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1www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Supporting the recycling industry in S.C. | 2012
Goal of zeroCompanies cut waste
sent to landfill
Smart jobsRecycling means paychecks
Matches madeTurning trash to treasure
Sponsored by In Partnership With
®
2 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
www.vlsrecovery.com Georgia South Carolina Tennessee Texas 229.796.0082 864.962.9953 931.379.9642 936.372.0464
VLS’s 30,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Industrial Recovery Facility is a one-of-a-
kind industrial waste processing center providing the industry’s most affordable
solution to zero land�ll compliance.
With VLS Single Stream Management, every ounce of your company’s industrial
waste can be conveniently collected, processed, and recycled in complete EPA compliance, ensuring that all materials are handled responsibly with the environment
in mind.
For all the places you live, work, and play...VLS takes responsibility to collect,
recycle, and protect.
Is Your Company Seeking An
Affordable Solution To Zero
Landfill Compliance?Is Your Company Seeking An
Affordable Solution To Zero
Landfill Compliance?
yR
It Takes Responsibility
It Takes Responsibility
www.RecyclonomicsSC.com 3
4 About this publication
5 About our Sponsors
6 Welcome from our partners
8 Upfront
12 smart Jobs Recycling means paychecks in S.C.
18 smart Entrepreneurs Recycling startups grow economic
footprint while treading lightly on
environment
21 smart Web Your recycling guide online
22 smart Collaboration Turning waste into treasure
22 Profiles: Special Advertising Section
40 smart Thinking ‘Good to be part of the solution’
44 smart Resources • Recycling Market Development
Advisory Council
• S.C. Recycling Council
• Recycling Businesses in S.C.
• Other resources
46 smart Product
cover Story
New goal: Zero waste to landfill
34
Contents
Recycling is smart for reasons both
economic and environmental. With
that thought in mind, some of S.C.’s
largest companies have cut their waste
sent to landfills to zero. Read about
how they did it.
Cover and Table of Contents Photos/Sonoco Recycling/by Jeff Blake
4 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
President and Group Publisher | Grady Johnson [email protected]
Vice President of Sales | Steve Fields [email protected]
Accounting Department | Vickie Deadmon [email protected]
Managing Editor | Andy Owens [email protected]
Senior Copy Editor | Beverly Barfield [email protected]
Special Projects Editor | Licia Jackson [email protected]
Staff Photographer | Leslie [email protected]
Contributing Photographer | Jeff Blake
Contributing Writers Mary Jane Benston, Holly Fisher, Ross Norton
Creative Director | Ryan [email protected]
Senior Graphic Designer | Jane Mattingly [email protected]
Graphic Designer | Jean [email protected]
Director of Business Development | Mark [email protected]
Account Executive | Reneé [email protected]
Circulation and Event Manager | Kathy [email protected]
Circulation, Event and Business CoordinatorKim [email protected]
The entire contents of this publication are copyright by SC Business Publications LLC with all rights reserved. Any reproduction or use of the content within this publication without permission is prohibited. SCBIZ and South Caro-lina’s Media Engine for Economic Growth are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Mailing address: 389 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Suite 200 Mount Pleasant, SC 29464Phone: 843.849.3100 • Fax: 843.849.3122www.scbiznews.com
SC Business Publications LLC A portfolio company of Virginia Capital Partners LLCFrederick L. Russell Jr., Chairman
Corporate & CommercialPublishing Division
About this Publication
When we started creating the inaugural issue of RecyclonomicsSC, we assessed the project from creation-to-delivery to find the most environmentally friendly way to produce a publication focused on
how to be more green. We quickly realized the breadth of what businesses must consider when focusing on the impact of business on the environment. We also learned that once you start making deci-sions with sustainability in mind, you often find more options for other environmentally sound choices.
The most obvious place to start in the print industry is with the paper. We worked closely with our printer, Walton Press, and decided on a paper stock that was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. FSC promotes environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests. Paper producers and printers go through a certification process to ensure they adhere to FSC
standards. Walton Press and the stock provider, Suzano Pulp and Paper, are both FSC certified. The paper stock you’re reading this on comes from eucalyptus seedlings, one of the fastest growing hardwoods in the world, so it’s more quickly replaced, and the forests are more easily managed.
