Welcome to Cozzi Recycling, Chicagoland’s premier full-service scrap recycling company. With nearly 80 years of industry experience, the Cozzi name is synonymous with scrap metal recycling. Cozzi Recycling operates two facilities in Bellwood and Melrose Park where we buy, process, and sell all grades of metal. We are a mill direct supplier of both ferrous and non-ferrous material. Material processed at Cozzi Recycling is marketed directly into steel mills and other end users to be used in the process of making raw material. Our wholesale non-ferrous warehouse in Bellwood processes well over 100 different commodities. Non-ferrous, meaning non-iron containing material includes alloys of aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, lead, and zinc. We also recycle stainless steel and other nickel bearing alloys here. Containerized loads can be received at one of four loading docks or loose material can be dumped inside or outside the warehouse. Our scale system records pictures of both unprocessed and processed material making it easy to track material from point a to b.
Our steel yard is designed to process and ship full truckloads of scrap. Traffic flows in a circular motion with all inbound and outbound traffic reporting first to the truck scale. Posted near the scale are our yard rules which include rules for PPE – personal protective equipment – for all persons entering the yard as well as a list of our non-conforming materials and restricted materials to ensure no hazardous material enter our operation. After unloading, a material inspector will check the material for quality and grading. This will include pictures as well as a description of the material and any non-conformities. Obsolete metals such as refrigerators and bicycles will be processed through our metal shredder. The shredder separates ferrous from non-ferrous metal. Non-ferrous product is moved inside to our non-ferrous separation system. This system separates the metal into three different sizes and the different sizes are run over eddy currents to separate the metal from the non-metallics. The separation system has several finished products. Zorba, which is shredded aluminum, zurich, which is shredded stainless, and a non-metallic product referred to as fluff. We have an aspiration unit as well as several other water sources throughout the shredder and the downstream to help control dust and debris in the facility and around the surrounding areas. Materials such as I-beams are processed through a vertical shear. Simply put, unprepared material is processed through the machine and prepared to mill specifications.
Our drive-through facility in Melrose Park is open to the general public where they can sell commonly found scrap materials like old appliances, copper piping, and aluminum siding. We use the same scale system at this facility to purchase material and customers are able to collect payment for the material after delivery.
Cozzi Recycling operates a state-of-the-art truck fleet with GPS tracking as well as dash cams to monitor route efficiency and driver performance. Several different trucks and containers are used depending on material type and size. Additionally, we also have the capability to custom fabricate containers specific to our customers’ needs. As pickup requests are called in trucks are dispatched throughout Chicagoland to transport material back to our Bellwood yard. Customers call in with their box number so we know exactly what type of equipment we are picking up and can bring the necessary replacement bins. Being able to easily track the shipments of scrap you sell to Cozzi Recycling is important. If you want to get your boots on the ground and see this operation firsthand, call us today to schedule an in-person tour.