SWANCC

What SWANCC does

The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) is an intergovernmental joint action agency established in 1988 to deliver coordinated solid waste management services on behalf of 23 member municipalities across northern Cook County, Illinois. Headquartered in Wheeling, IL, the agency operates a service portfolio spanning curbside and drop-off recycling collection, organics (food scraps and yard waste) programs, household hazardous waste collection in partnership with the Illinois EPA, seasonal document destruction and electronics collection events, and the Glenview Transfer Station, which serves commercial and landscape contractors for landscape waste, solid waste, and construction debris disposal.

SWANCC supplements its operational mandate with a substantial educational and outreach function, including K-12 school programs (the Taking Care of Our Earth curriculum, waste audits, vermicompost workshops), waste reduction grants of up to $1,000 for schools, libraries and nonprofits, monthly community and educator newsletters, and AI-assisted waste audit tools (Waste Wise). The agency is a regional partner in the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus-led 'Feed the Cart' campaign — funded by a $2 million U.S. EPA Recycling Education and Outreach grant — which targets a 15% increase in regional recycling tonnage by 2030 across six counties and 275 municipalities, and it participates in programs such as Hefty ReNew (with Reynolds Consumer Products and Dow) for hard-to-recycle flexible plastics.

SWANCC's business model is a hybrid of recurring municipal member assessments (subscribing 23 communities), transaction-based transfer station tipping fees from commercial haulers and contractors, and grant-funded programming from EPA, IEPA, and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. As a non-profit governmental entity, SWANCC does not publicly disclose individual pricing or financial statements; leadership is the Executive Director (Christina Seibert) and a board representing member communities.

Name

SWANCC

Legal name

Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County

Website

https://swancc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SWANCC is an intergovernmental municipal joint action agency serving 23 communities in northern Cook County, Illinois with solid waste collection, recycling, transfer station, household hazardous waste, and environmental education services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Solid Waste Management

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works / In-House Municipal Collection Operations (EUAIAAAF), Residential Curbside MSW Collection (BPALAAAA)

Keywords

• Solid waste management
• Municipal recycling services
• Household hazardous waste
• Waste education programs
• Transfer station operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheeling

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Municipal Member Fees: Recurring fees from 23 member communities for waste management services including collection, transfer, processing, and disposal
2. Transfer Station Fees: Fees charged to commercial entities including landscape contractors and waste haulers for disposal services at Glenview Transfer Station
3. Government Grants: EPA and state environmental grants funding recycling education and outreach campaigns including the $2 million EPA Recycling Education and Outreach grant for the Feed the Cart campaign

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SWANCC is an intergovernmental municipal joint action agency that provides solid waste management, recycling, and environmental education services to its 23 member communities in northern Cook County, Illinois. Its offerings include curbside and drop-off recycling, transfer station disposal, household hazardous waste collections, organics/food scraps programs, one-day electronics and document destruction events, school and community education programs, and waste reduction grants.

Product overview

SWANCC is a municipal joint action agency established in 1988 representing 23 member communities across northern Cook County. Rather than a technology product company, SWANCC provides essential public services including waste collection, transfer station operations, curbside and drop-off recycling programs, organics collection (food scraps and yard waste), household hazardous waste collections, and seasonal document/electronics collection events. The agency supplements its core services with educational offerings including school programs, community outreach, and waste reduction grants. SWANCC participates in regional initiatives like the Feed the Cart recycling campaign and partners with programs like Hefty ReNew for hard-to-recycle plastics. Educational resources include the Taking Care of Our Earth curriculum, waste audit tools, and AI-powered Waste Wise auditing programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feed the Cart: A regional recycling education and outreach campaign launched across Chicagoland in partnership with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to increase recycling tonnage by 15% before 2030.
• Loop

Products and services

• Glenview Transfer Station Transfer station services available to commercial and landscape contractors and other commercial entities for disposal of landscape waste, solid waste, and construction debris in northern Cook County, Illinois.
• Recycle Coach (What Goes Where) Digital guide powered by Recycle Coach technology that helps Illinois residents understand what materials can be recycled curbside, reducing contamination in the recycling stream.
• Municipal Waste Management Services Coordinated collection, transportation, transfer, processing, treatment, storage, disposal, recovery, and reuse services for municipal solid waste across 23 member communities in northern Cook County, Illinois.
• School Education Programs Free educational programs for K-12 schools including waste audits, composting workshops, vermicompost series, and the Taking Care of Our Earth curriculum.
• Waste Reduction Grants Grant program providing up to $1,000 for schools, libraries, and nonprofits in member communities to implement waste reduction projects.
• Waste Wise: Smarter Audits Through AI Program that uses AI technology to conduct waste audits in schools, helping students understand waste composition and improve recycling habits.
• Community Outreach Programs Community outreach programs including group presentations and tabling/exhibiting events for member community residents and organizations.
• One-Day Collection Events Seasonal Document Destruction and Electronics Collection events from April through October for residents of member communities.
• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collections Free household hazardous waste collections conducted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency at four locations in northern Illinois, available to all Illinois residents.
• Hefty ReNew Program (Hard-to-Recycle Plastics Collection) Orange bag collection program for hard-to-recycle plastics including chip bags, foam egg cartons, plastic pet food bags, and bubble wrap, available to residents of Glencoe, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka through the Hefty ReNew partnership.

