Mid America Paper Recycling Celebrates 100 Years of Continuous Operation

Mid America Paper Recycling (MAPR), a fourth-generation leader in paper and recycling solutions, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary, marking a century of continuous operation serving suppliers, paper mills, and industrial packaging partners across North America.

Founded in 1926, Mid America has grown from a local scrap operation into a trusted recycling partner known for its deep market knowledge, operational discipline, and long-standing customer relationships. Over the past century, the company has built its reputation by helping businesses increase revenue, reduce costs, and improve sustainability outcomes through smarter management of their recyclable materials.

“For 100 years, this business has been built on relationships,” said Don Gaines, a fourth-generation leader of the company. “Markets change. Customers change. But what doesn’t change is how you show up, being genuine, sharing your knowledge, and helping people find better ways to operate. That’s what earns trust over time.”

Unlike many companies in the recycling brokerage space, Mid America’s approach extends well beyond buying and selling commodities. The company brings a consultative, operations-driven service model by conducting on-site audits, mapping material flow, and identifying inefficiencies across the recycling stream. By improving segregation, enhancing bale integrity, aligning grades with the right mill demand, and streamlining logistics across multi-site plant networks, Mid America transforms recycling from a cost center into a more disciplined, value-generating part of a packaging firm’s operation.

“We’ve never been just a transactional business,” Gaines added. “It’s about walking a facility, understanding their processes, and asking the right questions. How can we help you make more money, improve efficiency, enhance worker safety or eliminate unnecessary costs? That’s how you create real value and that’s why customers stay with you.”

That philosophy has helped Mid America stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace, where success is defined not by participation, but by the ability to consistently deliver value across complex supply chains.

“Anybody can enter the recycling business,” Gaines said. “But staying in it and growing over decades comes down to experience, attention to detail, and delivering on what you say you’re going to do.”

A key differentiator has been the company’s ability to match specific grades of recyclable material to the right end markets, which helps minimize costly downgrades and maximize value for customers. Combined with a high-touch service model and deep mill relationships across the U.S., this expertise enables Mid America to consistently deliver measurable results for packaging, printing, and manufacturing customer partners.

The company’s longevity is also reflected in its culture, with a strong emphasis on employee retention, collaboration, and continuity. Many team members have spent decades with the organization, contributing to a level of institutional knowledge that is difficult to replicate.

Mid America’s centennial will be recognized by the AICC, an association representing independent corrugated and packaging companies, as part of its Member Milestone Program, honoring companies that have achieved significant anniversaries of continuous operation. The recognition highlights the company’s enduring role in supporting the paper packaging and recycling industry.

As Mid America celebrates this milestone, it is also entering a new phase of growth as part of FV Recycling, a broader platform designed to expand capabilities, scale operations, and bring additional resources to customers.

“Reaching 100 years is something we’re extremely proud of,” Gaines said. “But it’s not the finish line. It’s a responsibility to keep delivering, to keep improving, and to keep earning the trust of the people we work with every day.”

“Mid America Paper Recycling represents exactly what this industry is built on: relationships, operational expertise, and long-term trust,” said Gene Smith, president of FV Recycling. “As part of FV Recycling, we’re proud to build on that 100-year foundation and bring additional scale and capabilities to customers across North America.”

Together, Mid America and FV Recycling are positioned to deliver the next generation of recycling solutions, combining a century of experience with expanded resources, reach, and innovation.

Click here to view a commemorative video marking the 100-year milestone.

Source: Mid America Paper Recycling

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Packaging Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Packaging Impressions.