Chicago Dump Fees & Transfer Station Guide for Junk Removal Operators
Current 2026 tipping fees for Chicago-area transfer stations and landfills. MSW rates from $75–$150/ton with facility details, hours, and routing strategies.
Last updated: Mar 2026
$75–$150/ton (transfer stations) · $40–$65/ton (direct landfill)
Typical dump fee range
Fee basis
Per ton at all facilities — no volume-based pricing in this market
Common materials
Biggest cost trap
Cook County has zero active landfill capacity. Every ton goes through transfer stations first, then travels 60–120+ miles to downstate or Indiana landfills — that transport cost is baked into your gate rate.
Typical Costs in Chicago
Baseline pricing before you dig into individual facilities.
MSW (Household Junk)
$75–$150/ton
$25 minimum at SWANCC
Basis: Per ton at all facilities
infoChicago transfer station rates run $75–$110/ton because they bundle reloading and long-distance transport to downstate landfills. Direct landfill rates are $40–$65/ton but require 60–120+ mile drives to Will, Livingston, or Winnebago counties.
1SWANCC Glenview at $100/ton is the only facility with fully published pricing — use this as your benchmark when negotiating with private operators
2LRS Chicago Transfer Station offers 24-hour weekday access — valuable for late jobs and early-morning dump runs
3Electronics are banned from Illinois landfills — route e-waste to the City's HCCRF facility on North Branch Street for free
C&D (Construction & Demolition)
$75–$110/ton (transfer stations) · CCDD rates lower at specialty facilities
$25 minimum at SWANCC
Basis: Per ton — typically same rate as MSW at transfer stations
infoLand and Lakes accepts clean construction and demolition debris (CCDD) at their Willow Ranch facility near Romeoville — requires prior approval via ccdd@land-and-lakes.com but rates may be lower than standard transfer station pricing
Green Waste (Yard Debris)
$70–$100/ton
$17.50 minimum at SWANCC
Basis: Per ton
infoLandscape waste is banned from Illinois landfills statewide — must go through composting or organics processing. SWANCC charges $70/ton for commercial landscape waste, significantly less than their $100/ton MSW rate. Always separate yard waste from mixed loads.
Bulky Items & Surcharges
$25–$65 per item
$25/unit for major appliances at SWANCC
Basis: Per item surcharge on top of tonnage fees
infoWhite goods (fridge, washer, dryer, A/C) are $25/unit at SWANCC including Freon evacuation. Mattress surcharges are estimated at $25–$35/unit based on comparable facilities. Electronics are completely banned from Illinois landfills — penalty fees apply if found in loads at any facility.
Facilities in Chicago
Recommended facilities first, then additional options.
Top Recommended (4)
SWANCC Glenview Transfer Station
Most transparent pricing in the region — the only facility with fully published rates. Best for north suburbs and north-side operators.Rate
MSW/C&D: $100.00/ton · Landscape waste: $70.00/ton · Asphalt shingles: $70.00/ton · White goods: $25.00/unit
$25.00 (500 lbs or less)
Hours
Mon 6:00 AM–10:00 AM & 2:00 PM–4:00 PM · Tue–Fri 6:00 AM–4:00 PM · Sat 6:00 AM–12:00 PM · Sun CLOSED
Area
North Suburbs / Glenview (3 Providence Way, Des Plaines, IL 60016)
Intergovernmental agency established in 1988 serving northern Cook County. Processes approximately 340,000 tons per year, transported to Winnebago Landfill near Rockford. The published $100/ton rate is your best benchmark for negotiating with private operators who won't post prices. High-visibility reflective safety vest required for all persons exiting vehicles. Monday has split hours (closed 10 AM–2 PM) — plan accordingly. Credit cards accepted; credit account available for commercial operators.
