Sonoco to Expand, Renovate Columbia, S.C., Recycling Center

Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, has announced plans to expand and renovate its Columbia, S.C., Recycling Center, located at 1132 Idlewilde Blvd. Once completed, the expansion and renovation will allow the center to process larger volumes of recycled materials, including 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 pickup 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. Annually, Sonoco collects and processes about 3 million tons of recyclable materials globally through 31 locations.

Marcy Thompson, division VP and GM, Sonoco Recycling, said the company is investing approximately $2.5 million to expand its facility by 14,700 ft2 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.