HARTSVILLE, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 16, 2008--Sonoco (NYSE:
SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies,
helped U.S. electric utilities and wire and cable manufactures save
approximately 50,000 trees and $6 million in disposal costs by
recycling more than 150,000 wire and cable reels over the past year.
"In addition to being North America's leading wire and cable reel
manufacturer, Sonoco's Wire and Cable Reels division is working to
close the loop for U.S. electric utilities and other reel users by
offering the largest and most comprehensive reel recycling program,
serving 1,200 end users in 641 cities in the 48 contiguous United
States and Canada," said Randy Lusk, general manager of Sonoco's Wire
and Cable Reels division, based in Hartselle, Ala.
Reels Recycling Operations Manager Mike Harris said the reel
recycling process is simple and very user-friendly. "A wire and cable
manufacturer or distributor, or one of their customers with wooden
reels to recycle calls our toll-free telephone number when they have
enough reels for us to pick up," Harris said. "We send our trucks,
load the used reels and take them to one of our 13 regional recycling
centers. There, we categorize, clean, refurbish and repaint the reels.
Then we sell them back to the customer."
Sonoco's program helps utilities and wire and cable manufacturers
reduce their landfill costs and supplies them with cost-effective
reels, which can often be recycled three or four times.
Jim Koonce, investment recovery supervisor for Progress Energy in
North Carolina, said Sonoco's wire and cable reel recycling program is
an important part of his company's sustainability efforts.
"This has been a good program for us," Koonce said. "It saves a
lot of wood waste and keeps it out of the landfills. We've been
recycling reels since 1998 and have been able to use the savings
throughout the year on other budget items, like maintenance."
Koonce also said this has been an easy program to manage. "Sonoco
sends a trailer to our site, and as empty reels come in from the
field, we load them into it. When the trailer is full, Sonoco comes
and picks it up. We have a great place to store the reels that doesn't
take up much room and there aren't used reels all over the place. We
are very pleased with Sonoco's reel recycling program and responsive
customer service."
By not having to tear down reels for disposal, end users reduce
labor costs and avoid costly landfill fees associated with disposing
of reels, said Sonoco's Harris, adding that companies can also use
Sonoco's reel recycling program as a marketing and community relations
tool to demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship.
The recycling program is especially economical for larger
companies with the infrastructure to use and dispose of a large number
of reels. The program began with electric utility companies, primarily
in the Southern United States, and has expanded nationwide. Today,
Sonoco recycles reels for most of the nation's largest investor-owned
utilities as well as public authorities and rural electric
cooperatives.
"Unfortunately, we know that not all reels are being recycled in
North America, which is a lost cost benefit for reel users and a
detriment to the environment," said Sonoco's Harris. "Our goal is to
work with wire and cable manufacturers, utilities and other users to
close the gap in an effort to recycle all reels."
In addition to electric utilities, other industries and businesses
throughout North America that use wire and cable reels have begun
utilizing Sonoco's recycling service. "We're now seeing other market
segments start to recycle reels, too," Harris said. "Telephone and
cable television companies are consolidating and centralizing their
operations, and recycling reels is a good fit for them."
For more information about Sonoco's wire and cable reel recycling
service, contact Mike Harris at mike.harris@sonoco.com or at
256/751-5027.
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a $4.0 billion global manufacturer of
industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services,
with 334 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85
nations. For more information on the company, visit our Web site at
www.sonoco.com.
CONTACT: Sonoco
Roger Schrum
843-339-6018
roger.schrum@sonoco.com
SOURCE: Sonoco