HARTSVILLE, S.C., Dec 15, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Plans are in place for Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest
diversified global packaging companies, to expand and renovate its
Columbia Sonoco Recycling Center, located at 1132 Idlewilde Blvd. Once
completed, the expansion and renovation will allow the center to process
larger volumes of recycled materials.
Marcy Thompson, division vice president and general manager, Sonoco
Recycling, said the Company is investing approximately $2.5 million to
expand its facility by 14,700 square-feet to include new
state-of-the-art sorting and conveyor equipment, as well as a new
high-speed baler to increase single-stream waste volumes. Work on the
expansion is underway with an anticipated completion date of late March
or April 2010.
"This project will allow us to increase--on a significant scale--the
amount of materials being processed at the facility, and this will help
us meet the growing recycling needs of the community and the many
customers that count on us," Thompson said.
According to information published in 2006 in The Economic Impact of
the Recycling Industry in South Carolina, for every 1,000 tons of
material removed from landfills and recycled approximately $3,687 in tax
revenues is generated for the state.
"Recycling has many benefits, including conserving resources, reducing
the need to build landfills and playing an integral role in the state's
economy," said Kent Coleman, director of the S.C. Department of Health
and Environmental Control Division of Mining and Solid Waste Management.
"Sonoco has created a recycling market for the Midlands area that has
enabled many local governments, businesses and schools to develop
recycling programs or expand existing ones."
Sonoco Recycling's Columbia facility accepts and processes corrugated
boxes and other grades of paper as well as metals, plastics and
bottle-form glass. The facility accepts curbside material delivered by
the public and offers flatbed pick up of baled material, van service for
loose, palletized or baled material and roll-off service for 30- and
40-yard open and closed top containers. Sonoco, which processes and uses
many of these recycled materials to produce recycled paperboard at its
paper mills in the Southeast, utilizes most of that paperboard to
produce new consumer and industrial packaging, making Sonoco one of the
few cradle-to-cradle suppliers of packaging in the industry. The
remaining paperboard is sold to third parties.
Annually, Sonoco collects and processes about 3 million tons of
recyclable materials globally through 31 locations and has a team of
recycling professionals, many of whom are experts in waste management
and manufacturing process improvement. Sonoco is also an exporter of
recycled fiber, primarily to Asian markets.
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE:SON) is a $4.1 billion global manufacturer
of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services,
with about 300 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85
nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World
Index (DJSI), a global composite index that recognizes leading global
companies in terms of economic performance, environmental stewardship
and social responsibility. Sonoco also has been ranked as one of the 100
greenest large companies in the United States in Newsweek's
inaugural Green Rankings, which evaluated the country's 500 largest
companies on their environmental performance, green policies and
reputation. Sonoco, which was listed 94th, had the best
ranking of any U.S.-based packaging company. For more information on the
Company, visit our Web site at http://www.sonoco.com/.
SOURCE: Sonoco
Sonoco
Robin Montgomery, 843-383-7509, robin.montgomery@sonoco.com
www.sonoco.com