A waste paper sorting plant for the production of newsprint is being built alongside the Palm Paper plant in King’s Lynn, UK.
Directly connected to the paper machine’s materials processing, the fully automated sorting plant will house separately collected mixed waste paper from a range of collection points for sorting into newspaper and magazines. Sorted cardboard and corrugated board will be transported for recycling to other paper plants around the United Kingdom and Europe.
Palm Group’s supply company Palm Recycling will annually supply up to 200,000 tons of waste paper from local authorities and waste disposal companies for sorting.
Palm Group’s decision to make this considerable investment demonstrates the group’s clear support of newsprint production in Norfolk. It will ensure sufficient quantities of the required quality of waste paper raw materials will be available for recycling. The waste paper storage area will also be expanded significantly.
Raw materials sorting
Palm Recycling emphasised that this will not be a conventional recycling plant for sorting mixed reusable materials. It will solely process mixed waste paper types collected separately to glass, metals, plastics and other materials. “Our goal is to sort mixed waste paper with a high content of graphical paper and to separate these from cardboard materials,” says Gero Hempel, Managing Director of Palm Recycling.
The company will be working closely with municipal organisations and private contractors to ensure high-quality recycling through the separate collection of waste paper. He adds: “Developments in China have led to changes in the markets and Palm is convinced that this plant will create sustainable recycling for separately collected, valuable waste paper resources.” He also explains: “The production of high-quality newsprint requires the right raw materials, which are best obtained by collecting paper separately.”