Fourth-Generation. Family-Owned. Coulee Region Built.
Green Circle Recycling is not a division of a national waste corporation. It is the evolution of a La Crosse family business that has served the Coulee Region since 1955 — adapting from hauling to processing as recycling infrastructure became a regional necessity.
From Hauler to MRF: Seven Decades of Waste Services in La Crosse
Harter's Quick Clean-Up, Inc. was founded in 1955 by the Harter family as a collection and hauling operation serving the La Crosse area. Over four generations, the family built deep community relationships and operational expertise across all aspects of waste management in the Coulee Region.
As single-stream recycling programs expanded across Wisconsin municipalities in the 2000s, the Harter family recognized that the region had a critical infrastructure gap: there was no local material recovery facility to process what was being collected. Green Circle Recycling, LLC was established to fill that gap — keeping material local, controlling quality end-to-end, and serving the region's growing diversion mandates.
Today, Zachariah Harter leads the operation. The integrated model — Harter's collects, Green Circle processes — is uncommon among regional MRFs and gives the business a unique ability to manage material quality from the collection point through baling and commodity sale.
Key Milestones
An Integrated Hauler-to-Processor Model — Rare in Regional Recycling
Most MRFs purchase material from third-party haulers they do not control. Green Circle and Harter's work as a single operation — which changes what we can promise at every step.
Collection: Harter's Quick Clean-Up
Harter's collects single-stream recyclables from residential curbside routes, commercial accounts, and municipal contracts across the Coulee Region. CNG vehicles reduce the fleet's environmental impact.
Processing: Green Circle Recycling MRF
Material arrives at 2800 Larson St, runs through our optical sorter and robotic sorting line, and exits as clean, specification-grade bales. We control contamination policy from collection through processing.
Commodity Sale: Direct to Buyers
Sorted bales — OCC, mixed paper, PET, HDPE, aluminum UBC, and other commodities — are sold direct to mills, reclaimers, and brokers. Cleaner bales mean better pricing and stronger buyer relationships.
Why We Stay Focused on the Coulee Region
Western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota have historically shipped recyclables east to Milwaukee or south to the Madison market — adding hundreds of miles and corresponding cost to every ton hauled. Green Circle Recycling was built to be the regional solution, not a satellite of a national company.
Our focus on the Coulee Region — La Crosse County and surrounding communities in both Wisconsin and Minnesota — means our technology investments, our service commitments, and our pricing models are all designed for the scale and geography of this market.
When a La Crosse city council member or a Vernon County solid waste coordinator calls, they talk to someone who knows their community. That relationship continuity is only possible because we are locally owned and locally focused.
Want to Learn More?
Schedule a facility tour, discuss a municipal contract, or explore commodity purchasing. We respond within one business day.