PLANET

I begin with the fact that I’ve yet to visit the suggested Vons location (Fairfax/​Pico) or any other recycling center since I was kid. I typically save up and give to the homeless man that goes by but I haven’t seen him in a long while so I’m hauling myself.
I highly rate the service & recommend w/​good intentions (and high hopes), off top because I called a moment ago to ensure there are no alleged signs stating they’re not accepting this/​that and the other due to whatever reason since I need this trip to be quick and painless.
In calling, that was the most courteous, quick customer care ever. The Re Planet rep. didn’t take long to answer and she then placed me on a brief hold to contact the site manager to ensure everything was up & active. After coming back to the line, she stated (John– site mngr’) apologized for any signs and we’re good to go.) I love the earth, grand. But it’s a task to just save these sticky materials in my small (Parisian small) kitchen for months at a time so I sorta need the rest of the process to go smoothly. Moving forward, tomorrow will work out just fine. P. S. Here’s a tip: Don’t do it for the money; you’ll more than likely always be disappointed– that’s just icing on the cake.
******Positive attitude = Positive outcome*******

Re Planet is located on the east side of the parking lot next to Ralphs on La Brea and 3^rd.
Today was the day to recycle. I have been here many times before and usually the guys aren’t too responsive. It’s more robotic in a way. Put in the cans and bottles, collect the ticket, and go inside the supermarket to redeem it.
Today was special because there was a little boy at the recycling bay across from me with his mom. He was excited because he was recycling for his first time ever! His mom would lift him up and he would put the cans and bottles on the little conveyer belt. It was nice to see the joy on his face. He will grow up knowing the importance of recycling and how it helps the environment. I’m the type of person that likes to pull you out of the robotic mode and bring a smile to your face. Acknowledging the workers and thanking them not only makes their job easier, but you are left with a good feeling afterwards!

They got rid of the horrible guy and have new employees. Much better

Did a drive by. FUCK that! Several people in line. And with trash bags! Not worth a few bucks…

I thought I would give recycling a try to help out our earth AND extra cash doesn’t hurt.
I collected 2 big trash bags of plastic bottles and 1 big trash bag of glass bottles that I saved up for 3 months. Total process took about 30 minutes even though I was there 10 minutes before they opened (there were other people already there waiting/​this place reminded me of DMV but not as horrible). I ended up with $ 7. For me, that was totally not worth it. I gave away my ticket to a guy who really appreciated this $ 7 and drove home.
I will continue to recycle but I will not be back here.

Wanted to update my review because it seems that the RePLANET management reads these reviews and I wanted to let them know of my recent experience.
I don’t expect much from a recycling facility. I recycle because I’m being green and I just want to get back my CRV deposits that I’ve already paid for when I purchased my beverages. I don’t expect Spic and Span clean. So I can deal with the smell, the trash, and the flies.
But what I do expect is to feel safe. On my most recent visit, I saw a homeless man who obviously has some sort of mental illness literally screaming at a poor woman who was standing in line waiting. Top of his lungs screaming. And only directed at her. Some mumble jumble that probably only made sense to him. But needless to say, the woman was frightened and stood motionless and tried to avoid eye contact. Neither of the two employees said anything to the man. The Ralphs security guard who was sitting just 25 feet away guarding a shipping container full of beverages being unloaded into the store sat idly just talking on his cellphone. Whose responsibility is it to make this facility safe? Is it the management of RePLANET? Or is it Ralphs? Or is it that of the other customers? I’m pretty sure that the two other men in line and I could have taken care of this guy should the need have arisen, but it’s a bit disconcerting that it appears that RePLANET or Ralphs feel that it is not their responsibility.
I realize that homeless people are going to frequent this facility. And as I’ve said in my review, I sometimes feel bad that I’m bringing back my containers for perhaps a mere $ 10 while there are others who could use the money so much more than me. But that’s not the point of this review. I feel that management should work to make their facility and environment safer so that customers can complete their transactions without fear of being accosted either verbally or physically.

It was pretty Quick and simple. Just grab a trash bin and separate your recyclables into them. The automatic machine actually gives you more money. Compared to weighing per pound. Just make sure when using the machine that your recyclables are uncrushed otherwise they won’t accept them. Oh don’t forget to bring your gloves and a mask. It could get a bit funky!

Thank you, re PLANET for being courteous and professional in comparison after having received repeated shoddy treatment from Socal Recycling. Go check out the review I wrote for them… you’ll be getting my business from now on… and I hope the others that have been treated poorly by the «other guy» do the same and take their business to you.

Ended up here since the other place was «closed» (even though they were still operating), but I wanted to get my recycles out. In retrospect, I should have just went home, unloaded my car, and waited until te other place was open again on Monday. In fact, I would rather throw my recycles in the blue bin and let the bums sort it out than come back here. In fact, I would rather throw my recycles in the trash than come back here!
I got in and there were two people in front of me. To my surprise, the guy actually helped me. Gave me a couple of trash cans to place my glass and such. I asked if I had to separate and he said not to, just put it all together. I thought that was odd, since most places instruct you to separate by colors (usually clear, brown, and green). So I had my glass, aluminum, plastic (PET), and HDPE in different containers.
While I was separating, someone cut in front of me in line. The guy working there gave me a look, like «don’t worry, they only have two little containers.» And they did, but instead of giving their stuff and heading to Ralphs, they just hung out there, took some time to shoot the shit with the guy, and somehow two little containers took 15min. By the time they were done, it was time to change a bunch of containers. Dammit! Have to wait for that, too.
Finally got to put my stuff up. I did notice this place gives more per pound for aluminum, so I was curious what I would get. At the other recycling place nearby I get between $ 14-​$ 16 every time. Pretty precise. And I only take recycling when I fill my two containers; they were more than full this time.
I expected $ 15.
I got $ 9.90! Didn’t even crack the $ 10 mark! That’s a pretty big difference. Either this place is raking it in with a bad scale, or they’re not actually paying the proper price for this stuff. Either way, I won’t be coming back here.

