Starting last summer, staff at the Sonoco Recycling facility in Savannah took a hard look at its business operations, in terms of both cost and sustainability. Working together, the team realized that by diverting dry waste material from their normal waste streams and taking it to a waste-to-energy service provider every month, they could save money and lessen their environmental impact. Now, only wet or bulky waste goes in the Dumpster, and all other waste is converted to energy via hauling trips that are often combined with normal hauling operations to optimize freight cost and lessen the facility's carbon footprint.

"This process change is a first for a Sonoco Recycling location," said Mike Pope, general manager and president, Sonoco Recycling. "The plant is doing a great job capturing a large amount of waste for recovery in waste-to-energy programming, and their improvements have positive implications for both sustainability and cost savings."