Ecopark Store

Drop Off Rules

What we accept and do not accept at Urban Ore.

As of 3/18/2026 please do not bring the following as we can not currently process them:

  • Any and all Household Hazardous Waste
  • Aerosol Cans
  • Air Conditioner Units
  • Ammunition
  • Batteries (please empty dead batteries from devices!)
  • Bedding (blankets, pillows, duvets, throws, sheets, etc.)
  • Blinds
  • Cardboard
  • CD’s without cases or empty cases.
  • Chemicals (solvents, acids, bases, oxidizers, corrosives, etc.)
  • Child-related items e.g. cribs, car seats, high chairs, baby walkers, clothing, etc.
  • Clothing that is dirty; undergarments, socks, spandex
  • Compressed Gas
  • Curtains
  • Disassembled furniture (unless metal)
  • Encyclopedias, outdated travel books, damaged textbooks
  • Explosives
  • Flammables
  • Flares, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors
  • Freon-containing appliances
  • Furniture with chipped lead paint
  • Light bulbs, except for new in the box and some vintage types.
  • Liquids
  • Mattresses
  • Mercury containing devices, such as thermostats
  • Microwaves
  • Packing materials (peanuts, bubble wrap, styrofoam, etc.)
  • Paint
  • Particle board furniture unless high-quality/Danish Modern in excellent condition
  • Personal Care Products (shampoo, soap, perfume, cologne, etc.)
  • Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.
  • Picture frames without glass or backing
  • Plastic that is abused and/or old
  • Powders
  • Projectile weapons
  • Propane tanks
  • Sharps
  • Tires
  • NOTE: other items that do not appear on this list may be turned away. All decisions are made at receiving staff’s discretion.
  • Residential hazmat can be taken to the Alameda County HHW Facility and many hardware stores.

Urban Ore’s Receiving Department opens at 8:30AM Monday – Saturday and 10:00AM on Sunday. Please arrive before 4:30pm for large loads – we close promptly at 5pm.

  • Furniture and household items can be dropped off at our Receiving Department which is on the Folger St. side of the building. (map or GPS 927 Folger Ave.)
  • The Building Materials receiving department can be reached via the Murray street entrance. Make a left into the parking lot and they will help you at the stop sign.

DROP OFF FEES (At Receiving Department’s Discretion):

TOILETS – $10

STOVES – $40

WASHERS AND DRYERS – $40

WALL HEATERS – $10

WATER HEATERS – $25

DISHWASHERS – $40

MICROWAVES – $15

REFRIGERATORS – $40

AC UNITS – $40

 

General Rules for Receiving

Things we receive should be reusable as-is, and able to survive in our retail environment long enough for us to find a new home. Receiving staff have discretion on the acceptability of any given item.

We accept many things other places turn away, and so we are presented at times with more volume than we can handle. Therefore we may turn away some things that either we can’t sell quickly, or at least trade for enough value to pay our handling and space costs.

General Store receiving is most likely to pay cash or trade credit for good furniture in excellent condition, or antiques.

Special categories and specific requirements:

Appliances

  • We may accept old gas stoves and some small kitchen appliances if they are complete, rust free, and working.
  • A more complete list of appliance types and scrapping fees can be found in the recycling section.

Arts & Media

We accept:

  • Prints
  • Paintings
  • Musical instruments
  • Art materials
  • Sculptures
  • Music
  • Books, and more.

Bedding

We cannot accept mattresses, box springs, or bedding.  State law requires they be sanitized, and there are no adequate facilities in the Bay Area.

 Clothing

We cannot accept underwear, socks, sports wear, or children’s clothing. No rips, stains, or smells.

Furniture

We accept many kinds of furniture such as:

  • Desks
  • Chairs
  • Tables
  • Dressers
  • Shelving

Solid wood furniture is preferred, and may be scuffed so long as it is structurally sound.  Dented and bent metal furniture will likely be recycled.

  • Furniture must be fully assembled with no missing pieces.
  • Drawers should be empty.
  • Office chairs must be in excellent condition.
  • Upholstery should be unstained without tears.

Particle board furniture must be in near perfect condition or it will be rejected.

We cannot accept sofa-beds.

We will consider chairs or small sofas with antique carved or exposed frames that may be worth upholstering and restoration.

Housewares

  • Flatware
  • Dishes
  • Glasses
  • Pots and pans
  • Vases
  • Cutting tools
  • Gadgets
  • Small appliances
  • Kitchen decor

Electronic Media

We accept some electronic media.  Less than half of the electronic media we receive is sold for reuse; most of the rest is collected for recycling processors.

Rugs

Rugs must be clean, unstained, and rolled tightly. Carpet is not accepted.

Sports Equipment

Bicycles and bike parts, fishing gear, balls, uniforms, skateboards, etc.

Building Materials Receiving – Doors, Windows, Kitchen Sinks…

Things we receive should be reusable as-is, and able to survive in our retail environment long enough to find a new home.  We accept many things other places turn away, but we are presented with more volume than we can handle.  So we also may turn away some things we can’t sell quickly.  Weather may also affect what we are able to take; we will probably not accept rolled insulation in a rainstorm, for example.

Building Materials receiving is most likely to pay cash or trade credit for good doors and windows in excellent condition.

If incoming materials are unusually dirty or a lot of sorting and cleaning is required, we will probably not pay for the materials but we may accept them for no fee.  Some wear and tear is expected, but everything we take in must be either reusable or recyclable.  If it is neither, we may reject all or part of the load.

We may pay by cash, check, or trade credit for part or all of any load, at our discretion.  In general, if we decide we can make an offer to pay, we can only pay from 10% to 20% of the expected sale price.