UPM strikes two year deal to take Norfolk paper

The two companies, which have been working together since 2004, have extended their arrangement until 2011.

NEWS – which is an arms-length company owned by Norfolk county council – currently has a seven-year contract to sort recyclables collected by Norfolk's seven district councils at its MRF at Costessey, outside Norwich. The paper is then baled and sent to UPM's mill in North Wales where it is turned into newsprint.

While the value of the latest contract was not divulged, NEWS local authority contracts manager Steve Jenkins told letsrecycle.com that it had a fixed price range so that prices could be re-negotiated on a regular basis, depending on the market.

However, he explained that NEWs was guaranteed a certain price – which is expected to give it some stability in the current climate.

He said: “We are pleased to continue our business relationship with UPM. Their on-going support through training and joint projects means that we are able to recycle high volumes of waste paper in the UK.”

Mr Jenkins added that although the UPM mill was far away – with the local Palm Paper mill currently under development – paper would be backhauled to Wales in vehicles used to carry other products to Norfolk which would reduce carbon emissions.

UPM praised the quality of the NEWS material despite the quality of commingled materials receiving increasing criticism from many reprocessors (see letsrecycle.com story).

Robbie Warden, regional sourcing manager at UPM, said: “NEWS has consistently maintained its quality standards, enabling us to efficiently recycle the material at our newsprint mill UPM Shotton in North Wales.”

At the Costessey MRF, plastics are sent to Recoup, card is sent to Newport Paper and aluminium is sent to Novelis. Steel used to be sent to Corus but is currently being sent to AMG.