Who We Are
Olson’s Iron & Disposal is a family-owned and operated business that specializes in dumpster rental, scrap metal recycling, buying junk vehicles, and portable car crushing. Our company operates out of Seneca, Illinois, with additional locations in Fairbury, Illinois, and Bloomington, Illinois. We serve a wide range of residential and commercial customers throughout North Central Illinois.
Our approach to business is simple: show up when we say we will, offer fair prices, and make the process easy from start to finish. Olson’s Iron & Disposal is licensed, insured, and employs a team of hardworking experts who will provide dependable and responsive service every time!
Our Story
In 1982, Jim Olson opened his first business, operating as a towing and auto repair shop in Seneca. By 1987, because of the towing business, Jim had accumulated over 200 cars sitting in a local farmer’s field that he rented.
Instead of hauling one car at a time to a local junkyard, Jim decided to hire a portable car crushing company to crush the cars on location. It would take months to get on the company’s schedule because they were very busy as one of the few car crushing companies in North Central Illinois. Jim recognized the need for another portable car crushing business, and by March 10, 1988, Jim was hauling his first semi load of crushed cars on his first job, where he would crush over 2,000 cars.
By 1998, Jim had acquired 2 acres of industrial property that he bought from his close friend Johnny West. After a year of legal battles with the village, Jim finally opened a traditional auto wrecking parts scrapyard. For the next 10 years, while still doing portable car crushing, he operated the Seneca location as a traditional auto wrecking yard and in 2008 transformed the location into a full-service scrap metal recycling location.
After crushing in North Central Illinois for many years, the opportunity to purchase the Fairbury location became available in 2019. Later, the opportunity to purchase the Bloomington location became available in 2023.
With all three locations and still doing portable crushing, Olson’s would recycle 20,598,000 pounds (10,299 tons) of scrap metal in 2025. Olson’s also bought over $1 million of non-ferrous metals in 2025.
Over the years, more members of the Olson Family took on roles in the company and contributed to its growth, including Jim’s wife, Bonnie, their son, Jeff, and Jeff’s wife, Whitney. Milestones of the company’s growth included:
- 2019 – Acquired the Fairbury location
- 2020 – Rebuilt the Seneca facility after a fire, adding a new office and shop
- 2023 – Expanded further with the acquisition of the Bloomington location
Through every stage, the focus has remained the same: adapt, improve, and serve our customers better.
Why Choose Olson's?
HONESTY
We give our word and stick to it, getting work done on time and delivering what we promise.
RELIABILITY
Regardless of which service we’re providing, we work efficiently and follow through.
HARD WORK
You don’t stay in business as long as we have without putting in the work every day.