Miller Waste Mills manufactures quality, natural fiber-based recycled textiles using specialized equipment and custom fiber reprocessing techniques. By reclaiming fibers from a variety of waste streams, we divert them from landfills and make them useful once again.
With a 100+ year history of textile waste processing, Miller Waste Mills is a leader in the concept of “recycle and reuse!”
In the late 1800s, our founding family members, Joe and Jenny Miller, emigrated from Poland to Winona, Minnesota. In those days, Winona was a lumber town, with sawmills extending several miles along the Mississippi River. White pine logs were floated down the Mississippi River by the millions, assembled in huge log trains that were held together by steel chain.
An entrepreneur at heart, Joe Miller realized that he would be able to make a living in the steel industry, due to its close association with the local lumber trade. He and Jenny settled in Winona and started trading in metal, fabrics, and a variety of other things. His family also got involved in demolishing buildings to recover metal and other products, an early form of recycling.
In 1923, Joe established Miller Waste Mills. The company’s primary focus was to process a specialized fabric called “waste” for the railroad industry. The railroads used this material to lubricate the wheels on rail cars by dipping it in oil and then placing it in a journal box under the axle. Miller Waste Mills grew quickly, as railroads themselves were growing rapidly and the demand for waste was high. The company flourished for 30 years during the railroad boom, and still provides waste material for historic rail cars. In addition, we’ve expanded our offerings as a recycling plant for fabrics, converting them to reclaimed fibers that are used in oil filtration, metal polishing, insulation, and many other applications.
Joe’s grandson, Hugh Miller, has been running Miller Waste Mills since 1982. Today, our team draws on our extensive experience in textiles to solve a wide range of material reclamation and recycling problems. We are meeting the needs of a new generation of customers in the filtration, furniture staining, industrial, and commercial markets.
Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding your custom material needs or how we can reclaim fibers from your materials.