Jacksonville Metal Recycling at 4718 Philips Hwy, Jacksonville, FL 32207

Out of the five junkyards I hit in the last two weeks, this one’s the cleanest and the friendliest by a mile. TJ and Jessica run a tight ship and make you feel welcome from the second you walk in.

I don’t remember the last time I walked into a scrap yard and thought, “Damn, this place is clean and actually organized.” This one’s got scale, people who work their tails off, and prices that make sense. I’ve been four times and plan to come back. Everyone’s on their game from start to finish, not like those other greasy lots where the staff acts like they’re doing you a favor just for showing up.

Their prices beat the yard down the street, but the copper weighing drama got annoying. The guy swore my clean, uncoated copper was “number two” even though it clearly wasn’t. He acted like some veteran, then got huffy when I pointed out I’ve sold hundreds of pounds here without issues. Then the pay machine glitched—told me it was out of cash. When I pushed, the office lady finally admitted they’d run out of twenties and I’d need a check. My bank wouldn’t mobile-deposit it, so I had to physically go in and wait a week for the hold to clear.

The staff was quick to smile, quick with answers, and quick to get me what I needed. Fair prices, straightforward—no surprises, no games.

First time there, and honestly, I was surprised how smooth it went. Asked a bunch of basic questions—probably sounded like an idiot—but the staff didn’t make me feel stupid. They answered everything, even pointed me toward stuff I didn’t realize they had. Walked out with more than I expected, and I’ll definitely be back. ---

Look, I’ve been scrapping for 20 years. My husband and I hit this yard twice a day, sometimes more. We know where everything goes—aluminum, steel, the trash pile for glass and plastic. We’ve never had an issue here, ever. The staff’s always been friendly, even jokes around with us. But today? Some guy named Darren made the whole trip feel like a nightmare. From the second we pulled in, he was on us—watching my husband dump cans, questioning what we were doing, acting like we didn’t know the first thing about recycling. Never seen him before, never had anyone treat us like criminals. And the worst part? Last week, he lied to the office about us putting non-aluminum stuff in the cans. We didn’t. But now he’s got it out for us. Everyone else here is great—don’t get me wrong. Just avoid Darren if you can. Still giving five stars because the rest of the place is solid, but man, that guy’s a problem. ---

Zay went above and beyond when I needed help unloading heavy stuff—compressors, tools, you name it—off my trailer. The guy didn’t just say he’d help; he actually did, and he did it with a good attitude. No nonsense, no attitude, just straight-up professional. Five stars, no question. ---

Went in for the first time about a month back, and it was a great experience. Everyone was super friendly, but House? That guy really stood out. Helped me out, answered my questions, made the whole process easy. I’ll be back for sure—no doubt about it.

I spent a solid chunk of time stripping welding lead and copper wire, cleaning it all up nice and neat. Weighed it before I left, did the math, knew exactly what I should’ve gotten. Then I got to the yard, and the vibe was off from the start. The guy at the scale kept insisting my truck weighed 3,800 pounds when it was clearly 5,400. I brought two five-gallon buckets of copper, dumped one out, figured he’d do the same with the other. Nope. Kept the bucket, charged me two pounds for it. And get this—they round *down* on the scale. Had almost 45 pounds, got paid for less than 44. No ticket, no proof of the weight until after I’d already fingerprinted and signed. By then, it was too late. Twelve bucks lost, and for what? A company that tries to nickel-and-dime you at every turn. First and last time I’m dealing with them. ---

I showed up unsure what to expect, and Tim struck me as a stand-up guy right away. Along with the others who took my aluminum cans, everyone made sure I knew the drill—what they’d take, what they wouldn’t, and how to come back better prepared next time. They had extra time during lunch so they walked me through everything, no rush, no attitude. Even the office woman kept her cool while cutting my check, and the pay system rounded to the dollar—nothing sketchy about it. Money’s money, and I’m glad to get paid for what used to end up in the trash. Going back for sure.