We also used soy-based ink instead of petroleum-based ink. The printing process is cold set, instead of heat set, which means ink dries using less energy. That allowed us to use an uncoated paper, which takes less energy to produce and can be recycled more easily.
We hope you enjoy the content inside RecyclonomicsSC, and if you decide to recycle this publication, you can feel confident that you’ll be fueling the sustainability engine in the best way possible.
Ryan WilcoxCreative Director
In economic development, there are three general ways to create jobs: re-cruitment of outside industry, fostering
of start-up businesses, and growth/reten-tion of existing companies. New Carolina - SC Council on Competitiveness, focuses on the latter. We identify core industries where South Carolina already has an eco-nomic advantage and critical mass, and we help them to grow through cluster development. Cluster development increases productivity through competition, builds trust through collaboration, and increases access to shared resources such as skilled workforce and improved infrastructure.
To organize a cluster, New Carolina convenes the top industry stakeholders and works to facilitate a vision for the industry. With the industry, we develop a plan to overcome obstacles for that vision enabling the cluster members to achieve more together than they can alone. We design solutions that make our companies more competitive in their industry by staying in South Carolina.
Some of our key industries and their New Carolina initiated clusters are trans-portation, distribution and logistics — The TDL Council, the nuclear sector -- Caroli-nas’ Nuclear Cluster, insurance technology and services — ITs|SC Columbia’s Insur-ance and Technology Services Cluster, and the recycling sector — RecyclonomicsSC.
New Carolina is very excited about the opportunities for growth and impact with the recycling cluster. This is a dynamic group of innovative people work-ing in a very important industry with global implications. We are increasing our expectations for recycling participation without overburdening our citizens. As we say at RecyclonomicsSC — Small Changes, Big Returns.
5www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Sponsored by
Presenting Sponsor
Welcome from our Sponsor
In Partnership With
®
Sonoco Recycling is proud to present the first
publication dedicated to recycling in South
Carolina, RecyclonomicsSC. As a leader in
recycling, founded in Hartsville, S.C., we are excited
about this unique opportunity to expand awareness
within our great state amongst a broad set of con-
sumers with ever-changing recycling needs. Sonoco
Recycling is honored to serve the recycling needs of
municipalities, businesses and residents with our
material recovery facilities (MRFs) and operations
throughout the state.
One of our top priorities is to provide education
throughout South Carolina regarding the benefits
of recycling, both financially and environmentally.
RecyclonomicsSC gives South Carolinians the chance
to communicate best practices, learn of existing
efforts and understand more about this growing
initiative to recycle.
Thank you for staying involved. We hope you will
let us know how Sonoco Recycling can help you
achieve your recycling goals.
6 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
On July 25, 2012, the
New York Times ran
an article by David
Borstein called “The Recy-
cling Reflex.” His opening
paragraph was:
“What if there were something
that could create 1.5 million new
jobs, reduce carbon emissions equal
to taking 50 million cars off the road,
cut dependence on foreign oil, in-
crease exports, save water, improve
air quality and reduce toxic waste?
What if it were low-cost and readily
implemented? Wouldn’t everyone do
it? At a time of wildfires, droughts and
persistent unemployment, wouldn’t
it be a centerpiece of the presidential
campaign? Well, there is such a thing.
It’s called recycling.”
South Carolina currently has more than 450 recycling
companies. Since 2006, the state has announced $4 billion
in investments and 6,000 jobs, according to the S.C. Depart-
ment of Commerce. Many of these jobs are in rural areas.
In 2011, the state recycled only 27.7% of the potential
material. Every 10% increase beyond this 27% represents
2,000 jobs and another billion dollars in investment. If we
could reach the RecyclonomicsSC goal of 70%, we would
be looking at another 8,000 jobs and $2.4 billion in invest-
ments. This is an enormous opportunity.
