Prices up for office paper recovered for recycling

June 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Demand for recovered sorted office paper (SOP) this month wasn’t necessarily what recyclers called “hot,” but through the first half of June demand continued to outweigh supply, which began its usual summer tapering, according to a market survey conducted by The Paper Stock Report, an industry market report.

As a result, recyclers reported paper mill buying prices that averaged about $11 per ton higher than prices reported late in May. At a national average of $173.33 per ton (FOB, seller’s dock), SOP prices were almost 7 percent higher than reported on May 25 and about 13 percent higher than reported on May 10.

Export prices for SOP reportedly were between $190 and $200 per ton delivered to New York; about $205 to $210 per ton on the West Coast.

Bulk grades remained fairly stable this month, with the national average mill price of OCC down just a few dollars on June 10 compared to a month earlier. But suppliers sounded less than optimistic about the grade just a month away from the third quarter – historically the time of year when generation is depressed and prices are high.

Around June 10, OCC was reportedly trading at about $162 per ton delivered to the port of New York, and about $172 per ton on the West Coast. Domestic mill prices averaged about $135 per ton (FOB seller's dock).

Old newspaper demand this month was described as non-existent, although domestic prices showed only modest declines compared to May.

Overall, the average national mill buying price for the 17 scrap paper grades tracked by The Paper Stock Report was $139.16 per ton, up slightly from the average of $138.96 per ton on May 25.

Complete coverage of the recovered paper market is available at Paper Recycling Online: http://www.recycle.cc. For additional information, call Ken McEntee, Editor, at 440-238-6603.