North Carolina town weighs new recycling options

Simpsonville, North Carolina, contract with Sonoco Recycling ends; new bidders will not pay for recyclables.


From 2011 to 2015, the town of Simpsonville, North Carolina, received $10 per ton for curbside collected recyclables from Sonoco Recycling. With commodity markets having changed, and Sonoco not willing to extend that contract, Simpsonville is considering less attractive offers.

According to a news report by Greenville Online, two new bidders for the town’s recyclables are asking to be paid to accept the bottles, cans and paper.

A city administrator quoted in the article says a nearby Pratt Industries facility is charging $15 per ton to accept the materials, while Wasteco Inc. is asking for $28 per ton. The Pratt offer, however, does not include accepting glass.

The Pratt bid is slightly below the $16 per ton a nearby landfill will charge for the same materials, while the Wasteco’s bid far exceeds it.

Simpsonville city officials tell Greenville Online they plan on continuing to offer recycling services and have already begun taking some material to the Pratt facility. A city administrator says Simpsonville also will continue to look for other bidders for the material.