More than 100 Years Recycling Experience:

Northstar:  An Evolving Recycling Company

by Anna Dutko Rowley

Springfield, Massachusetts based Northstar Pulp & Paper, a waste and recycling company, is an example of a company that has evolved over time.  The Fifth generation family-run company has done what it takes to stay relevant in the recycling world.  The business went from humble beginnings of recycling rags and scrap metal to paper and plastics today.  “In 1898, my great-great-grandfather Hyman Goodman started the business out of his basement, collecting rags and metal on the street,” said Aaron Goodman, Chief Operating Officer of Northstar Pulp & Paper.

The Company name was later changed to Harry Goodman Inc., where Hyman’s son Harry focused on expanding the scrap metal side of the business.  The recycler later added scrap paper and plastics to its portfolio, as well as a name change, Northstar Pulp & Paper, under David Goodman.  The company today is managed by Aaron’s father, David, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and sister, Lori Goodman.

When asked what made Aaron join the business, he said that it was something he always wanted to do.  “Recycling has always been in my background.  I would listen to my father talking to buyers.  My earliest memory is of my father driving me around in the plant on a forklift.  I started working for the business when I was 16,” said Goodman.

Focus of Northstar’s business today is in paper and plastics recycling.  Paper grades the company handles include Sorted Office Paper (SOP), Old Corrugated Containers (OCC), Mixed Paper, and all High Grades.  Plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET.  The recycler processes about 150,000 tons of paper and plastics on an annual basis.

The company procures most of its scrap from post-industrial accounts in the western Massachusetts area and processes the scrap at its 300,000 square-foot plant in Springfield.  “We do go as far north as Maine and south into Pennsylvania for material,” said Goodman.  Northstar also accepts material from the general public as well.  The recycler is a supplier to many mills in the Northeast.  End markets for plastics are injection molders, compounders, strapping manufacturers, and plastic lumber extruders.

Northstar made some investments in new equipment over the past couple of years to increase productivity.  In 2012, the company invested in a Williams XL-70 shredder and an American Baler to handle product destruction and difficult materials such as hard and soft cover books, which end up going to tissue mills.  In 2013, the recycler invested in a CMG plastic shredder and two Cumberland granulators to process post-industrial plastics.  “These machines handle our bottle grade PET (soda and water bottles), which is a new market for us,” said Goodman.  Earlier this year, Northstar installed a Bollegraaf HBC 120 Baler for handling scrap fiber.  “The new baler produces a 20 percent denser product, while reducing energy usage and run-time.  The baler has helped us enormously by reducing the space needed for the storage of our materials,” he explained.

In the future, the company said it is dedicated to expanding services in paper and plastic recycling.  “We want to expand recovering more High Grades.  We also want to grow our capability on the plastics side down the line by adding a wash line.”

Copyright NV Business Publishers 2014

For the full story please visit the following link:  Northstar Story