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.