Recycling in a Paper Mill

You would think recycling in a paper mill would be very simple, but it can be difficult at times.  Most waste paper from the paper machine is recycled through the broke system.  However, there are areas where it is not feasible to feed the paper back to the broke system. 

I had the opportunity to optimize production in the converting area of a mill.  During this optimization I noticed that there was lots of waste generated in this area that could be recycled.  However, due to the mix of the paper and the location it was not ideal to sort the paper and feed it back through the broke system.  The trash bins contained a few layers of paper from the rolls that were to be converted, cores, core plugs, cardboard, and other general trash.

The core plugs can be easily recylced by simply sending them back the line to be reused.  The cores generally had some paper left on them and could not easily be sent back up the line to be used.  So I contacted a recycler to come and do a study to see if there was enough waste for him to install a baler and provide a trailer to load the paper waste.  His study concluded that the paper waste was of relatively good quality to him, and that he could install a baler and trailer at his cost and also pay the company for the paper waste that he was taking away to be recycled.  This was not a large sum of money, but we would have been happy with him simply installing the baler and taking the waste away.  The managers and employees were very happy with the result of the project.  After the baler was installed the employees no longer had to take the waste to the compacter.  The waste was compacted and baled on the floor which reduced the number of trips the forklift driver had to make from five or six per shift to just one or two.  The trip was also shorter since the trailer was placed closer than where the baler location. 

So look around for these opportunities.  Companies are looking to be more green and sustainable, why not get paid a little bit for it.  Just a thought.