ND Paper starts recycled pulp production line in Old Town

by Lori Valigra, BDN Staff

ND Paper said Thursday that it has started an unbleached recycled pulp line at its Old Town mill that will produce 200 metric tons of pulp a day and create 20 jobs.

The company said the new line will consume recovered paper sourced regionally, primarily old corrugated containers, as its primary feedstock. It also uses technology that requires much less water than traditional pulping operations.

The line will create about 20 new jobs when it is fully operational, the company said, and support indirect jobs such as supply-chain vendors providing materials and services. The company plans to use fiber sourcing, operational and maintenance supplies, and logistics services in Maine.

ND Paper purchased the shuttered mill in October 2018 after it was shuttered in October 2015 after multiple ownership changes. Bruce Hogan, vice president and general manager of the ND Paper’s Old Town division said the company made a multi-million-dollar investment in the facility.

The mill temporarily suspended production last October after more than 30,000 gallons of pulping chemicals leaked into the Penobscot River.