Sonoco Recycling has announced it has awarded the textile firm Milliken & Co., Spartanburg, S.C., a gold-tier Sonoco Sustainability Star Award for going landfill free.
Michael Baird, Milliken senior environmental specialist, says, “Milliken published an environmental policy in 1990 with a goal of zero waste to landfill as part of our company’s Pursuit of Excellence program. In 1992, our first manufacturing plant achieved zero waste to landfill status, and by 1995 20 plants sent zero waste to landfill.”
Materials diverted by Milliken include pallets, fiber plastics, containers, glass, carpet trim, canteen and general trash, tires, roofing and other construction and demolition (C&D) debris. The company’s program counts all solid waste, including scrap, C&D, waste water treatment sludge and other indirect solid waste, such as boiler coal ash. Milliken’s engineering group also figured out how to burn the company’s sludge as fuel in its boilers.
Jim Brown, vice president of Sonoco Recycling, says, “Milliken’s sustainability goals match up well with our company’s focus on environmental responsibility, and it is an honor to recognize them with our gold-tier Sonoco Sustainability Star Award.”
Sonoco’s Sustainability Star Award program is comprised of three tiers:
- Gold Star Awards, which recognize facilities that have achieved 99 percent landfill diversion;
- Silver Star Recognition, which is awarded to facilities achieving 95 percent landfill diversion; and
- Bronze Awards, which recognize facilities that have made significant waste reduction achievements, such as drastically reducing their waste streams or implementing a new composting system.
More information is available at www.sonoco.com/productsservices/sonocorecyclinginc/sustainabilitystarawards.aspx.