Until they have a totally clean recycling place where people carry my recyclable goods for me, I will settle for here.
I take my works recycling in on a weekly basis and usually hit up this center. My only problem is that it is hard to get the cans from my car to the center since i have to park far and you aren’t suppose to use the grocery carts. Sometimes I still use the grocery carts.
Everything is sticky. I guess that is to be expected since it is a place where people take used bottles and cans but it is still kind of gross. I bring my bottles and cans already sorted so the whole process is a lot easier. Dump them into the blue trash cans which are usually stuck together and drag them with you as you wait in line. sometimes this takes forever, sometimes it is fast. Grab your receipt, wipe your hands with the wipes outside of Ralphs, wait in the checkout line, get your money and go. Does that sound fast? It isn’t. But it is for money.

I’ve been here a couple of times now, both in the middle of the day. The first time I probably waited about 10 minutes, and the second time, I was the only one there. Workers are efficient. Can’t really think of a complaint! Save up them bottles and cans so you can grab a few extra bucks, whilst saving the planet!

This recycle place is not bad. I don’t have many complaints about this place. When it gets packed, the «weird» people as Justin K said, keep me entertained. They don’t make me feel uneasy at all. They make me laugh at some of things they do and the comments they have. I believe you will encounter «weird» people in every recycle center you go to, but you just have to make the best of it and get in a laughter or two.
My only complaint is that it get’s packed, but then again we are all doing our party by recycling cans, plastic, and glass. Sometimes bins are packed, but hey there are hundreds of other people recycling the same items as I am, so it’s understandable why they can’t take certain items at times.
I like that you get that ticket to go into the store to either get your cash or use it to purchase items at Ralphs. I also like that they try to keep the place clean. Other recycle centers smell really bad as soon as you get off your car.

ANOTHER UPDATE (3÷17÷13):
Since my previous, awful rePlanet experiences last year, I have slowly started giving it a try again. After checking their website and Twitter feed for any potential issues or closures — and not finding any — I lugged all my recycling there and discovered they are closed today. The reason posted on the recycling shack: the L.A. Marathon. At its closest point, the course is two miles from rePlanet.
If you’re somewhere in the Miracle Mile area reading this, there is a rePlanet alternative at the Vons at Pico and Fairfax. I went there for the first time today, and the guy running the recycling center was helpful and super friendly. The only downside is that they don’t take commingled glass, and rePlanet does. I’d hate to have to start visiting two recycling facilities, but rePlanet is managed so poorly that they really don’t deserve my business or yours.
UPDATE (4÷11÷12):
I can no longer recommend this place… went this morning, and one (of two) self-​service units were closed down. Not only that, the same sign as before was posted: WE ARE NOT TAKING ANY GLASS DUE THE BIN’S ARE FULL THANKS. Management responded to my original review to say my last experience should be a «rare and temporary occurance (sic).» If it’s so rare, they shouldn’t need a laminated sign to say they aren’t taking certain materials.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Okay, recycling is great and noble, and it makes you feel even better when you get back the deposit our state government hopes you feel is too much of a trouble to collect.
With that said, you have to take the pros with the cons. When this place is busy, there is always a weirdo or two there that does a wonderful job of making everyone feel uneasy. Today, for example, one fella left «his» shopping cart about 50 yards away, in the middle of parking lot traffic, so he could keep an eye on it. When Ralph’s security tried to move it out of the way, he started cursing up a storm and awkwardly ran over to save it. I’m sure it this were going on across the street, Trader Joe’s would have taken their cart back. And when the guy came back to the line, it was «f– this, f– that… I’ll knock somebody out if they take my cart,» and so on and so forth. Awesome.
The other major sticking point with this rePLANET location is consistency. Two large plastic bags of glass bottles have been filling up in my apartment because I haven’t been able to get rid of them at the recycling center yet. I went a few weeks ago, and rePLANET was closed for lunch. Fair enough. So I ran some errands and returned just after the time stated on the «We will return at» clock on the door. It was still closed, so I got to lug the heavy collection of glass back home.
I hopped on my bike today and took that same glass again, and more, but there was a sign posted saying «WE ARE NOT TAKING ANY GLASS DUE THE BIN’S ARE FULL THANKS (sic).» Okay, I understand it’s a thankless job, but it would be great if management would, you know, do a little management. Look, if I can’t dump my recyclables off here, another place will take it. I am off to find that place now!

Everyone should do their part and RECYCLE!
This recycle place is right behing the Ralphs. It is a small recycling center ran by the same guy every day… day in and day out.
Sometimes this place can be really busy and sometimes it is dead.
I like it when its dead so I can get my recycling done and get out of there.
I do feel dirty after I recycle because of all the sticky cans and bottles that im touching but thats to be expected. They have a gallon of water to rinse your hand off after your down (usually!).
After you recycle and get your receipt you can take it right to Ralphs and either get 1. the money from the recycling or 2. go shopping and put the recycling total towards your groceries… its a win/​win!

This place makes recycling easy for apartment dwellers. You have to be looking for it though, since it is located behind the Ralph’s. You will not see it as you are driving by, nor will there be signs as I originally thought, when I drove by the first time.
The are posted at the sight and on there website. They have several locations in LA. Which you can find at there site.
There website is a bit difficult to maneuver, but it works.
When you get to there recycling center I recommend bring some water, because it will be a wait. But once it is your turn, you just pop your cans and bottles into the machines and then when you are done you get a ticket for the Ralph’s that you can use towards your groceries or cash in.