Earth First: A local company focused on preserving paper

Two northeastern Pennsylvania-based companies with a passion for paper continue their work to promote environmental sustainability.

As Earth Day approaches on Wednesday, Scranton’s Diamond K, a waste paper recycling company founded in 1955, and American Paper Bags, a manufacturing company founded in Sugar Notch in 2018 that makes customizable paper bags and envelopes, remain committed to extending the lifecycle of paper materials.

Terrence Burke, who took over ownership of Diamond K on Battle Avenue on March 1, said the facility collects industrial waste clippings, books, cardboard and clean office paper.

“If individuals or small businesses do not have access to recycling, they are welcome to bring their materials directly to us. We will ensure that the correct routes continue in an environmentally responsible manner,” he said.

Burke, whose family previously owned Northeastern Envelope Company in Old Forge, added that Diamond K’s processing center acts as an intermediary between businesses within a roughly 100-mile radius that generate scrap and mills that turn recyclable paper back into usable paper products.

“We are focused on keeping it in circulation rather than ending it as waste,” he said. “We turn it into bales. We isolate and verify what each mill needs to reintroduce into the pulping process to create pulp and the formulation to create the final paper product. It doesn’t consume the resources needed to produce brand new paper material. Thanks to the steps these mills have taken, they can use paper waste to remanufacture paper products, which is more efficient than starting from scratch.The name of the game is to get the heaviest bale possible to make the most of the space on the trailer.

Diamond K receives about 300 tons of product per day, or about 60,000 tons per year, Burke added.

“Being in the paper world, I always thought there was only colored paper, white paper and brown paper, but there’s so much more than that,” he said. “We get a pretty good mix of materials from a lot of different companies that you would hardly expect. Amazon has changed the paper industry in some ways. The amount of cardboard produced is crazy. Before, you used to get cardboard boxes for moving. Now everyone has a pile of cardboard from Amazon in their home. I’m pretty environmentally conscious myself, so it was nice to be able to go into this business and do some good for the environment at the same time.”Someone from the National Agricultural Society was buying fly leaves (waste paper) and using them as bedding for animals. ”

Burke said anything from encyclopedias to junk mail to business cards can be dropped off at the center to be recycled and reused.

“Many small actions can lead to bigger results,” he said.

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Terence Burke, owner of Diamond K, explains the process of compressing loose paper near a paper baling machine in a warehouse at a recycling facility in Scranton on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Sean McKeag / Staff Photographer)

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Sean Koenig, chief supply chain officer at American Paper Bag, emphasized that the packaging design is environmentally friendly.

“A big part of our goal is to make this market more sustainable,” he said. “When you get a plastic envelope or a plastic bag, our goal is to continue to replace it with paper. There’s a lot of things in our design that can help tremendously, not only from a recycled paper perspective, but also in terms of our ability to reduce emissions. It’s a lot more useful than a grocery store bag or paper bag lunch bag that has creases on the side. It comes from the shape of the bag, which has a gusset at the bottom compared to what you normally see when viewing.The sides are squeezed together, allowing you to fit more onto a pallet.”When loaded onto a truck, there is less overlap of paper, which can reduce your carbon footprint if you can put additional paper in the boxes you ship to your customers. ”

Over the past eight years, the company has expanded from approximately 44,000 square feet in Hanover Industrial Park to approximately 100,000 square feet, and last year opened another manufacturing facility in Reno, Nevada.

“As we progressed, we gained some pretty important customers and little by little we were able to gain some fame with the bottom gusset products we manufacture,” Koenig said. “If you look at our product, it’s very unique compared to a lot of products you see on the market. I think that’s what helps us get a lot of customers in certain areas. It allows us to sell a product that’s very specific and very premium. I think that’s really helped us grow into the company we are today. We started with 1. We installed one line and then several more to be able to continue producing this volume. We have a huge influx of demand from the US, as well as new customers coming in for our sustainable paper bags.”

Koenig added that the machines used by the company allow employees to create bags that have similar space inside but use less paper.

“This machine uses much less energy than the normal process of producing similar bags,” he said. “This is great for us. Not only will our business be more profitable, but it will also reduce the energy consumed on the local grid.”

Koenig noted that American Paper Bag Co.’s major customers include Amazon.

“Although most of the paper mail available in the region comes from this facility, we also ship across the United States from our facility to ensure our supply to Amazon and continue our commitment to paper sustainability,” he said. “At the bottom of every Amazon mail piece we make, it says Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania. It’s a giant stamp that says it’s made in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

In addition, American Paper Bag Co. makes bags with handles, which are popular with food delivery services, Koenig said.

“The shape of our bags allows us to fit things in well,” he said. “Our bags open in the middle and have a fairly circular bottom, so you can easily fit a lot of containers in.”

American Paper Bag also strives to use recycled materials whenever possible when manufacturing bags for our customers.

“Paper starts out as a very high-grade product and can be recycled many times over its lifespan until it reaches a degraded state and can’t go any further,” Koenig said. “We are able to source recycled paper, and many of our customers use 100% recycled paper, or paper that is at least 40% post-consumer. This is a sustainability commitment that we are familiar with, and we can offer that expertise to customers who want that kind of impact.”

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