Kirk Salerno

Quincy Recycle was established in 1974 and at this time has four business units. These are comprised of the Quincy, IL; Alsip (Chicago), IL; and New Haven, IN plants, along with a brokerage business unit.

   In 2008 Quincy Recycle acquired Central States Fiber in Marion IN. They moved the processing facility to New Haven in 2010 to meet the growing demand for sustainability solutions in Northeast Indiana. They chose New Haven for its many transportation possibilities and the market available for their product. They have a 200,000 square foot building that has live rail access on the Norfolk Southern line, and is located a short distance away from Highway 469 giving them plenty of shipping opportunities.

   Kirk Salerno, General Manager began working at Quincy Recycle In Sept. of 2011. “I have been in the waste hauling, landfill and transportation business for the last 20 years”, he shared. “I had been working at a recycle and waste transfer center that had just sold over on Pontiac Street. As that sold Quincy came to town and I had met the owner of Quincy through being at the transfer station. The timing was wonderful and when this opportunity came along I made the switch.”

   Quincy Recycle is a business to business recycler which concentrates on paper and plastics. Business to business means that they deal with manufacturers, printers, and distributors that generate large volumes of recyclable material.  Mainly they handle materials by the truck load. Salerno explained, “It’s pre-consumer but post-manufacturing. It is the waste generated through the process of manufacturing or handling a product. “

   They try to create value for their customers in reducing their landfill costs by recycling the material that they may produce in their manufacturing process.

   Recycling is just part of the service offered at Quincy Recycling. We like to think of ourselves as Waste Consultants. Salerno said, “Sometimes we’ll go in a business and change their whole flow of materials. We go in and analyze their waste stream and say ‘OK this stuff we can recycle and let’s get that away from your waste stream, start sending it our way and we’ll start recycling’. So in the end we are both helping them recycle materials and we are a cost savings for them.”

   Quincy is looking forward to some good sustainable growth in the next few years. A new program they are currently launching is Paper Gator. Quincy Recycle places containers at churches and schools to collect paper.  With no cost to the churches or schools for the program the Paper Gator is a fund raiser for them as they get paid for every ton of material that goes in their containers.

   Salerno explained, “For example, some churches have quarterly paper drives and the people have to save their materials for three months. With this program they could drop it off at the container any time, any day. Then we’ll pick it up and process the material here.”

    A company in Grand Rapids receives the processed materials and makes cat litter, dog litter, dog bedding, and mulched grass seed with it. The materials the company cannot use will be sent to paper mills to make new paper. Salerno said, “It is a great program and we are excited about it.”

   At this time the closest Paper Gator Bin is located at the Faith Baptist Church, 6600 Trier Road. To find out more about the Paper Gator program click here.

   Having been a member of the Chamber for just five months benefits of membership have just begun. Salerno shared that he is excited to start attending events and sharing in the networking that happens at those events.

   Quincy Recycle is a strong and stable company that is dedicated to growth and high ethical values. Whether you are a small business or a Fortune 500 company, Quincy Recycle can create a business plan to meet your company’s recycling needs. Whether your priority is zero impact or bottom line, Quincy Recycle can help you meet your goals while minimizing costs. By partnering with Quincy Recycle your business can find the perfect mix of efficiency and effective elimination of mixed materials that will result in your business operating more profitably and in a more sustainable fashion.