GFL Northbrook Transfer Station

This is the GFL Northbrook Transfer Station off Shermer Road, the kind of place neighbors use when a full pickup or a carload needs to go somewhere that isn't a landfill. Locals drop off household junk, bagged yard waste and construction debris instead of driving out to a distant dump. Expect a busy, working lot rather than a tidy drop-off park.

Pull up to a small entrance booth and be ready to stop; there's usually a scale you cross on the way in or out and most transfer stations account for weight. Trucks and roll-offs dominate the center of the site, so watch for big vehicles and follow the arrows or attendants directing traffic. Recycling and bulky item bins tend to sit off to one side past the booth, and the ground is mostly paved with tall concrete or steel walls where material is dumped and compacted. Weekends and spring clean-up days get noticeably backed up, so lines and waiting vehicles are common then.