The Elgin, Ill. recycled box facility carries an investment of more than $30 million. | Mark Agnor/Shutterstock
A corrugated box plant sourcing recycled paper from Canadian mill operator Atlantic Packaging Products has opened its doors near Chicago.
The Elgin, Ill. facility, which is under the York Container umbrella of Atlantic Packaging, is using 100% recycled fiber to produce corrugated and graphic packaging products. In a press release, York Container said the project represents the company’s first greenfield (involving new construction) corrugated container plant.
York Container is sourcing recycled fiber from Atlantic’s recycled paper mills in Ontario, Canada. According to Atlantic’s website, the company’s recycled corrugated feedstock is made from 100% OCC and does not include any mixed paper. Resource Recycling could not reach the company to determine the tonnage of recycled material the Illinois facility is consuming.
According to Elgin city documents, the new building totals more than 488,000 square feet and includes 33 loading docks. The facility carried an investment of $30 million by Atlantic Packaging, according to the city, and city officials waived about $500,000 in permitting fees to entice the company to locate in Elgin.
First announced in 2021, facility construction was completed in fall 2022 and the company announced the plant’s start-up in early December 2023.
Other Atlantic corrugating operations in the U.S. include a separate York Container plant in York, Pa.; Skybox Packaging in Mansfield, Ohio; Champion Container in Wood Dale, Ill.; and Standfast Packaging and Blackhawk Corrugated, both located in Carol Stream, Ill.