Genpak is a food packaging manufacturer which boasts of eighteen locations throughout North America. With 45 years of experience, they are constantly coming up with ways to produce quality products that are both versatile and practical. Their products include everything from paper cups and plates to cutlery and to-go containers.
The location in Montgomery, Alabama recently invested in a WEIMA WLK 10 single-shaft shredder in order to process paper waste and reintegrate it back into their production line.
The Process
In an effort to save money on virgin materials and to be more environmentally responsible, Genpak began collecting the paper waste produced during the production of soufflé cups, or cone-shaped cups. This waste is combined in a specific—but proprietary—ratio with virgin fiber and then conveyed into a WEIMA WLK 10 to be shredded. Once the material is shredded and thoroughly mixed, it is then conveyed out of the shredder room in order to be further processed into a line of plates and to-go containers.
Genpak’s food packaging products are distributed worldwide to a wide variety of customers including restaurants, elementary schools, and other paper product distributors.
Commitment to Sustainability
Introducing the WEIMA WLK 10 into their Montgomery plant has served as just another important step in reducing Genpak’s environmental footprint. The company has been working diligently for many years to become a greener company. An entire portion of the corporate website is dedicated to recycling options for the products they manufacture and other environmentally-relevant topics.
“Genpak produces high quality packaging for the food service industry,” said Bill Williams, Manager of Paper and Fiber. “As environmental leaders, we look for methods to reduce waste material generated at our converting operations. Paper scrap from our converting operation was targeted in 2010. With the help of WEIMA America and others, we developed a process to fully recover unused paper and upgrade this material to marketable products. The WEIMA grinder does a very reliable job of sizing this material for use in the recovery process.”
