Facility Capable of Processing 500 Million Pounds Annually from Raleigh and
Surrounding Area
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sonoco (NYSE: SON)
has begun commercial operation of a fully automated, state-of-the-art
materials recovery facility (MRF) that recycles curbside-collected and
dual-stream residential and commercial waste materials from the Raleigh and
Wake County, N.C. area.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991006/SNCLOGO)
The 45,000 square foot recycling facility, operating under Sonoco's
wholly owned subsidiary, Paper Stock Dealers, Inc., incorporates a
computer-automated reclamation processing system that uses customized
conveyors, an elliptical sorter, large storage hoppers and a fully
automated horizontal baler to automatically separate, store, compact and
bale reclaimed newsprint, old corrugated containers and other recycled
paper and packaging, aluminum, steel, glass and plastic. Materials
processed at the facility are then transported to domestic and
international basic material manufacturers for producing recycled products.
"Sonoco has invested nearly $5 million in developing a fully automated
materials recycling facility that the Raleigh area can be proud of," said
Myles Cohen, vice president and general manager of Sonoco's Recovered Paper
Division. "We have been operating Raleigh's MRF for the past 10 years, and
the Company was recently awarded a new contract to continue reclaiming the
community's curbside recyclables. This new facility is replacing two older,
less sophisticated facilities that were unable to meet the growing
residential and commercial reclamation needs of the Raleigh and Wake County
area."
The new facility is situated on a 17-acre site in southeast Raleigh at
111 S. Rogers Lane, just off of Interstate 440. The new location provides
easy access so that trucks carrying locally gathered recyclables can be
unloaded at the same time that other trucks are loaded with processed
materials.
"Our new facility is already improving the efficiency and productivity
of Raleigh's curbside recycling program by significantly reducing the time
it takes to off-load, process and move recycled materials in and out of the
facility," said Marilyn Quattlebaum, director of operations for Sonoco's
Recovered Paper Division. "We have the capacity to handle up to 500 million
pounds annually of residential and commercial recyclable materials. Because
of the speed of our automated processing system, we will be able to meet
the long-term needs of the Raleigh area as well as be able to offer
municipal and commercial reclamation services to communities in nearly a
150 square mile area."
In addition to providing material recovery services for the Raleigh
area, Sonoco's Paper Stock Dealers is developing a community education and
outreach program that is focused on teaching area students the importance
of participating in the community's recycling efforts.
"We are in the process of building a classroom and demonstration
displays at the facility to be used to teach our community's youth the
importance of recycling at home and school," said Jim Foster, Raleigh MRF
plant manager. "We will hire an educator to work with area schools to
provide on-site recycling instruction as well as work with local community
groups to improve recycling efforts throughout the Greater Raleigh area."
In addition to being a global packaging company, Sonoco is one of the
largest recovered paper and recycling processors in the U.S., recovering
more than three million tons of paper annually from 45 company-owed
processing facilities in nine countries in North America, South America,
Europe and Asia. Sonoco operates more than 30 recycling facilities in the
U.S., including facilities serving nine North Carolina communities in
Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Gastonia, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory,
Raleigh, Richlands, Salisbury and Winston-Salem. Many of these facilities
are operated under Sonoco's Paper Stock Dealers subsidiary.
About Sonoco
Sonoco, founded in 1899, is a $3.5 billion global manufacturer of
consumer and industrial packaging products and provider of packaging
services, with more than 300 operations in 35 countries serving customers
in some 85 nations. For more information on Sonoco, visit our Web site at
http://www.sonoco.com.
SOURCE Sonoco
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Related links:
http://www.sonoco.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991006/SNCLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Roger Schrum, Sonoco, +1-843-339-6018, or
roger.schrum@sonoco.com
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