CMC Recycling at 590 Old Hull Rd, Athens, GA 30601

No fuss, no hassle—just get in, get your scrap weighed, and get out. The staff’s friendly, and they don’t waste your time. Simple as that.

Four years I’ve been bringing scrap to this place, and my company’s been dealing with them for over two decades. Lately, though, it’s been nothing but headaches. Last month, the weigh-in clerk suddenly claimed we didn’t have an account—despite us hauling *tons* of aluminum every year. I got the runaround on pricing, and when my boss called their metal buyer, Chris, he promised it was all sorted. Then the weigh-in took forever. The new guy, Reggie, was typing with two fingers like he’d never seen a keyboard before, acting like he had to create a whole new account from scratch. We finally unloaded after nearly an hour, only to show up later with another load and get told they close at 3:30 sharp—even though we’ve always stayed open past that before. The worst part? Our last load of 1,400 lbs got turned away, and the first one was docked to just $0.45 a pound. For a place that calls itself a "professional" recycling center, they sure don’t act like it. They’re all about squeezing every last penny from customers instead of treating the people who actually bring them business with respect. I’m done—there’s better places out there that won’t nickel-and-dime you.

Honestly, this place is great. You bring in scrap, they pay you, and it gets recycled—what’s not to like? It’s a win all around. You clean out junk, make a little cash, and the metal gets reused. Easy, straightforward, and fair.

They’ve got a really nice break room for drivers—clean, with water, Gatorade, coffee, even fruit and juice. It’s a small thing, but it’s nice to have a place to grab a quick drink or snack while you’re waiting. The people here are good, too.

Took a load of short steel here Wednesday after reading reviews. Cut it into 3-foot pieces, got $0.09 a pound. Same steel, same cut, took it to another yard Tuesday and got $0.14. Went back today with another load—still $0.09. Asked the lady at the scales why the difference, and she just said, *"We pay $0.09."* Five cents doesn’t sound like much, but on a 4,800-pound load, that’s $240 gone. Not worth it.