An effort to divert more plastics and other recyclables from the waste stream has another funding partner.
Sonoco Products Co. has joined the Recycling Partnership, which already has a litany of partners familiar to those in plastics, including the Association of Plastic Recyclers, the American Chemistry Council, Dow Chemical Co., Amcor Ltd., Plastics Industry Association and Dart Container Corp.
"Sonoco has set aggressive sustainability goals, and we are dedicated to not just meeting, but exceeding those goals," said Laura Rowell, manager of global sustainability for Sonoco, in a statement. "The expanding impact of the Recycling Partnership is one of the most exciting developments in the industry today, and together we can magnify those results."
A big part of the partnership's mission is to make recycling easier and more accessible through the placement of recycling carts in communities around the country. These roll-out carts, with wheels and more capacity than smaller hand-held bins, help capture more recyclables from households.
"Most people take it for granted that recycling is universally available in this country, but that's far from true," said Jeff Meyers, vice president of operations for the Recycling Partnership in a statement. "Sonoco's support strengthens our ability to bring better recycling programs to communities all over America. Not only will we be growing access to recover more consumer packaging, we will be leading the charge to improve the quality of the recovered material."
Sonoco also has been making headlines in recent months with the introduction of its plastic TruVue clear food can. The company makes consumer packaging, industrial products and protective packaging. Sonoco also has its own recycling division that includes material recovery facilities.