Kruger commits US$16M to new recycling hub in Trois-Rivières

CANADA –  Kruger Inc. has launched a US$16 million initiative to build a expansive storage facility in Trois-Rivières, aiming to centralize its recycling efforts and transform the Mauricie region into a key player in Québec’s circular economy. 

The project, centered on a one-million-square-foot site at Chemin des Petites-Terres in the Pointe-du-Lac district, sits adjacent to the company’s Containerboard Mill, Québec’s top recycler of paper and paperboard.

This development will handle the intake and storage of recycled materials from across Mauricie, other Québec areas, eastern Ontario, and northern U.S. states. 

The facility, spanning space equivalent to 13 football fields, can store up to 40,000 tonnes of fibrous materials, enough to sustain the mill’s operations for a full month. 

By drawing collections closer to the mill, the setup cuts down on transport distances, directly lowering greenhouse gas emissions tied to trucking.

Stéphanie Bouchard, general manager of recycled fibres and biomass at Kruger Recycling, highlighted the site’s potential in a recent statement. 

“We already recycle 100% of the paper and paperboard from residential blue bins in Trois-Rivières,” she said. 

Bouchard added that the new center would streamline ties with the mill while expanding pickups from local businesses and retailers, drawing in more commercial waste streams.

The mill itself processes 450,000 tonnes of paper and old corrugated containers each year, part of Kruger’s broader network that manages over 750,000 tonnes annually across Québec. 

This vertical setup ensures a steady flow of high-quality recycled content straight to production lines, supporting the company’s long-standing focus on 100% recycled containerboard since the 1960s.

In a related move, Kruger has added a dedicated recycling truck to its fleet for gathering cardboard from supermarkets and shops in the area, ramping up local recovery rates. 

This step builds on prior efforts at the site; back in 2017, the firm poured over US$250 million into upgrading the mill’s paper machine to churn out lightweight linerboard from recycled sources, boosting output to 360,000 tonnes yearly.

In late 2024, the Trois-Rivières plant installed a steam box on its machinery, trimming natural gas use by over one million cubic meters annually and slashing emissions by 1,949 tonnes.

That upgrade, backed by energy provider Énergir, also trimmed operational costs without halting production.

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