The new facility will process recycled paper and send it to China to be used for packaging
Image: Phoenix Paper employees at Wickliffe mill. Photo: courtesy of Phoenix Paper.
US-based Phoenix Paper is set to invest around $200m (£166m) to construct a new paper recycling facility in west Kentucky.
The company, which already manages a paper mill in west Kentucky, intends to expand its operations in the region with a new paper recycling facility.
Phoenix Paper acquired the site of the former Verso paper mill in Wickliffe. It announced the first roll of paper from the Wickliffe mill in May this year.
Capacity of new paper recycling facility
The Wickliffe site will also be used for the development of a new paper and pulp recycling facility with an estimated capacity of around 700,000 tonnes.
The recycled paper processed in the facility will be shipped to China for use in packaging applications.
The post-consumer cardboard and mixed paper collected from various regional locations will be supplied to the new facility.
After cleaning and screening of the raw material, the company will from and dry the stock into an industrial pulp and finished paper.
Expected to be operational in 18 months, the new recycling facility will create around 150 new jobs in the region.
Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said: “This new recycling facility will bring a tremendous amount of additional economic activity to the West Kentucky region for decades to come. The project will further support Phoenix Paper’s commitment to create 500 good-paying jobs in Ballard County.
“The company’s ongoing investment in the Wickliffe region is truly proving transformative, and it further demonstrates how Kentucky leads the way as a destination for international investment in engineering and manufacturing.”
Phoenix Paper is a subsidiary of Shanying International, a major global pulp and paper company. With an annual yield of 3,050,000 tonnes of paper and over 10 billion ft 2 cardboard and paper carton, Shanying has subsidiaries in the US, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong.