Midwest Fiber Recycling celebrates 3 decades in business

Midwest Fiber Recycling, headquartered in Normal, Illinois, is celebrating 30 years in business in 2020.

Thirty years ago, Midwest Fiber operated within a 100-mile radius of its first location in Decatur. Today, the company buys and sells paper and plastic in more than 20 different states and regularly ships material around the world. The company employs more than 150 people at six locations and offers recycling options for paper, cardboard, plastic, nonferrous metals and single-stream curbside recyclables.

Ron and Linda Shumaker responded to a newspaper advertisement regarding the sale of a local business in 1990, purchasing Decatur Paper Recycle Co. in Decatur, Illinois. At that time, the company operated out of a small building, employing only three people and exclusively serving Macon County. In 1995, the company moved into a new 25,000-square-foot building, allowing for enhanced material processing. After purchasing Weyerhaeuser Recycling in Normal in 2001, the Shumakers renamed their company Midwest Fiber Recycling.

The company expanded in 2003 with the addition of sister company Confidential On-Site Paper Shredding (C.O.P.S.) and in 2005 with the addition of a collection and baling plant in Peoria, Illinois. Those additions were joined by the construction of a single-stream material recovery facility (MRF) in Normal in 2011 and the purchase of a facility in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 2015 and a facility in Urbana, Illinois, in 2017.

"Midwest Fiber Recycling has earned the trust of our suppliers and the communities we serve and has experienced tremendous growth,” says Chief Operating Officer Mike Shumaker. 

He attributes the company’s success to its dedicated team. “The team at Midwest Fiber Recycling goes above and beyond for our customers, making 30 years of success possible.”

Midwest Fiber Recycling says it will host employee appreciation events at each location throughout the fall.

Business Development Director Todd Shumaker says he expects the company to continue to grow as markets for recovered plastics and other recyclables continue to expand. 

“It is a pleasure to continue to serve our customers and be flexible based upon the needs of our market and our world,” Todd Shumaker says. “We look forward to service in the next decade and beyond.”