LRS Chicago Transfer Station
24-hour weekday access — best for operators running late jobs or pre-dawn dump runs in the cityRate
Call (773) 579-1200 or contact via lrsrecycles.com/talk-to-a-specialist
Call for details
Hours
Mon–Fri 24 hours · Sat 12:00 AM – 3:00 PM · Sun CLOSED
Area
South Side / Pilsen (3152 S. California Ave, Chicago, IL 60608)
Lakeshore Recycling Systems operates the only 24-hour weekday transfer station in the Chicago metro. This is extremely valuable for operators running evening jobs or wanting to dump at 5 AM before starting the route. Located on the south side with good expressway access via I-55. Rates are not posted — call (773) 579-1200. Credit and debit cards accepted. Negotiate a volume account if you're running 3+ loads per week.
Big Daddy Scrap
Best scrap metal rates in Chicagoland — open 7 days a week with published pricesRate
Bare bright copper $4.67/lb · #1 copper $4.55/lb · #2 copper $4.40/lb · Yellow brass $2.50/lb · Clean aluminum $0.57/lb · Aluminum cans $0.45/lb · Stainless $0.33/lb · Cast iron $205/ton · Sheet iron $205/ton
Loads over 200 lbs — call for pricing
Hours
Chicago Heights: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Sat–Sun 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM (open 7 days)
Area
Chicago Heights (551 E. Lincoln Highway, Chicago Heights, IL 60411) · Also: Kankakee (4441 W. 1000 S Rd, Kankakee, IL 60901)
Family-owned since 2007. The only scrap yard in Chicagoland open 7 days — including Sundays. Published prices on their website updated regularly. Staff will break down and separate materials for you. Roll-off containers (4x4 Gaylord boxes, 10–40 yard roll-offs) available for high-volume operators. Also buys junk cars. Chicago copper prices running significantly higher than Houston or DFW — at $4.55–$4.67/lb for copper, even a few pounds per job generates $20–$50 in recovered revenue.
BL Duke Metal Recycling
Commercial-grade scrap recycling with fixed-price contracts for consistent volume operatorsRate
Public walk-in prices posted daily on-site in English and Spanish — call (708) 546-2714 for current rates
Walk-in: no minimum. Fixed pricing: 20 gross tons/month minimum.
Hours
Forest View: Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Joliet: Mon–Fri 6:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Sat 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Area
Forest View (6400 W Canal Bank Rd, Forest View, IL 60402) · Joliet (1 Industry Ave, Gate 2, Joliet, IL 60435)
Established in 2000. Offers three pricing tiers including fixed-price contracts for operators running consistent metal volume — locks your rate for 3–12 months, removing commodity price risk. PPE mandatory: hard hat, safety glasses, hi-vis vest, gloves, long pants, steel-toed boots. Cash via secure on-site ATM or check payment. Industrial clients get Net 30 terms. The Joliet location has Saturday hours. February 2026 market note: ferrous scrap remains strong with tight supply; copper at record highs due to global supply risks.
Rules & Restrictions
Know before you go — avoid rejected loads and fines.
Electronics are banned from Illinois landfills under the Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act — penalty fees apply if e-waste is found in your loads at any facility. Route electronics to the City of Chicago HCCRF at 1150 N. North Branch Street (free for Chicago residents).
Landscape waste is banned from Illinois landfill disposal statewide — yard waste must go through composting or organics processing. SWANCC accepts commercial landscape waste at $70/ton.
No hazardous waste at any commercial facility — the City of Chicago HCCRF accepts household chemicals, auto fluids, batteries, and pharmaceuticals on Tuesdays (7 AM–noon), Thursdays (2–7 PM), and first Saturday of each month (8 AM–3 PM). Chicago residents only; no commercial waste.
High-visibility reflective safety vest required at SWANCC, Prairie View, and BL Duke. Carry PPE in every truck — BL Duke requires hard hat, safety glasses, vest, gloves, long pants, and steel-toed boots.
WM Prairie View and Livingston Landfill require commercial accounts — rates are not available without an account. Set up via wmsolutions.com or republicservices.com before routing trucks.
Prairie View accepts waste only from approved counties (Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane, Lake IL, plus several Indiana counties) — verify your hauling origin qualifies before setting up an account.
