Elgin Recycling
Elgin Recycling is a family-owned, full-service recycling company operating five facilities in Chicagoland since 1978. It processes scrap metals, electronics, paper, and plastic, and offers the RecyclePak mail-back program for residential, business, and government customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersGilberts, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Elgin Recycling does
Elgin Recycling is a family-owned, full-service recycling company founded in 1978 by Bob and Claudia Conroy in the Chicagoland area of Illinois. The company began as a silver reclamation business processing photographic and x-ray film, expanded into aluminum and broader non-ferrous metals in the mid-1980s, and progressively broadened its service mix to include ferrous metals, electronics, paper, plastic, and a regulated mail-back program. Today it operates five full-service recycling facilities across Gilberts, Elgin, Elk Grove Township, and Crystal Lake, supported by a national trucking fleet, an R2-certified electronics processing warehouse in West Dundee, and a 52,174-square-foot electronics facility under construction in Gilberts (expected operational July 2026).
The company's core services are organized across five product surfaces: scrap metal recycling (aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, steel, and exotic alloys); electronics recycling (computers, TVs/monitors, batteries, cell phones, consumer electronics, and industrial telecommunications equipment); paper and plastic recycling; the RecyclePak mail-back program for regulated waste streams (lamps, ballasts, mercury devices, dental waste, sharps, pharmaceutical waste, smoke detectors, aerosol cans, and spill kits); and ancillary services including brokerage, asset management, de-installation, light demolition, and warehousing. Proprietary technology is limited in scope: Niton XRF analysis is used for rapid, accurate alloy identification during scrap intake, and the new Gilberts facility will deploy a high-efficiency shredder with R2-compliant data sanitization for electronics processing. The business holds R2V3, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 certifications and is a member of ReMA/ISRI, the Illinois Recycling Association, and the National Recycling Coalition.
Revenue is generated through four primary streams: the spread between purchase and resale prices on ferrous and non-ferrous scrap; processing fees on certain electronics categories (notably TVs and monitors); brokerage and professional services (asset management, de-installation, light demolition, warehousing); and RecyclePak mail-back sales. Pricing is transactional pay-as-you-go, with publicly disclosed commodity prices that fluctuate with market conditions. The company sells through a hybrid direct-to-consumer drop-off model at its five facilities, enterprise field sales for industrial accounts, and self-serve online quote and pickup scheduling. Customers span residential individuals, SMBs, industrial accounts, contractors, government agencies, and institutional clients across the Chicagoland area and, via national trucking and RecyclePak, more broadly.
Elgin Recycling firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Elgin Recycling
- Legal name
- Elgin Recycling
- Website
- https://elginrecycling.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Elgin Recycling is a family-owned, full-service recycling company operating five facilities in Chicagoland since 1978. It processes scrap metals, electronics, paper, and plastic, and offers the RecyclePak mail-back program for residential, business, and government customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Elgin Recycling industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Other Waste Collection (562119)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (BPALADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- E-Waste (WEEE) Collection, Refurbishment & Recycling (IMAIAFAH), Recycling & E-Waste Collection/Hauling (HSAKALAJ), Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)
Keywords
Where Elgin Recycling is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gilberts
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Elgin Recycling business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Scrap Metal Purchase and Resale: Elgin Recycling purchases scrap metal from customers at competitive market-based prices and resells the processed materials to manufacturers. Revenue is generated through the spread between purchase price and resale value of ferrous and non-ferrous metals including aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, and steel.
- Electronics Recycling Processing Fees: The company charges material processing fees for certain electronics recycling, particularly for TVs and monitors which have material charges. Electronics are processed at R2 certified facilities with data sanitization.
- Brokerage Services: Elgin Recycling provides brokering services, asset management, de-installation, light demolition, and warehousing services for customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Copper pricing varies by type and condition |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Aluminum pricing varies by form |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Steel and other ferrous pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Electronics recycling fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Elgin Recycling product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Elgin Recycling purchases and processes ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals (aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, steel, lead, batteries), electronics (computers, TVs/monitors, batteries, cell phones, consumer electronics, industrial telecommunications), paper, and plastic at five Chicagoland drop-off facilities and via full-service pickup trucking. It also offers a RecyclePak mail-back program for regulated waste streams (lamps, ballasts, mercury devices, dental waste, sharps, pharmaceutical waste, smoke detectors, aerosol cans, tritium exit signs, and spill kits) and supporting services including brokerage, asset management, de-installation, light demolition, and warehousing.
Product overview
Elgin Recycling is a family-owned multi-facility recycling company operating in the Chicagoland area since 1978. The company offers a comprehensive suite of recycling services organized around five core service lines: Scrap Metal Recycling (aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, steel, and other metals), Electronics Recycling (computers, TVs, phones, industrial telecommunications, and B2B services), Paper/Plastic Recycling, and the RecyclePak mail-back program. The RecyclePak program provides specialized UN-rated containers for lamps, ballasts, mercury devices, dental waste, sharps, pharmaceutical waste, smoke detectors, aerosol cans, and spill kits—sold as individual product modules within a unified mail-back service. The company operates five full-service facilities (Gilberts corporate office/iron yard, Gilberts recycling center, Elgin, Elk Grove Township, and Crystal Lake) and offers pick-up services with various truck and container options. R2 certification ensures secure handling of electronics with data destruction, while ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications cover environmental and safety management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RecyclePak: Mail-back program for recycling fluorescent lamps, ballasts, batteries, mercury-containing items, dental waste, sharps, pharmaceutical waste, aerosol cans, smoke detectors, and tritium exit signs.
