Southern Recycling Center

Southern Recycling Center (SRC) was established in 1988 by brothers Anastasios (Tasis) and Fotios (Frank) Karayiannis in Carbondale, Illinois. Our original location started in an ex-milk bottling factory on Washington Street, with only a downstroke baler, one employee, and a forklift.  We were originally run on a part-time basis, with Tasis often going in in the middle of the night to load trucks on their way to St. Louis, Missouri. The primary focus of the material recycled was - and to this day still is - paper, unlike most recycling companies, which focus on metal. 

In the early 1990's, Tasis, with the help of a neighbor, applied for our first grant with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and the grant was awarded. Since then, we have received six state grants from DCEO. These awards, with matching funds from SRC, were the beginning of the expansion to what we are today.  In 2002, we relocated to another former factory on the north side of the city on Chestnut Street, where we are still located.  Our 300,000 square foot facility now contains a public drive-thru drop-off area, 2 auto-tie balers, a horizontal baler, a sorting line, truck scale, 10 loading docks, and over 30 employees.

We receive materials both from the public drop-off, commercial garbage haulers in the area, and we have agreements with SIUC, other institutions, factories, cities and large stores. Some of the material we receive comes in loose, and some is already baled - if loose, we provide balers, compactors, and/or trailers to handle the material.  We also receive material from other smaller recyclers in the area within 100 miles of Carbondale. We are always available to help smaller recyclers and others interested in recycling with advice about the recycling business, and we will purchase materials (regardless of quantity) with reimbursement dependent on the current market prices. For local hauling, we use our own trucks and semis, and for farther distances trucks are hired, or material buyers provide their own transportation. 

Most of the material collected and processed by SRC is sold domestically, however, a large amount of plastic and paper is shipped overseas. We always have a list of items for sale - these items include barrels, buckets, milk crates, bread trays, microwave oven glass inserts, gaylords, boxes, and pallets, with more inventory always coming in. We purchase paper and plastics in large quantities, pallets, and usable clothing. 

Southern Recycling Center in Carbondale has been serving Southern Illinois since 1988, specializing in both commercial and public recycling.

MATERIALS NOT ACCEPTED FROM THE PUBLIC

Southern Recycling Center is a drop off point for discarded electronics for Jackson County Health Department's Recycle Jackson County program. This is a list of items they cannot accept, that we will not be able to collect at this point. Visit RecycleJacksonCounty.com for more information.

• Humidifiers
• Dehumidifiers
• Curling irons
• Lamps + light bulbs
• Air conditioners
• Smoke detectors
• Household batteries
• Washers + dryers
• Stoves
• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Water heaters
• Radios + stereos
• Cameras
• Answering machines
• Copy machines
• Typewriters
• Calculators
• Telephones (not including cell phones)
• Power tools
• Clocks
• Microwaves
• Blenders
• Coffee makers
• Toasters
• Fans
• VHS tapes
• Wax paper