BL Duke opens turnings recycling facility

Forest View, Illinois-based metals recycler BL Duke has opened its new Steel Turnings Containment Building in Joliet, Illinois.

The 25-year-old recycling company calls its new location an enclosed, purpose-built facility “designed to raise the bar for environmental compliance and safe handling of steel turnings, cast iron borings and related byproducts.”

The Chicago area firm will celebrate its 25th anniversary next month, saying its history is underscored by a quarter-century of “investment, innovation and customer-focused service.”

BL Duke says its Joliet facility was built with compliance in mind, providing enclosed storage on a reinforced concrete pad layered with a composite moisture barrier. The facility hosts more than 5,000 tons of material capacity and is capable of 80,000 gallons of liquid containment, according to BL Duke.

By keeping turnings fully covered and protected from the elements, the building reduces runoff risk, enhances material control and safeguards manufacturers’ cradle-to-grave responsibilities, the firm adds.

“We built this facility to make compliance easier for our customers and to set a higher standard for our industry,” BL Duke President Lou Plucinski. “As we enter our 25th year, the Turnings Containment Building reflects what’s guided us since day one. We control the variables that matter—safety, environment, logistics—and deliver consistent results.”

The company says the Joliet facility aligns with its multiyear strategy to strengthen logistics resilience by accessing barge, rail and truck shipping methods.

In recent years, the company has added a Class 1 rail spur, completed the acquisition of Gilbert Trucking in 2022 (bringing BL Duke’s combined fleet to 110 trucks), and acquired two river barges so it can transfer material between its nine-acre Forest View facility and its new 60-acre Joliet location.

The addition of the Forest View barge dock in 2024 was a pivotal step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving safety, lowering fuel consumption, and driving greater efficiency across operations, according to BL Duke.

By using its company-owned barges, BL Duke estimates it has eliminated approximately 200 truck trips per month between Forest View and Joliet, located about 35 miles apart.

“In a market that’s faced rising freight costs, supply-chain bottlenecks and driver shortages, we chose to invest ahead of the curve,” Plucinski says. “Our Class 1 rail access, barge capacity and the Gilbert Trucking acquisition give us the ability to control inbound and outbound freight, protect service levels and pass along cost and time efficiencies to our customers."

While one barge can replace up to 70 trucks, BL Duke says its rail access means it also can ship nonferrous materials from Forest View to Joliet “when trucking markets are tight.”

BL Duke intends to commemorate its 25th anniversary next month in part by holding customer events and facility tours at the Turnings Containment Building, with current and prospective customers invited to schedule a tour.