Newsworthy

Metals

Wieland begins project to modernize Illinois facility

Wieland, a leading global supplier of copper and copper alloy products, has broken ground on a $500 million modernization project at its East Alton, Illinois, rolling mill that will expand the site’s capabilities, enhance operational efficiency and deliver higher quality and reliability standards, according to the company.

Wieland, based in Ulm, Germany, acquired the integrated brass mill in East Alton in 2019 when it purchased Global Brass and Copper Holdings Inc. (GBC), Schaumburg, Illinois. GBC produced sheet, strip, foil, rod, tube and fabricated metal components that were sold under the Olin Brass, Chase Brass and A.J. Oster brand names.

Wieland’s modernization plans include adding a hot rolling mill the company says will enable it to increase and improve production of essential copper and copper alloy components. These components are crucial for domestic manufacturers covering a variety of industries, such as automotive, defense and energy infrastructure.

“These enhancements will expand Wieland’s future capacity and strengthen its position as a reliable, sustainable and high-quality domestic supplier to key U.S. manufacturing industries and customers,” Wieland says in a news release announcing the investment.

Greg Keown, president of Rolling & Recycling North America at Wieland, says he is grateful for Gov. JB Pritzker, Deputy Gov. Andy Manar, Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Nikki Budzinski, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, East Alton Mayor Darren Carlton and Madison County for their help with the project.

“Wieland has become an integral part of the East Alton community, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate their further investments in Illinois,” Pritzker says in a statement. “This more-efficient and modern facility will be a beacon of the power of private-public partnership, innovation and understanding of the needs of the changing 21st century economy.”

Wieland expects the project to be completed by mid-2028.

The company has a global network of more than 80 production sites, service and trading companies, offering a broad product, technology and service portfolio. From prototype to series production, Wieland develops solutions for automotive, aerospace, electronics, refrigeration, air conditioning and many other industries using high-performance copper materials.

“This investment positions Wieland as the undisputed leader in North American rolled products and underscores our commitment to the revitalization of American manufacturing,” Wieland Group CEO Erwin Mayr says.

Paper

ND Paper to restart paper machine in Wisconsin

After sitting idle for nearly a year, ND Paper, the U.S. division of Chinese containerboard producer Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Ltd., has revealed plans to restart PM 25 at its recycled paper mill in Biron, Wisconsin.

In late March 2024, the company laid off about 70 employees at the Biron site and consolidated operations to its other paper machine, PM 26, while PM 25 took market-related downtime.

PM 25 was rebuilt in 2019 and converted from producing coated publication papers to produce recycled packaging grades. The machine currently produces recycled kraft, linerboard and corrugated medium, and ND Paper expects to restart PM 25 in the second half of this year, adding additional capacity to its existing recycled packaging product portfolio.

PM 26, meanwhile, was converted in 2022 from producing coated publication papers to recycled packaging grades.

The Biron mill first began producing paper in 1896, and after changing hands over the years, ND Paper acquired the facility in 2018.

The mill processes nearly 691.6 million pounds of old corrugated containers (OCC), 166,000 pounds of mixed paper and a little more than 6,100 pounds of double-lined kraft annually.

The recycled furnish is supplied by ND Paper’s OCC pulping facilities. The first, installed in 2019, produces about 700 metric tons of pulp daily, and the second is a new line with a starting production rate of about 1,200 metric tons per day that is expected to ramp up to more than 2,000 metric tons per day, according to ND Paper.

“Biron has established itself as a reliable, quality producer in packaging grades,” the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company says in a news release. “Adding the capacity of PM 25 back to the system will provide the ability to serve more customers with our breadth of products.”

Plastics

US plastic scrap imports reach record high in ’24

Data from the U.S. International Trade Commission show the United States rewrote its own record regarding plastic scrap imports last year, led by polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

According to a recent report by Emily Friedman, the Houston-based senior recycled plastics editor at London-based commodities consulting firm ICIS, the U.S. remained a net importer of plastic scrap in 2024, bringing in a record 492,101 tons. More specifically, PET imports totaled a record 250,961 tons—a 23 percent increase over 2023.

At the same time, Friedman reports that PET scrap exports to Mexico reached a record high of 46,307 tons—an increase of 32 percent over the previous year.

2024 trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau show U.S. imports of plastic scrap, which are noted by harmonized system (HS) code 3915, increased by 10 percent year over year.

Plastic scrap imports include items such as used bottles, purge, leftover pairings and flake.

“Throughout 2024, stagnant PET bottle collection volumes, paired with increasing bottle exports, led to a need for imported PET scrap material,” Friedman says. “This was further supported by the cost proposition of cheaper imported flake. … As a result, recycled flake imports are seen as both a help and harm to the broader U.S. recycling market.”

According to the report prepared by Friedman, Canada remained the top exporter to the U.S. last year, followed by Thailand, Ecuador and Japan.

Conversely, the report says other U.S. plastic scrap imports, such as polyethylene (PE), polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride, remained “steady,” with PE imports falling 1 percent. However, Canada and Mexico remained the largest exporters to the U.S. at 69 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

Additionally, Friedman writes that while total U.S. plastic scrap exports decreased 2 percent in 2024, exports of PET scrap, largely in bale form, rose 24 percent year over year. Mexico made up 57 percent of the 81,018 tons exported, followed by Malaysia (12 percent) and Vietnam (7 percent).

“This growing trade relationship is largely attributed to new capacity in Mexico, paired with strong local demand, which has elevated local bale prices,” Friedman writes of PET bale exports to Mexico. “Mexican recyclers have been purchasing U.S. PET bales as a lower-cost option with higher availability.”

Municipal/IC&I

Cards Recycling, Total Environmental form strategic partnership

Arkansas-based companies Cards Recycling and Total Environmental have formed what they say is a strategic partnership aimed at driving innovation and efficiency in the state’s recycling industry.

The companies will combine their strengths to deliver “enhanced solutions” for landfill diversion they say will create new opportunities for all municipalities, commercial and industrial businesses and residential customers.

Through this partnership, Cards and Total will use their existing infrastructure to process additional single-stream volumes at Cards Recycling’s 14-ton-per-hour single-stream material recovery facility (MRF) in Springdale, Arkansas, while Total’s recycling plants will be optimized for specialized fiber processing and other unique recycling opportunities.

“We are excited to collaborate with Total Environmental,” Cards CEO Dustin Reynolds says. “This strategic partnership enables us to leverage our collective assets to deliver unparalleled recycling services that will meet customer demands and create more opportunities for businesses and residents. We have made a significant investment in a state-of-the-art recycling operation that will foster both growth and further innovation in processing recycled waste streams.”

According to Cards, this collaboration also provides both companies with the ability to offer more services to new markets, benefiting customers and communities in northwest and central Arkansas. Together, the two companies aim to process more recyclables, improve customer experience and extend their single-stream market reach.

“Cards’ expertise in single-stream recycling complements Total’s ability to divert more from landfills and better serve all customers,” says Ed Mount, owner of Total Environmental, which provides businesses with recycling services that include recycling equipment rental/leasing along with auditing, training and sustainability reporting. “Together, we can offer an unmatched experience for customers that desire recycling at home and at work while pushing the boundaries of innovation,” he adds.