RecyclonomicsSC is currently generating a menu of
policy options that could be adopted, including:
• bans on specific materials to landfills
• pay-as-you-throw strategies that provide economic
incentive to recycling
• financial and/or non-financial incentives for becom-
ing a zero waste facility
RecyclonomicsSC will hold their annual legislative day
on Feb. 20, 2013.
RecyclonomicsSC has contracted with New Carolina to
provide management and executive director services. I will
be serving as their executive director from New Carolina’s
Greenville office. The entire New Carolina team looks for-
ward to working with RecyclonomicsSC and growing this
dynamic business.
Bobby HittS.C. Secretary of Commerce
George FletcherExecutive Director
Emeritus
Letter from New Carolina
State of Recycling from Commerce
The green industry
is strong in the
Palmetto State. With
more than 450 recycling
businesses and an estimat-
ed 20,000 jobs created by
this sector, environmental sustainabil-
ity is proving to be good for business
in South Carolina.
As the state’s recycling businesses
continue to grow and new companies
choose South Carolina as the perfect
place to go green and make green, we
are well-positioned to support and
promote this industry.
The state’s success and increas-
ing reputation in the recycling sector
show that we are on the right track:
• In 2011, the recycling industry announced $333
million in capital investment, a creation of over 800
jobs with 15 new or existing companies investing in
South Carolina.
• South Carolina has four times more jobs in recy-
cling per capita than California or Massachusetts,
both of whom are leaders in recycling
• State recycling programs and initiatives divert
thousands of tons of materials from landfills and
recycle them for productive functions
• Local governments, commercial businesses and
recyclers alike have access to an abundance of recy-
cling markets in South Carolina.
Recycling and responsible material management make
a difference. Engaging in recycling ensures that these prod-
ucts go to recyclers close by. The benefit is direct – compa-
nies grow, resulting in more local jobs and tax revenues.
South Carolina’s green state of mind is further dem-
onstrated by Commerce’s Recycling Market Development
Advisory Council and staff’s combined efforts to attract
and develop businesses in our state.
From entrepreneurs who provide new recycling busi-
ness options to flagship companies that convert recycled
materials, South Carolina’s recycling industry is leading
the way in the green economy.
www.RecyclonomicsSC.com 7
Truly nothing could be finer than Greening of Caro-
lina, and there is no better example of green than
RecyclonomicsSC. RecyclonomicsSC, an initiative of
the S.C. Recycling Council, is a new business-oriented orga-
nization in the state focused on recovery of recyclable ma-
terial for industry growth. While many groups have been
singing the environmental praises of
recycling for years, RecyclonomicsSC
is helping companies in South Caro-
lina to lead the charge in recycling
with resounding bottom-line benefits.
Businesses recognize that the small
changes made by subscribing to the
lean, clean and green mantra of recy-
cling lead to big returns for them and
their communities. RecyclonomicsSC
businesses then download economic
benefits from recycling made up of en-
ergy savings, material reuse, green job
creation, avoided emissions, and corporate sustainability.
The RecyclonomicsSC vision is for South Carolina to be
a national leader in the recycling industry in terms of job
creation, investment and providing sustainable markets
for recyclable materials. So, how are we doing on the vi-
sion quest?
On the job creation, investment, and markets front,
South Carolina has other states beat.
• 20,000 jobs in recycling
• $4 billion in investment since 2006;
$333 million of that in 2011
• 4 times more jobs in recycling per capita
than California or Massachusetts
• 475 recycling businesses
What is the issue, then? We are doing great in recycling,
right? No, not exactly. Despite the fact that we have a ro-
bust industry, South Carolina is at a recycling cliff for avail-
able recycled material supply, where materials destined for
the landfill dwarf those destined for recycling. Companies
are facing a critical shortage of recycled bottles, cans,
packaging containers, and materials to recycle. South
Carolina’s recycling rate of 27.7 percent is low compared to
many other states and the national average of 34.1 percent.
So, how can we all sing from the same sheet of music?
