Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, has named its Tulsa, Okla., Tubes and Cores plant a gold-level Sonoco Sustainability Star Award recipient for the plant's successful efforts to achieve landfill free status. While recycling had been a plant priority for some time, this plant’s staff wanted to take it completely landfill free. In 2014, the plant identified an opportunity to divert non-recyclable coated tube scrap to a sourcing company and initiated a recovery program.

"In addition to recovering this coated tube scrap, which is difficult to manage, this program also reduced overall facility costs," said Lynn Ratliff, plant manager. "It was truly a win-win."

 

Administered by Sonoco Recycling, the company's recycling business, the Sonoco Sustainability Star Awards program is comprised of three tiers:

• Gold recognizes facilities that have achieved 99% landfill diversion
• Silver is awarded to facilities achieving 95% landfill diversion
• Bronze recognizes facilities that have made significant waste reduction achievements, such as drastically reducing their waste streams or implementing a new composting system.

With locations and expertise worldwide, Sonoco Recycling annually collects more than 3 million tons of old corrugated containers, various grades of paper, metals, and plastics. In addition, the company has experts who provide secure, reliable, and innovative recycling solutions to residential and commercial customers. 

Currently, Sonoco Recycling operates five material recovery facilities (MRFs) serving more than 125 communities in which curbside-collected residential and commercial materials are processed. The company also operates recycling programs, which identify waste reduction opportunities that reduce operating expenses for many of the largest consumer product companies in the U.S.