A legacy of expansion, innovation, and leadership.

QRS was founded by Tim Janson in 1974 on the core values of fairness, integrity, and enduring relationships. As we look forward into our fifth decade in the recycling business, we can reflect on the progress we’ve made thus far. Throughout our existence, we have developed unique insights into the challenges facing the industry, understanding and respecting the difficult tasks that recyclers confront. Our solutions continue to keep material moving, at a fair price, in all market conditions.

Our history is a legacy of expansion, innovation, and leadership. But the legacy we’re most proud of is our long-term relationships with our customers and our unwavering commitment to the values our company was founded on.

Our History

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1974 – QRS founded by Tim Janson, New Albany, IN - Matt (7) and Greg (6) Janson, start working for QRS
1976 – Iron and Metals facility opened
1986 – Louisville facility opened – Pioneered sorting Commercial Dry Waste
1989 – First St. Louis facility opened – Established the first curbside recycling facility in St. Louis market
1995 – First Nashville facility opened – First QRS Single Stream processing facility
1998 – Second St. Louis facility opened – Created Commercial Single Stream Recycling in the market
2004 – Second Nashville facility opened – Installed a new Single Stream Processing Plant
2008 – Riverside facility in New Albany – Introduced single stream recycling to the Louisville market
2009 – QRS becomes the largest commercial recycler in the St. Louis market
2009 – QRS becomes the largest recycler in the Nashville market
2010 – St. Louis facilities sold to Republic Services, the nation’s 2nd largest waste hauler & recycler
2010 – Matt and Greg Janson purchase QRS from Tim Janson
2011 – Midwest Plastic Recovery Facility (PRF) opens in New Albany, IN. - pioneering the sorting of centralized, mixed, post-consumer containers from MRFs.
2012 – Atlanta PRF opens - expanding the PRF concept to the Southeast.
2012 – Nashville facilities sold to Waste Management, the nation’s largest waste hauler & recycler
2013 – Re-Poly, LLC is formed in St. Louis, MO. in partnership with industry veterans
2014 - Re-Poly facility opens in St. Louis as one of the nation’s first mixed, post-consumer plastic re-claimers
2014 - QRS forms a partnership with Canusa-Hershman Recycling for expansion to the Northeast and Mid Atlantic regions.
2014 - Recognized by the American Chemistry Council with Innovation in Plastic Recycling Award
2015 - Construction of QRS’ largest plastic recovery facility begins in Baltimore, MD. Scheduled to open late 2015