Quantifiable outcome

• 573,000 tons of recyclable materials collected in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reynolds Consumer Products (Hefty Brand)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2025Hefty ReNew Program partnership bringing orange bag collection system for hard-to-recycle plastics to four communities in northeastern Cook County (Glencoe, Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka). The program diverts chip bags, foam egg cartons, plastic pet food bags, and other flexible film from landfills.
• Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership of 275 local governments in Metro Chicago leading the 'Feed the Cart' recycling education campaign covering 6 counties with 8.1 million residents. SWANCC serves as a partner in the Chicago Metro Recycling Education and Outreach (REO) campaign funded by a $2 million EPA grant.
• Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024LRS is a key partner for recycling processing and the Feed the Cart campaign. Press conference held at LRS Exchange, a $50 million state-of-the-art material recovery facility in Chicago. LRS serves as the processing partner for Hefty ReNew Program in northern Cook County.
• Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024IEPA partners with SWANCC on Recycle Coach digital technology and conducts Household Hazardous Waste collections at four locations in northern Illinois, free to all Illinois residents.
• SWALCO (Solid Waste Agency of Lake County)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Chicago Metro Recycling Education and Outreach campaign partner working alongside SWANCC, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, and Will counties on the Feed the Cart campaign.
• Illinois Climate Education HubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SWANCC is a partner with the Illinois Climate Education Hub which provides climate and sustainability literacy resources to educators and students, complementing SWANCC's education programs.
• Clear Channel OutdoorminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Chicago-based media company providing billboard placements along Chicagoland commuter rails, major interstates, and surface streets to support the Feed the Cart recycling awareness campaign. Described as the largest charitable gift in Clear Channel's 124-year history.
• Recycle CoachcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Recycle Coach provides digital technology platform helping Illinois residents understand how to properly recycle and dispose of household materials, integrated with IEPA partnership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: One of the largest U.S. waste haulers with significant Chicago-area presence. Serves as a broad incumbent comparable to the private-sector alternative that SWANCC's intergovernmental structure competes against for member municipal contracts.
• Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS): Private-sector Chicago-based recycler operating the $50M LRS Exchange MRF where the Feed the Cart launch occurred. Functions as SWANCC's processing partner while also competing in regional hauling/processing — a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities.
• Waste Management, Inc. Largest U.S. solid waste and recycling company, including substantial Chicago-area operations. Provides reference point for what SWANCC's private-sector alternatives look like in commercial hauling and recycling processing.

Direct peers

• Will County Recycling Program: Will County solid waste/recycling program also participating in the Feed the Cart campaign. Operates comparable collection, education, and special-waste services across a similar member-municipality base.
• Kane County Recycling & Solid Waste Program: County solid waste authority serving Kane County, Illinois, also a Feed the Cart campaign partner. Directly comparable to SWANCC in terms of services, member base, and intergovernmental framework.
• McHenry County Solid Waste / Recycling Authority: Solid waste authority covering McHenry County municipalities and a partner in the MMC's Feed the Cart coalition. Closely comparable operating model and service portfolio to SWANCC.
• SWALCO (Solid Waste Agency of Lake County): Adjacent-county Illinois joint action solid waste agency serving Lake County municipalities. Sister agency in Chicago metro with same intergovernmental structure, providing direct operational and program-level comparability to SWANCC.
• DuPage County Solid Waste Management Department: County-level government solid waste program serving DuPage County municipalities, partnered with SWANCC on the Feed the Cart campaign. Highly comparable in service mix (curbside, education, HHW) and governance structure.

Emerging players

• Recycle Coach: Digital recycling guidance platform adopted by SWANCC for resident-facing 'What Goes Where' services. A specialized technology vendor directly powering SWANCC's anti-contamination and education offering.

Regional players

• Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC): Coalition of 275 Chicago-area municipalities leading the Feed the Cart campaign. While not a direct waste hauler, MMC is the political and programmatic umbrella through which SWANCC's grant-funded education work is delivered at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/swancc23
• Instagraminstagram.com/swancc23
• Xx.com/SWANCCTweets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solid-waste-agency-of-northern-cook-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SWANCC