Cook County has zero active landfill capacity — every ton goes through transfer stations first, then 60–120+ miles to downstate landfills. This transport cost is why Chicago transfer station rates ($75–$110/ton) run 50–75% higher than national averages.
LRS on California Ave is the only 24-hour weekday transfer station in Chicago — no other facility offers overnight disposal. This is a competitive advantage for operators running evening jobs.
Illinois EPA reported 35 permitted landfills statewide with approximately 926 million cubic yards of combined remaining capacity (~20 years at current rates). Chicago's disposal infrastructure is stable long-term but costs will continue rising as nearby capacity fills.
Cost-Saving Tips
Margin protection playbook — sorting, timing, and routing.
Sorting Strategy
Chicago copper prices are among the highest in the country — bare bright at $4.67/lb means a single copper pipe from a kitchen remodel can net $10–$20 at Big Daddy Scrap. Sort all metals on-truck during every job.
Separate landscape waste from mixed loads — SWANCC charges $70/ton for yard waste versus $100/ton for MSW, saving you $30/ton on every load with yard debris
Donate usable furniture and appliances to Habitat ReStore Chicago (two locations) — free disposal, free pickup available, and tax deduction receipt. ReStore keeps 5.9 million pounds out of landfills annually.
Timing Strategy
LRS Chicago's 24-hour weekday access lets you dump at 4 AM before starting your route — zero wait times and no wasted midday windshield time driving to and from the transfer station
SWANCC has split hours on Monday (6 AM–10 AM, then 2 PM–4 PM) — Tuesday through Friday are full-day access. Saturday closes at noon, so plan weekend dump runs for early morning.
Avoid first-Saturday-of-month mornings at the City HCCRF on North Branch — residential HHW traffic peaks. For regular disposal, weekday midmorning (9–11 AM) is typically the lightest window at SWANCC.
Routing Strategy
North side and north suburb jobs: SWANCC Glenview ($100/ton posted rate) — the most transparent and predictable cost in the market
City and south side jobs: LRS California Ave (24-hour access, rate by phone) — best location for inner-city routes with I-55 access
Full-truckload runs only: Prairie View in Wilmington (estimated $40–$65/ton) saves $30–$50/ton versus transfer stations, but the 130-mile round trip only pencils out on heavy loads. Never make this drive with a half truck.
Best Practice
Chicago has the highest disposal costs of any major Midwest metro — $100/ton at SWANCC is nearly triple the national municipal average. This means dump fee tracking is not optional. An operator running 4 jobs/day at $100/ton who doesn't track per-job disposal costs will leak $200–$400 per week in unaccounted disposal overhead. ScaleYourJunk logs dump fees per job automatically so you can build accurate disposal costs into every quote and see which job types actually generate margin after disposal.
Chicago's Dump Fees Are 2–3× the National Average — Track Every Dollar
ScaleYourJunk logs disposal costs per job so you can see which routes and job types actually generate margin after Chicago's premium disposal costs.
Dump Fees in Chicago: FAQ
Related Resources
Illinois Junk Removal Market Guide
Demographics, competitor landscape, pricing benchmarks, and regulations for operating in Illinois.
DataChicago Metro Junk Removal Market
Competitor analysis, neighborhood targeting, and entry strategy for the Chicago metro area.
GuideDump Run Efficiency Guide
Route optimization strategies to minimize windshield time between jobs and dump sites.
GuideAccounting Best Practices for Operators
Track dump fees, labor, and fuel costs per job to protect your margins in high-cost markets.
FeatureLoad-Based Pricing Engine
Build Chicago's premium disposal costs into every quote with volume-based pricing tiers.
Chicago Disposal Costs Can Break Your Margin — Track Every Load
ScaleYourJunk logs disposal costs per job, per facility, per truck so you can see which jobs are profitable after Chicago's $100+/ton transfer station rates.
Dump fee tracking included in all plans — Starter $149/mo