Rising OCC prices led to a more expensive quarter for major fiber end users in the U.S. | Vitaliy Kyrychuk/Shutterstock
The third quarter of 2023 brought continued economic challenges that led another paper company to shut down a recycled fiber mill, joining a handful that did so early this year. But there were signs of positive fiber market changes coming. Continue Reading
Kelly Green Products’s Connecticut facility is running at full capacity as of November, but the company is already making expansion plans. | Courtesy of Kelly Green Products
Composite board manufacturer Kelly Green Products ramped up to full scale in November and is currently processing 400 tons of post-consumer cartons per month at its Waterbury, Conn. plant. Continue Reading
Closed Loop Partners suggested that more MRFs explore collecting paper cups. | NatalyaBond/Shutterstock
A report from Closed Loop Partners found that only about 11% of U.S. communities accept paper cups in their recycling operations, despite paper mills’ more widespread acceptance of cups in bales. Continue Reading
The pulper at Total Fiber Recovery in Chesapeake, Va. | Courtesy of Bulk Handling Systems
A mixed paper and OCC pulping operation is nearing completion on the Eastern Seaboard and plans to start producing unbleached recycled pulp in early January, a company owner said. Continue Reading
Murphy Road Recycling’s All American MRF recently completed $40 million in upgrades that focused on improved worker safety and fiber recovery. | Courtesy of Van Dyk
The consumer recyclables stream has changed a lot in the last two decades, and a Connecticut MRF recently invested $40 million in an upgrade focused on more granular fiber recovery and worker safety. Continue Reading
Pratt Industries has opened six of the most recent eight paper mills built in the U.S., according to a press release from the company. | Vitaliy Kyrychuk/Shutterstock
Pratt Industries brought its $700 million recycled paper mill and corrugated box factory in Kentucky on-line and announced an investment in Pennsylvania. Continue Reading
The price of OCC has a major impact on Greif’s Paper Packaging & Services segment, which manufactures several corrugated fiber products. | JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
Projecting an average OCC price of $48 per ton for this fiscal year, industrial packaging producer Greif Inc. continues to enjoy lower recycled fiber costs even as it experiences lower demand for many of its products. Continue Reading
OCC heading into a pulping machine at a Pacific Northwest paper mill. Four major recovered fiber companies recently detailed their outlooks for the future of OCC markets. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling
Some of the largest consumers of fiber bales enjoyed low OCC prices during the second quarter, giving them a little margin relief amid an otherwise tough business environment. As the year progresses, they’re expecting to pay more for recovered fiber, however. Continue Reading
The top destination for exported U.S. fiber, India, took in 37% less this year than it did last year. | StockStudio Aerials/Shutterstock
Exports of both recovered fiber and plastics fell during the first six months of 2023, newly released federal trade statistics show. Continue Reading