RecyclonomicsSC will work with its partners in recycling to
help raise the recycling rate by:
• Educating businesses, people, and elected officials
about recycling’s economic value
• Promoting policy to raise South Carolina’s recycling
rate
• Working with universities, industry and other part-
ners to identify technical solutions to roadblocks
hindering growth in recycling
• Addressing supply chain gaps and recruit industry
to the state
• Fans of RecyclonomicsSC recognize that recycling
not only creates new opportunities, but it also sup-
ports local governments and commercial business-
es by providing access to an abundance of recycling
markets.
From the greening of the environment to the greening
of corporate bottom lines, RecyclonomicsSC is the per-
sonification of South Carolina’s ability to harmoniously
assemble people, industry, academia and ideas with a posi-
tive economic outcome. I welcome you to make a small
change today and join us for a big return to the quality of
life we all enjoy in South Carolina!
Tina Green Huskey, Chair
RecyclonomicsSC, an initiative of the
South Carolina Recycling Council
Tina Green Huskey
RecyclonomicsSC
RecyclonomicsSC boosts greening of South Carolina
8 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Upfr nt
$11 billionEstimated total economic impact of
recycling in S.C. for 2011
385,856,726
1.4 Poundsof MSW recycled per person per day in S.C.
Recycling definitionsMunicipal Solid Waste (MSW)The combined residential and commercial solid waste generated in an area. MSW includes paper, cans, bottles, food scraps, yard trimmings and other items. Industrial process waste, agricultural waste, mining waste and sewage sludge are not considered MSW.
Recycling RateThe measurement of activities by which discarded materials are collected, sorted, processed and con-verted into raw materials and used to make new products.
Total Solid Waste (TSW)Includes not only MSW but construction and demoli-tion debris, process waste and any other material that is generated.
Source: S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control’s Office of Solid Waste Reduction & Recycling
S.C.’s recycling efforts have resulted in
an environmental impact equivalent to
conserving this many gallons of gas.
Recycling 1 glass bottle will save
enough energy to light a 100-watt
light bulb for 4 hours.
Recycling 1 aluminum can will
run a computer for 3 hours.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
Source: Aluminum Association
Source: The 2011 S.C. Solid Waste Management Annual Report
Source: The 2011 S.C. Solid Waste Management Annual Report
Recycling is not only smart: It is huge in South Carolina. More than 475 companies,
large and small, make recycling their business. About 20,000 South Carolinians work in
recycling every day. Here are a few facts about why recycling is important.
9www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Corporate OfficeNinety Six, SC864-543-9912
CU-ICAR OfficeGreenville, SC864-214-7127
www.mumfordindustries.com
Recycling... It’s what we do.We see waste as a potential resource and create opportunities for recovery that reduce
cost, increase profit and decrease environmental impact.
10 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Upfr nt
Paper or plastic? Neither!The family grocery bag legacy lives on in Kristen Brown
of Pawleys Island. Her father, Gordon Dancy, invented the
plastic grocery bag, which went into use about 1980. Now,
the plastic bag’s time has run out. To offer an alternative
that is more fun, Brown invented MY ECO, a reusable shop-
ping bag system.
The bags are made of recycled polypropylene, the
plastic used in yogurt containers. The four-bag set has an
insulated tote for cold items, and one each for glass bottles
and jars, produce, and dry items and boxes. The four hold
a week’s worth of groceries for Brown’s family of four, and
when full they fit neatly into a shopping cart.
Brown has a program with schools to sell bags as a
fund-raiser. They can also be purchased from her website,
www.getmyeco.com, at a cost of $24.95 per set.
“We’re headed toward zero waste,” said Brown, a recy-
cling and waste reduction consultant. “I’ll do anything I
can do to make it easier.”
Retro recyclingAs it turns out, one of our country’s older charities was
into recycling more than 100 years ago. Goodwill Indus-
tries was “organized to save material waste and turn it
into human well-being,” wrote its founder, the Rev. Edgar
Helms. A few numbers: In the Upstate and Midlands, 39
million pounds of goods were donated last fiscal year. In
the Lowcountry in 2011, 13.5 million pounds of recyclables
were kept out of the landfill.
