Lakeshore Recycling Systems
6132 Oakton St, Morton Grove, Illinois, United States

Serving Chicagoland since 1999, and headquartered in Morton Grove, Ill., Lakeshore Recycling Systems is Chicago’s leading recycling and waste diversion services provider. LRS was born in 2012 by way of merger between two of Chicago’s strongest waste recycling companies: Lakeshore Waste Services and Recycling Systems, Inc.

LRS provides recycling and industry-leading waste diversion programs, affordable roll-off container services and comprehensive waste removal to businesses and residential homeowners. LRS operates a growing fleet of natural gas-powered trucks and is run successfully each day by more than 400 dedicated full-time employees.

In addition to serving all 658 schools in the Chicago Public Schools system, LRS actively participates in the City of Chicago’s Blue Cart Residential Recycling Program. LRS also is the preferred recycling and waste management partner to Skokie, Evanston, Riverwoods, Bannockburn, Golf and Deerfield. LRS is committed to raising awareness and fostering discussion on the importance of recycling and environmental sustainability in the communities it serves.

History

Lakeshore Recycling Systems was born in 2012 by way of a merger between two of Chicago’s strongest waste recycling companies: Lakeshore Waste Services and Recycling Systems, Inc.

Lakeshore Waste Services (LWS), was founded in 2001 by a veteran of one of the largest waste management companies in the world. LWS grew from a one-truck/one-route operation into a 60-truck company serving most of northern and northwestern Illinois. LWS grew its success by practicing the bedrock principles on which it was founded: offering first-rate customer services that don’t break the bank.

Recycling Systems, Inc. was founded in 1999 by veterans of the waste and recycling industry in Forest Park, Illinois. In 2005, RSI built two 25,000-square-foot recycling and transfer buildings and established its footprint in Chicago. Today LRS operates these transfer facilities with pride as they are viewed within the industry as the gold standard of transfer facilities, providing solutions that divert waste and debris from entering landfills. RSI optimized the waste stream by finding outlets for recyclable materials that today are sorted at LRS facilities. Today, LRS exceeds the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Certification points and is compliant with the City of Chicago’s Recycling Ordinance. RSI’s 55-fleet operation served Chicago-area residents, general contractors, and demolition and excavation companies for more than 16 years.

At LRS, we proudly operate state-of-the-art material recovery facilities (MRFs) throughout greater Chicago.We do our part to collect your waste and recyclables curbside via containers or roll-off dumpsters at your home, business or construction site. We’re proud to be the only waste company in Chicago to operate without owning a single landfill. Our customers are happy to know that their waste is handled in an environmentally friendly way by keeping material they discard in either recycle bins or regular waste stream out of landfills. We feel responsible for the environment and keep this as a core pillar of our business.

Northbrook Material Recovery Facility

With the March 2016 acquisition of C&D Recycling, LRS now controls and processes over 2.2 million tons of waste material annually, more than any other privately-held company in Illinois. C&D Recycling is the newest addition to the six Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) that LRS operates. This new facility has expanded the LRS workforce to employ over 600 full-time employees across all locations. LRS, with primary operations in Chicago and its suburbs, is a diversified waste services company providing commercial, residential, recycling and roll-off waste collection and diversion services to more than 24,000 commercial and residential customers.

Waste Diversion Solutions for Homeowners and Chicagoland Businesses

• Residential and commercial dumpster rentals, including variable-sized roll-off dumpsters
  
• Electronic waste collection and recycling
  
• Landscape, refuse and organic collection
  
• Safe recycling of bulbs, batteries, and ballasts
  
• LEED documentation
  
• Municipal waste and recycling programs
  
• Waste and recycling services for area schools, including the Chicago Public Schools system

Our Commitment to Recycling

Lakeshore Recycling Systems considers the recycle component of our industry equal in importance to managing and processing solid waste. In terms of significance to our environment, we feel it is crucial to educate our valued customers on the best methods to achieve recycling success. As is reflected in our name, we believe in recycling first, whenever possible.

Aside from the ecological responsibility we face, it is also notable that we do not own any landfills. This aspect of our business has galvanized our intentions to re-route and reclaim as much solid waste for recycling purposes. We see this as beneficial on two levels: 1. Staying vigilant about our environmental footprint. 2. Passing our diminished disposal costs on to our customers.

What is Single-Stream Recycling?

Single-Stream recycling is a relatively new recycling process that eliminates the need to sort most recyclable household items.  Until only recently, the practice of recycling was much more sorting-intensive.  The added steps it took to properly allot material made recycling much more cumbersome, and sometimes stifled the process.  Under the Single-Stream program, one can co-mingle allowable items into one container.Lakeshore Recycling Systems is proud to have been on the forefront of Single-Stream recycling; laying claim to being one of the pioneering companies to enact the Single-Stream movement in Chicagoland.