The new West Coast facility will be the first U.S. carton processing plant west of Iowa. | Andrei Kuzmik
A new end market for gable-top and aseptic cartons aims to start up in California later this year, providing much-needed carton capacity in the western part of the country.
The Carton Council, an industry group advancing carton recovery, first announced the facility last year, noting it would be located on the West Coast. On Jan. 29, the group specified the site is in Lodi, California, about 35 miles south of Sacramento.
The facility will process about 18 million pounds per year of cartons sourced from markets in California and bordering states, according to a news release. The cartons will be shredded and bonded into durable building materials, creating sheets that can be used in roofing, wallboard and other applications. The boards will themselves be recyclable, assuming they can make their way back to the facility at end of life.
The processing plant will start up by the end of September, according to the announcement.
The concept is similar to other carton end markets, including Kelly Green Products in Connecticut and, until recently, Continuus Materials in Des Moines, Iowa. Continuus owner WM closed the company last fall for unpublicized reasons.
The California facility is being developed by the Carton Council and two partner companies: material brokerage Elof Hansson USA, which is known for trading pulp and paper as well as developing real estate; and the Upcycling Group, which led by Jan Rayman, a former CEO of carton recycling company ReWall that was later purchased by Continuus.
“We believe this facility will play a crucial role in supporting California’s efforts to expand recycling by providing a new, regional end market,” said Jason Pelz, vice president of recycling for the Carton Council, in the news release. “By using collected, sorted and baled cartons from California and bordering states, we are not only making recycling more efficient for West Coast communities but also ensuring these materials stay in use and out of landfills.”
The North American carton end market is relatively small compared to fiber grades like OCC and mixed paper. Processing options are concentrated in the eastern part of the U.S., according to the Carton Council, which maintains a map of current end markets. The California plant will represent the first facility west of Iowa.
During a virtual presentation at last summer’s California Resource Recovery Association conference, Rayman noted the company aims to grow to serve the entire Southwest market. He added the company hopes to increase its capacity by 18 million pounds per year while also growing carton collection rates in the surrounding region.
“One day, we would like to be the home for all the cartons that are used in the state of California,” Rayman said.