Sonoco Recycling names city of Durham, North Carolina, recipient of a bronze-tier Sonoco Sustainability Star Award for significant recycling achievements; company regularly processes over 1,000 tonnes/month of material from city

Elyse Blye

HARTSVILLE, South Carolina , April 7, 2014 (press release) – Sonoco Recycling, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonoco (NYSE:SON) and one of the largest packaging recyclers in North America, today announced that the City of Durham, N.C. has received a bronze-tier Sonoco Sustainability Star Award for significant recycling achievements after being named a Top 10 Recycling Community by Energy Digital.

Rodger Fuller, group vice president, Sonoco Recycling, said, "This is the fourth time the City of Durham has been recognized for its recycling programs as a top recycling community. We're honored to have helped them reach this milestone in their recycling journey and are pleased to present them with a much-deserved sustainability star award."

In Durham, recycling is collected from residents every other week through a single-stream curbside program. Currently, Sonoco Recycling regularly processes over 1,000 tons per month of material from the City, in addition to sponsoring three to four e-waste and shredding events held by the City each year. Items unable to be recycled through the curbside program, such as antifreeze, motor oil, cooking oil, electronics, white goods (appliances) and tires (maximum of five) are dropped off at The Waste Disposal and Recycling Center.

Created to recognize customer and Sonoco facilities for achieving significant milestones in landfill diversion and waste stream reduction, the Sustainability Star Award program is composed 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, recognizing facilities and programs that have made significant waste reduction achievements.

Learn more about the Sonoco Sustainability Star Award program at http://sonocorecycling.com/aboutus/ourprocess/sustainabilitystarawards.aspx.

A recycling leader with locations and expertise worldwide, Sonoco Recycling annually collects more than 3 million tons of old corrugated containers, various grades of paper, metals and plastics. In addition, the Company has experts who provide secure, reliable and innovative recycling solutions to residential and commercial customers.

Currently, Sonoco Recycling operates six material recovery facilities (MRFs) and serves nearly 150 communities in which curbside-collected residential and commercial materials are processed. The Company also provides recycling programs that identify waste reduction opportunities that reduce operating expenses for many of the largest consumer product companies in the U.S.

About Durham

A colorful, creative and entrepreneurial community of almost 275,000 that welcomes 7.8 million visitors each year, Durham occupies a prime location in the heart of North Carolina and is a nexus for learning, achievement, creativity, research and industry. Learn more about the City Where Great Things Happen at http://www.durham-nc.com/about/.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $4.9 billion, the Company has more than 19,900 employees working in 335 operations in 33 countries, serving some of the world's best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2013/2014 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.

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