Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI)’s forestry and forest products operations continue to identify ways to  reduce and reuse waste, and put to beneficial use within our business and community.

Environmental Treatment Facility 

Lake Utopia Paper has recently completed a $28.8 Million environmental upgrade. 

Their new Environmental Treatment Facility takes wastewater and converts the organic material to renewable biogas. It is then converted to steam, which provides energy to the mill. Lake Utopia Paper has seen a 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

“This is a brand-new state of the art facility, that will serve Lake Utopia Paper for the long term,” said Rick Wasson, Manager of Technical Operations. “It will provide stability to the environmental system to ensure we are always meeting and extending our compliance obligations.” 

Ash to Farmers Field 

Since 2004, JDI has been composting 100% of organic residuals from our Irving Pulp & Paper site. The recycled materials are used by farmers on their fields. By using Lime and Ash residuals, farmers have saved more than $4 Million!

"This is a great ’Reduce-Reuse-Recycle’ story," said Renée Morais, JDI Environmental Coordinator. “What was once considered a waste destined for the landfills is now reused as a beneficial supplement for agricultural soil enhancement."

The Irving biomass ash is a registered agricultural product, under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulations.

The ash is the by-product of green energy biomass boilers at three New Brunswick JDI locations: Irving Pulp & Paper in Saint John, and our sawmills - Grand Lake Timber in Chipman and Scierie Grande Rivière in Saint Leonard.

Since the program began, more than 100,000 tonnes have been diverted from landfills and recycled in soil for beneficial use.