The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) has posted a Summary of Announced Increased Capacity to Use Recycled Paper, an accounting of announced expansions of North American paperboard mills to use recycled paper as a raw material.

Seventeen facilities, 15 in the U.S. and two in northern Mexico, are on the list. Most of the facilities will be taking old corrugated containers (OCC) as a raw material, while a significant number will also use residential mixed paper. The latter is the mainstay of curbside recycling programs and was recently banned from importation into China.

One new facility is designed to use paper cartons as its primary feedstock, and one is designed for dirty paper generated at commercial establishments. Most of the U.S. facilities are located east of the Mississippi River. Many are potentially good future markets for recycled paper generated in the NERC 11-state region.

The data in the list comes from a variety of publicly available sources including company press releases, local news stories, the recycling trade press and presentations at recycling conferences, including a presentation by the Fibre Box Association at the recent NERC Fall Conference.

The list was produced by the NERC-NEWMOA Regional Recycling Markets Committee. The committee’s goal is to identify and implement strategies to promote and enhance recycling markets in the region.

For further information, contact Lynn Rubinstein, NERC executive director, or Chaz Miller, chair of the NERC-NEWMOA Regional Recycling Markets Committee.