Products and services
- Scrap Metal Recycling
- Computer Recycling
- TV & Monitor Recycling
- Battery Recycling
- Cell Phone Recycling
- Consumer Electronics Recycling
- Industrial Telecommunications Recycling
- B2B Electronics Recycling
- Paper Recycling
- Plastic Recycling
- RecyclePak Mail-back Program
- Scrap Pick-up Services
- Brokerage Services
- Demolition Recycling Services
- Fridge & Freezer Recycling
Quantifiable outcome
- Recycled nearly 6,000 pounds of holiday lights since 2011 for Mount Prospect
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Elgin Recycling
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Elgin Recycling technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Elgin Recycling partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves14 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Elgin Recycling competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Radius Recycling: Formed from the 2024 merger of Schnitzer Steel and Radius Recycling, Radius is one of the largest US scrap metal recyclers with national buying, processing, and mill services. Directly comparable to Elgin in core ferrous/non-ferrous scrap collection and processing, but operating at vastly greater scale and national footprint.
- United Scrap Metal: Independent, family-influenced US scrap metal recycler also headquartered in the greater Chicago area. Direct peer in ferrous and non-ferrous scrap collection, processing, and brokerage serving Midwest industrial and commercial accounts.
- Alter Trading: Family-owned scrap metal processor and broker with yards across the US Midwest. Closely comparable to Elgin in independent, family-influenced operating model, ferrous/non-ferrous processing capability, and brokerage service lines.
- Sims Metal Management: Australia-headquartered global scrap metal recycler with substantial US operations. Directly comparable to Elgin as a buyer/processor of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, but operating at a global, multi-national scale.
- ERI (Electronic Recyclers International): Largest US e-waste recycler with R2 certified facilities, ITAD services, and enterprise electronics processing. Directly comparable to Elgin on the R2 certified electronics recycling and data sanitization side of the business, though operating at a national scale.
- Heritage-Crystal Clean: US provider of specialty waste services including used oil, oil-based fluids, and parts cleaning. Comparable to Elgin's RecyclePak specialty mail-back program in serving regulated, small-quantity-generator waste streams from institutional and commercial customers.
Broad incumbents
- Republic Services: Second-largest US waste services company with nationwide collection, recycling, and disposal operations. Competes with Elgin for commercial and industrial recycling accounts as part of a much wider portfolio, but does not specialize in scrap metal or e-waste the way Elgin does.
- Waste Management Inc. Largest US waste services company offering collection, recycling, and disposal nationwide. Overlaps with Elgin in commercial solid waste and recycling collection as part of a much broader portfolio, and now also operates the RecyclePak-adjacent Stericycle sharps business.
- EMR Metal Recycling: UK-headquartered global scrap metal recycler with significant US operations (including the former Metalico). Operates in the same ferrous/non-ferrous scrap market as Elgin but as a much larger, multi-national incumbent with broader geographic coverage.
Others
- Veolia Environmental Services: Global environmental services company and partner to Elgin Recycling — operates the elginrecycling.veoliaes.com e-commerce platform that distributes the RecyclePak mail-back program nationally. An ecosystem partner and indirect distribution channel rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Elgin Recycling social profiles
Digital presenceElgin Recycling compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Elgin Recycling financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Elgin Recycling leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Elgin Recycling funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Elgin Recycling M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Elgin Recycling
What does Elgin Recycling do?
Elgin Recycling purchases and processes ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals (aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, steel, lead, batteries), electronics (computers, TVs/monitors, batteries, cell phones, consumer electronics, industrial telecommunications), paper, and plastic at five Chicagoland drop-off facilities and via full-service pickup trucking. It also offers a RecyclePak mail-back program for regulated waste streams (lamps, ballasts, mercury devices, dental waste, sharps, pharmaceutical waste, smoke detectors, aerosol cans, tritium exit signs, and spill kits) and supporting services including brokerage, asset management, de-installation, light demolition, and warehousing.
Is Elgin Recycling a public or private company?
Elgin Recycling is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Elgin Recycling founded?
Elgin Recycling was founded in 1978. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Elgin Recycling based?
Elgin Recycling is headquartered in Gilberts, United States, in the North America region.
How does Elgin Recycling make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Scrap Metal Purchase and Resale is the primary driver. The others are electronics Recycling Processing Fees and brokerage Services.
Who are Elgin Recycling's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Radius Recycling, United Scrap Metal, Alter Trading, Sims Metal Management, ERI (Electronic Recyclers International) and Heritage-Crystal Clean. Broad incumbents are Republic Services, Waste Management Inc. and EMR Metal Recycling. Veolia Environmental Services is listed as an others.
Does Elgin Recycling have an API?
No public API is recorded for Elgin Recycling.
What industry is Elgin Recycling in?
Elgin Recycling's product category is Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPALADAF, Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous), with a secondary code of IMAIAFAH, E-Waste (WEEE) Collection, Refurbishment & Recycling. Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.