In 1956, Homewood Disposal (then called Homewood Scavenger) was a one-truck operation founded by Chicago native Wendell (Wendy) E. Yonker, who picked up garbage from residents in Homewood, Illinois. A man of faith, Wendy built his business around a set of core values–Community, Service, Family and Stewardship. These values are not only part of the company’s history, but an integral part of how Homewood Disposal operates each day. The history of Homewood Disposal is closely tied to the south suburbs of Chicago and NW Indiana. Homewood kept the local neighborhoods clean for decades and continue that tradition today.
A History of Serving Chicagoland and NW Indiana
The Beginning—1956
With a fleet of just three trucks, Homewood picked up garbage from residents in the Homewood and Flossmoor, Illinois areas. Their first office was tucked behind a men’s clothing store on Dixie Highway in Homewood, Illinois.
Move to East Hazel Crest—1970s
With a growing fleet and staff, Homewood moved their operations to a bigger space a few blocks away in East Hazel Crest, Illinois.
East Hazel Crest Transfer Station Built—1980s
Now serving many rapidly growing communities, it became necessary for Homewood to operate their own transfer station. Once completed, it allowed them to empty their trucks at their own facility.
Growing Together—1980s and 1990s
In the 1980’s, companies like Nuway Disposal, Kankakee Disposal, Star Disposal, A & J Disposal, and Tinley Park Disposal joined their team. Many of their customers are still familiar with these names, but the name is Homewood Disposal.
Recycling for the Next Generation—1990
In 1990 Homewood started their first curbside recycling program with the Village of Homewood. In 2000, single stream recycling begins as many more neighborhoods choose to recycle. Over the years their recycling facility has been upgraded many times for greater efficiency and handling larger quantities of recyclables.
A Place to Come Together–2005
In 2005 a corporate headquarters was built in Homewood, Illinois enabling them to better serve and communicate with their customers.
CNG Fuels Our Fleet—2012
In 2012 their Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks hit the streets. These trucks produce less air pollution. In 2016, a public CNG station opened in Homewood, Illinois. Six years later, over 100 of their trucks ran on CNG.
Indiana Growth—2020
After serving northwest Indiana businesses for decades, Homewood expanded their operation in Valparaiso, Indiana. About 200 trucks now start the day at their seven different locations throughout Chicagoland and northwest Indiana.
Wendy’s Story
Wendell (Wendy) E. Yonker is the founder of Homewood Disposal Service. Wendy built the company on family values, customer loyalty and his faith. These values are still present in the third-generation family members who are involved today.
Born on January 15, 1924, Wendy grew up in the Roseland area of Chicago with his two brothers Kenny and Norris. After high-school he enlisted in the Navy. He was educated while in the Navy to be a “radioman” and served until the conclusion of World War II.
After his service, Wendy married Dorothy and became an apprentice carpenter in hopes of learning the trade. After three years he started his own company, Lawndale Construction. Over the next seven years he worked as a carpenter until the opportunity arose to get into the waste industry. He jumped at the opportunity. With help from his family, Wendy was able to purchase the original assets from a couple of local businessmen and started Homewood Disposal.
Through the early years it took a lot of hard work to get Homewood Disposal off the ground. Over time Wendy’s philosophy of hard work, loyalty and great customer service started to pay off with continued growth. Wendell cultivated relationships with customers, vendors, communities and other haulers. Many of those relationships still exist to this day and others led to acquisitions which helped in Homewood’s growth over the years.
Because of Wendell and his impact on Homewood Disposal, Wendy the Waste Truck® was created in his honor. Wendy the Waste Truck is a garbage truck that runs completely on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). He loves to recycle and is all about keeping the environment clean and safe for his friends! Wendy is also the mascot for our education program. He, along with our team of recycling experts are visiting schools to help educate students about the different ways they can help protect the environment.
FREE Recycling Education Toolkits
Our one-of-a kind recycling toolkits were designed with your Kindergarten to 4th-grade classroom in mind. From videos to special projects, activities and more, this kit has all you need to engage your students in proper recycling in the classroom and at home.
Each kit includes the following tools for your classroom:
- Cut and Paste Sorting Activity
- 25 Homewoodndy the Waste Truck Coloring and Activity Books with Planet Protector Certificates
- 25 Pencils Made from Recycled Material
- Set of “Can I Recycle It?” Flashcards
- Adventures with Homewoodndy Project
- Flash Drive with Videos and Printable Content
To learn more, visit their website: https://mydisposal.com/
