Paper mills at home and abroad are gobbling up America’s recycled cardboard, driving up prices for corrugated containers that they pulp and make into new packaging. The price of old corrugated containers, or OCC, surged during the pandemic e-commerce boom and then came crashing down in 2022. Over the past year, though, OCC prices have rebounded, more than tripling in some parts of the country. The latest rise is being driven by the opening of several new mills that need used cardboard to make fresh containerboard for corrugated shipping boxes and paperboard, which is folded into cereal boxes and coffee cups. Mills are vying for recycled boxes at a time when there are fewer available. …Meanwhile, the Red Sea conflict has cut off the route that Europe’s old boxes take to mills in Asia and has sent the region’s OCC buyers looking to the U.S. for their raw material. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]