A total of 935,357 tons of recovered fiber were exported from the United States in October, a 5.7 percent increase from figures during the same time last year.
According to the U.S. Commerce Department, exports of recovered fiber for the month had a value of around $96.4 million.
On an annual rate, year to date, the export of recovered fiber stands at slightly more than 11 million tons, compared to 2001’s total export level of 10.5 million tons.
The improvement in overall shipments came from stronger than expected demand from most regions, with shipments to Asia and Canada both posting strong upward swings in demand. The shipment of recovered fiber to Canada climbed by a sharp 13.6 percent for October, with the total for the month standing at around 260,000 tons.
The market for recovered fiber benefited from reduced freight rates by most shipping lines, as well as the start up of a host of new machines, primarily in the Asian market.