“Our goal is to keep maximizing the value of anything
that has use,” says Crystal Hardesty, director of market-
ing and public relations for Goodwill Industries of Up-
state/Midlands S.C. As an example, Goodwill gets lots of
T-shirts donated, Hardesty says, and some just don’t sell.
So employees use an industrial cutter to transform the
old shirts into 12-inch squares, repackaged as GoodWipes
cleaning cloths. They’re big sellers at $1.29 per pound.
Goodwill stores in South Carolina and across the U.S.
partner with Dell on computer recycling. Donated com-
puters are stripped of any parts that contain personal
information, and everything else – plastics, metals, glass
– is recycled by Dell.
A more recent addition to the Goodwill business model
is shopgoodwill.com. Stores from all over post items for
sale on this auction website. Grinding of the Greens
When the holidays are over, the life of your Christ-
mas tree is not quite ended. Many communities in South
Carolina collect the castoff trees and turn them into
mulch. In the Midlands and in Greenville, the Grinding of
the Greens is a well-established custom.
Residents can drop off their Christmas
trees at a number of points, starting the
day after Christmas. Around the sec-
ond or third weekend in January, the
trees are ground into mulch, which
is given away free. But you’d better
get there early! Other places that
have been recycling holiday trees
are Beaufort, Horry, Kershaw and
Oconee counties, and the city
of Florence. Contact your local
government to find out about
plans for this year.
Wear your support on your car
You can show your support for recycling with a special
South Carolina vehicle license plate. The Reduce Reuse
Recycle plate is available to all state residents for $30 plus
the regular registration fee. A portion of this fee supports
the S.C. recycling industry, providing education and
increasing awareness.
11www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Upfr nt
S.C. can do BETTER
1.2 million tonsof easily recyclable material – paper, cans,
plastic and glass bottles went to S.C. landfills,
2009-2011.
$171 millionstatewide net loss in unattained revenues and paid
disposal costs, as well as the missed opportunity for
jobs and investments by recycling businesses and
manufacturers, 2009-2011.
Source: S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control
Source: S.C. Department of Commerce
Economic Development Announcements Related to Recycling, 2012
Company Investment No. jobs County
BMW $900 M 300 Spartanburg
Nucor Corp. N/A N/A Darlington
Pratt Industries $3.5 M 30 Spartanburg
Lowcountry Biomass $16 M 26 Jasper
Michelin $750 M 500 Anderson, Lexington
Diversified Plastics $2.5 M 15 Dillon
Grace Plastics $1.2 M 16 Greenville
US Fibers $5.5 M 48 Edgefield
Encore Container $3.9 M 89 Greenville
PyroTec Inc. $10 M 75 Charleston
Polydeck Screen Corp. $7 M 32 Spartanburg
eCycling $23 M 18 Allendale
Con-Pearl North America $14 M 51 Greenville
Henry Molded Products Inc. $5 M 18 Anderson
McGill Environmental Systems N/A 25 Berkeley
12 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Ricky Jackson checks tires as they come into Viva Recycling, before the first shred process. Tires are
checked for rims and other debris that could damage the shredding equipment.. (Photo/Leslie Burden)
13www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Jobs
smart Jobs
Recycling means paychecks in S.C.
By Mary Jane Benston
Marty Sergi sees enormous opportunity for job cre-
ation in South Carolina’s recycling industry, and
he is helping it happen in Berkeley County.
Sergi’s company last year established a tire recycling
and rubber products manufacturing facility in an existing
plant in Moncks Corner. After retrofitting
the plant and moving a manufacturing
business there from China, Viva Recycling
of South Carolina has 53 employees and
plans to add about 100 by the end of 2013.
Sergi plans to move beyond tires into
other lines of recycling.
“South Carolina’s recycling (rate) is one
of the lowest in the country, so the op-
portunity is enormous. There are literally
thousands if not tens of thousands of jobs
that South Carolina does not have because
it’s landfilling most of its waste streams,”
he said.
