Celadon leases space for recycling plant

Celadon Development Corp. LLC plans to lease 37 acres of land from Port Tampa Bay in Tampa Bay, Florida, to construct a paper and cardboard recycling plant.

Port Tampa Bay Board of Commissioners has announced that it has approved the lease agreement with Celadon Development Corp. According to a news release from Port Tampa Bay, Celadon’s Tampa plant “will have significant economic and sustainability benefits, generating up to 20,000 export containers per year, creating approximately 100 jobs and involving a capital investment of $160 million during phase one of the project.”

Celadon Development Corp. LLC is a partnership between Nicollet Industries and New Jersey-based Kamine Development Co., which are businesses that are focused on green infrastructure and sustainable development.

Port Tampa Bay says Celadon’s facility will receive and process mixed paper, old corrugated containers (OCC) and plastic scrap sourced from Florida to produce paper fiber sheets for export to Asia.

“We are delighted to welcome Celadon to the Port Tampa Bay family,” says Paul Anderson, Port Tampa Bay president and CEO. “This project will have generational economic development and sustainability impacts for our community, and we thank all of our partners, including the city of Tampa, Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council for helping to make this happen.”

Raul Alfonso, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Port Tampa Bay, adds, “The project perfectly complements our container development strategy by generating export return loads heading back to Asia and filling containers that arrive with goods for retail and e-commerce distribution centers along the I-4 Corridor. With Celadon manufacturing plant’s location right next to our container terminal, we expect great synergies and supply chain cost savings.”