About 8% of inbound boxes can't be reused. Wet, torn, contaminated, structurally compromised — they happen. We don't pretend otherwise and we don't shortcut the disposal.
How we handle off-grade corrugate.
- Sort by liner type — kraft vs bleached, single-trip vs multi-trip.
- Strip non-corrugate contaminants (tape, labels, plastic strapping).
- Bale to mill-spec density, weighed and tagged.
- Truck to our Wisconsin pulp partner, 41 road miles away.
- Tracked load by load; certificate available on request.
Recycling for your facility.
- Pickup recycling. Recurring trailer-swap programs for high-volume shippers.
- Drop-off recycling. Drop a load at our yard, scale ticket on the way out, payment on the spot.
- Contract recycling. Audit-ready certificates monthly. Diversion math by load.
What we'll also recycle.
- End-of-life wood pallets (repurposed or pulped).
- HDPE IBC bottles past safe-fill life.
- Mixed packaging — we'll sort it.
What we won't accept.
- Hazardous waste (we're not licensed for it; we'll point you to who is).
- Contaminated medical or pharmaceutical packaging.
- Food waste mixed with corrugate.
- Wax-coated corrugate (as of 2026; no mill capacity in our region).
- Significantly mixed plastics or non-paper contamination over ~3% by weight.
The mill partner relationship.
Our recycling stream goes to a single Wisconsin paper mill 41 road miles from our yard. The relationship has been in place since 2019 and is the operational foundation of our zero-landfill commitment. A few details for customers who want to understand the supply chain:
- The mill accepts kraft linerboard, mixed paper, and OCC streams. No specialty papers.
- Bales must meet ISRI Spec No. 11 grade standards (OCC, also known as "11 spec").
- Bale weights between 800 and 1,600 lbs.
- Contamination tolerance: under 2% by weight non-paper, or the load is rejected.
- Pickup runs Tuesday and Friday weekly.
- Pricing tied to monthly OCC market settlement.
How baling works on our floor.
Off-grade corrugate is sorted at the regrade station and routed to the bale yard. The bale press is a vertical down-stroke unit that compresses material to about 1,200 lbs per bale at standard density.
- Sort. Non-paper contaminants stripped at the regrade station — tape, labels, plastic strapping.
- Stage. Sorted material moved to the bale yard, segregated by liner type (kraft vs bleached).
- Compress. Material fed into the press, compressed, strapped with steel banding.
- Weigh and tag. Bale weight measured. Tag assigned with bale ID, weight, and date.
- Load. Bales staged for mill pickup. Forklift loads 20–24 bales per outbound trailer.
- Document. Trip manifest emails to the mill. Confirmation of delivery emails back. Settlement at month-end.
What a certificate of recycling looks like.
For customers who need documentation that material handled by us was recycled and not landfilled, we issue a certificate on request. The certificate includes:
- Customer name and reference number.
- Date range of recycled material.
- Total weight of material accepted from the customer.
- Method of disposal (recycling via mill partner).
- Mill partner name and location.
- Statement of zero landfill outcome.
- Signature of yard manager.
Certificates are issued quarterly for recurring recycling customers, or on-request for one-off loads.
Drop-off logistics.
For customers within reasonable driving distance of Oak Creek, drop-off recycling is often the most cost-effective option.
- Open 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM CT, Mon – Fri.
- Scale on-site. Drive on, drive off.
- Payment on the spot at recycle-stream pricing.
- Loads from 100 lbs up to full trailers.
- Sort guidance available at the dock if you're unsure how to categorize.
- Receipts emailed within 24 hours.
Pickup scheduling.
For recurring high-volume customers, we schedule pickup on a fixed cadence (weekly, biweekly, monthly). Each pickup includes:
- Pre-positioned trailer (we drop a trailer the evening before).
- Customer loads at their convenience during normal hours.
- We pull the trailer the agreed day.
- Weighed on arrival at our yard. Settlement issued.
This arrangement is the simplest for customers who generate consistent volume. It moves the dispatch headache off your dock team.
Recycle-stream pricing dynamics.
We've written about this elsewhere — see the economics of corrugate recycling— but a short version: recycle pricing tracks OCC market settlement. When OCC prices are high, we pay more. When they're low, we pay less. This is not negotiable on our side because our mill partner's pricing tracks the same market.
For customers wanting price stability, the closed-loop reuse model is a better fit than the recycling model. Reuse pricing has more room to be insulated from commodity swings.
Frequently asked.
What happens if my load contains a small amount of non-paper material?
Up to about 3% by weight is acceptable as long as it's readily separable (tape, labels, paper-wrapped product). Beyond that we may downgrade the load or refuse.
How do recycle prices compare to dumpster pulls?
For loads over about 800 lbs, recycling typically saves money compared to a dumpster pull at landfill rates. For smaller loads, the per-trip dispatch cost may make a dumpster cheaper.
Do you accept paper that's not corrugate?
Mixed paper (newspaper, magazines, mixed office paper) yes, at a separate stream and price. Specialty papers (carbonless, thermal, glossy) generally no.
Can I see your zero-landfill certificate?
Available on request. We renew it annually.