Sonoco Recycling, South Carolina City Launch Pilot Recycling Program

Sonoco Recycling, Hartsville, S.C., and the City of Hartsville, have announced the launch of a six-year recycling pilot program for Hartsville. The pilot program is aimed at increasing both commercial and residential recycling in Hartsville.

During a press conference announcing the kickoff of the program, Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington, said, "Clearly, our goal at the city is to improve the environment and quality of life for the citizens and businesses here in Hartsville. Working with Sonoco Recycling, we will be piloting an initiative to implement a new single-stream recycling program in our community and to increase the kind of materials that can be collected. In addition, we will jointly develop a 'voluntary' program specifically aimed at increasing recycling efforts for local businesses, educational institutions and our citizens."

Marcy Thompson, Sonoco’s vice president of Rigid Paper and Closures, North America, added, "We actually began working with the city late last year on transitioning from dual- to single-stream waste collections, and the results have been pretty astounding. In fact, since the first of this year, the number of tons being recycled has tripled. As we continue to make improvements in the services offered this number should only go up."

As part of the pilot, Sonoco Recycling will assist the city in converting from dual-stream curbside collection and sorting to an expanded single-stream process. The types of materials acceptable for recycling also will be expanded. In addition, Hartsville will continue switching from 16-gallon bins to 95-gallon roll carts, which will help drive recycling participation and divert additional materials away from landfills. The city began switching to roll carts in late 2010, with participation by local businesses. Sonoco Recycling is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonoco.