UW-Green Bay: Paper Technology Transfer Center Awarded Recycling Research Grant

Contact: Scott Hildebrand (920) 465-2526; hildebrs@uwgb.edu

GREEN BAY – The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Paper Technology Transfer Center has been awarded a grant to study the impact of single-stream recycling on the quality of fiber materials going to paper mills.

The UW System Solid Waste Research Council awarded the center a grant of $29,188 to support the research project. It was one of four projects statewide approved for funding by the council.

The grant, the maximum amount available from the council this year, will provide funding for a graduate student researcher, materials, supplies and other program assistance.

The UW-Green Bay Paper Technology Transfer Center, located in downtown Green Bay, encourages collaborative innovation within the paper industry and related industries. It works to benefit the state and regional economy by helping keep Wisconsin on the cutting edge of paper technology.

The grant from the Solid Waste Research Council will fund research in an area that is crucial to the paper industry at a time when single-stream recycling collection programs are becoming increasingly popular across the country and fiber demand is increasing in the global marketplace.

“This grant will allow the Paper Technology Transfer Center to demonstrate real value to the Wisconsin paper industry,” said David Hollenberg, director of the center.

Many communities have converted from recycling collection programs in which residents sort recyclable materials to single-stream recycling programs that allow residents to put all recyclables into one pick-up container. However, the paper industry has expressed concern about the potential impact of single-stream collection on fiber quality.

Before a paper mill can reuse the fiber, some separation process must be performed to remove the metal, plastic, glass and other contaminants that would be mixed in with the fiber in single-stream collection systems. The effectiveness of the separation process will have a significant impact on the amount and quality of the fiber and, ultimately, the efficiency of the papermaking operation.

Grants from the UW System Solid Waste Research Council support research into alternative methods of solid waste disposal, including the reduction of the amount of solid waste generated and the reuse and recycling of materials. Research results will be provided to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, UW-Extension and others.

For more information about UW-Green Bay’s Paper Technology Transfer Center, visit the center’s Web site at http://www.uwgb.edu/pttc.