The award marks a milestone in landfill-free efforts that have been underway since the fourth quarter of 2012. In late 2012, the Newport facility partnered with local recycling company TLR Solutions to process some of the more difficult to recycle byproducts of the mill’s operations, like bailing wire and materials such as glass, staples and ceramics that are sorted out from incoming paper fiber.
“After the company announced its goal of taking 10 percent of its facilities landfill free, we began efforts to eliminate the facility’s waste streams,” said Marty Pignone, vice president, Paper North America. “The Newport paper mill has made significant advances—recycling almost 20 percent of waste that previously went to landfill each month—and we look forward to continuing those efforts.”
Many of the items collected by TLR Solutions for processing require very specific equipment. The recycling company not only found nearby locations with equipment capable of handling the materials, but also worked with those locations for over a year to identify the correct processes for recycling—many some of the first of their kind in North America.
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
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 US.
