REcipe for recycling.
Ingredients:
- 2,500 tons of office paper from Walmart
- 1 GP Harmon recycling
- 110+ trucks
- 1 mill in Muskogee, Okla.
- For some extra pizzazz, include sheets of label backings because Walmart uses lots of labels.
Directions:
First, have a tractor-trailer* pick up used office paper from Walmart and deliver that same paper directly to GP's paper mill in Muskogee, Okla. (The mill uses 60+ trucks perday.) Mix the recovered paper with water in a large spinning drum or in a large tank with a rotor (like a propeller) in the bottom to separate the paper fibers, creating pulp.
Then, filter the pulp through a number of screens to remove impurities (staples, paper clips, coatings, loose ink, etc.). Wash the pulp by removing water to thicken it. Small impurities like ink and coatings are removed with the water. Then, pump the pulp into a flotation device. Add air bubbles so the ink can attach to the bubbles and rise to the top. Then, skim off the bubbles, removing much of the ink. Pump the pulp to paper machines that produce large (90-135" wide) rolls of towel paper. Take the large rolls to converting to be printed, rewound and cut to private label towel – roll size. Finally, wrap and stack the towels on a pallet. Using a forklift, load the towels onto trucks headed to a Walmart distribution center.
*coordinated by Green Bay transportation
Reviews:
- Thumbs Up!
- "This is a great program because everybody wins. GP Harmon sells recovered paper, the Muskogee mill gets added flexibility in their furnish and Walmart recycles their paper back into products sold to consumers."
- Melissa Dietz
director business development, GP Harmon - Balance is the key
- "This type of arrangement creates real value for both of us – consistent, good-quality fiber for the Muskogee mill and a valued product for one of our largest customers."
- Rodney Bond
vice president – manufacturing