Unlocking New Revenue Through Smarter Recycling

What looks like recyclable material can lose value — or be rejected entirely — if it's not sorted or labeled correctly.

By Don Gaines, CEO, Mid America Paper Recycling

In the packaging and printing industries, waste is a given, but wasted opportunity doesn’t have to be.

At Mid America Paper Recycling (MAPR), we’ve spent nearly a century helping box manufacturers, folding carton converters, and commercial printers uncover the hidden value in their recyclables. And what we’ve learned is this: too many companies are leaving money on the floor — literally.

We built our business on the belief that recycling isn’t just about sustainability. It’s about revenue, efficiency, and competitive advantage, yet many recyclables are overlooked, under-managed, or misunderstood. That’s why we developed our “Growing the Worth of Your Waste” audit program. It’s a structured approach that helps packaging producers recover more value, streamline their processes, and prepare for a future shaped by Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Where Insight Meets Opportunity

It starts with a 10-minute Waste Audit Survey, a quick but comprehensive “recycling health check” that helps us assess how materials are managed and where untapped value exists. From there, we provide a tailored report that identifies improvement areas, offers specific recommendations, and outlines potential revenue gains.

This is more than a report; it’s a roadmap. Our team works closely with plant managers to refine collection, sorting, and storage practices. Whether it’s upgrading baler use or optimizing floor space, the goal is the same: to turn your waste stream into a strategic asset.

At MAPR, we manage not just the top two or three most popular grades of recovered paper, but more than 50 different grades. For large packaging firms with complex operations across dozens of locations and a wide variety of waste streams generated in their facilities, this level of customization is essential.

We routinely help clients handle a mix of OCC, poly-kraft, roll ends, cores, and high-grade trim. One major packaging customer doubled their previous two years of recycling revenue in just six months by implementing our recommendations and switching to mill-direct shipments. Other large, multi-site clients have transformed what was once landfill-bound waste into six- and seven-figure revenue streams.

The key to these outcomes? It’s about understanding the material mix. Every packaging substrate has different value based on market demand, contamination tolerance, and paper mill specifications for recovered fiber. What looks like recyclable material can lose value — or be rejected entirely — if it's not sorted or labeled correctly.

By aligning each client’s output with the needs of our vast network of consuming paperboard mills, we increase their grade quality, improve shipment consistency, and capture higher returns. Knowing what a mill wants — and what it can’t accept — is critical to getting the best price and the fastest turnaround.

Getting Ahead of EPR

Our audit process isn’t just about solving today’s problems — it’s about preparing for tomorrow. With EPR laws already in effect in states like California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, and Oregon, the responsibility for end-of-life packaging now falls directly on producers.

These laws require companies to fund recycling infrastructure, report material outputs, and demonstrate results. We help our clients stay ahead by giving them the tools, tracking, and reporting systems they’ll need to comply and thrive under these emerging standards.

What sets us apart isn’t just our 100-year legacy or national reach. As a strategic partner, it’s the way we deliver value through execution and insight. From our Chicago facility, we process millions of pounds of material every month using advanced balers and a fleet of over 125 trailers. But it’s our consultative approach, combined with industry relationships and data visibility, that truly moves the needle for our clients.

We don’t just remove waste. We help packaging companies turn recyclables into revenue, free up space, reduce labor, and strengthen their sustainability story in a way that’s measurable and repeatable.

The Bottom Line

As we approach our centennial anniversary in 2026, our mission remains the same: to elevate the value of recycling through education, innovation, and partnership. If your current program isn't producing clear financial results or if you're navigating new EPR compliance demands, it's time for a fresh approach.

Start with our Waste Audit Survey.

Let’s work together to turn waste into lasting value.

About the author
Don Gaines is CEO of Mid America Paper Recycling, a fourth-generation leader in the recycling industry that provides robust environmental solutions and value for partners in the printing and packaging sector. Its program features a benchmarking waste audit, consultation services, documentation, quantification and presentation of the specific and overall values that can be realized from their waste streams. Learn more about Mid America Paper recycling.