The S.C. Department of Commerce “conservatively” esti-
mates there are 20,000 recycling jobs in the state. In a 2006
study, economists at the College of Charleston estimated
there were 15,600 jobs attributable to recycling activities.
Chantal Fryer, the Commerce Department’s senior man-
ager for recycling market development, says an additional
5,000 jobs have been added over the last five or six years,
counting jobs that were announced only through Com-
merce.
Evaluating the impact of the industry in 2006, the econ-
omists estimated that for every recycling
job in South Carolina, an additional 1.4 jobs
were created though the ripple effect of
spending by firms and employees.
At the time, there were 340 firms listed
in Commerce’s directory of recycling busi-
nesses. The firms ranged in size from 1
employee to 553, and the average salary
reported in the industry was $32,229. The
economists concluded the recycling jobs
were “relatively good jobs in a state where
the average salary (was) reported to be
$31,940 for all occupations in all indus-
tries.”
“Recycling makes jobs and brings paychecks to South
Carolina,” said Ronnie Grant, chairman of the state’s Recy-
cling Market Development Advisory Council.
What’s the potential for South Carolina to gain jobs
in recycling? Grant and other leaders in the industry say
“South Carolina’s recycling (rate) is one of the lowest in the country, so the opportunity is
enormous.”Marty Sergi
Viva Recycling of South Carolina
smart Jobs
14 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
that the success of recycling businesses depends in large
part on the recycling efforts of households, businesses and
governments.
Recycling is like a “field of
dreams,” subject to the prover-
bial “If you build it they will
come,” says Grant. “If the vol-
ume is there, they will come.”
Unfortunately, however, in
South Carolina recycling vol-
ume is not what it could be. In
a 2010 strategic plan prepared
for the recycling industry, the
framers noted, “While technological innovation is increas-
ing the recycling capabilities and applications well beyond
imagination, there is a wealth of material being lost to
landfills rather than going back into production.”
Grant, a senior account representative for Sonoco, has
over 40 years’ experience in recycling. The industry has
had a large growth capacity, he
says, and “hopefully, it can get
bigger now with single-stream
coming on line versus sorted-
at-the-curb.” In single-stream
recycling, materials are mixed
when they are collected, and
then they are separated at
materials recovery facilities
(MRFs, pronounced “murfs” in
the industry).
Municipalities converting from recycling bins to roll-cart
collections usually have a 40% to 45% increase in collec-
20,000That’s how many jobs the S.C. Department of
Commerce “conservatively” estimates there are in
the recycling industry.
Viva Recycling processes shredded tires into mulch for playgrounds. (Photo/Leslie Burden)
Recycled rubber products can be used for mulch in landscapes and on play areas. (Photos/Viva Recycling)
16 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Jobs
16 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
tions, Grant says. Residents find it easier to get recyclables
to the curb, and municipalities find them easier to collect.
“It makes everybody’s life better,” Grant says.
If more recyclables are collected, MRFs could expand
their hours. And there would be more PET plastics, carpet,
aluminum, steel cans and paper going to the S.C. firms that
crave those materials.
And South Carolina could see more jobs.
The education levels required for jobs in the recycling
industry can range from high school to college degree-plus,
Grant says. “There’s a lot of technology involved in these
MRFs now.” The same is true in the processes that reuse
the materials, such as shredding plastic bottles and turn-
ing them into fiber.
Commerce puts the number of recycling companies at
more than 475 now. While the concentrations of recycling
operations are greatest in the populous Charleston, Colum-
bia and Greenville regions, numerous plants are scattered
across the S.C. landscape, providing employment in the
outskirts and rural communities as well.
In the Lowcountry tire recycling plant where Viva is
operating now, employment was down to only six workers
when Sergi, president and COO, arrived last year.
“There was a trend where our scrap tires . . . were being
exported to China to make products from the rubber that
was recycled out of the tires to literally sell that product
Tires are ground to the landscape mulch size, prior to being colored. (Photos/Leslie Burden) Gerry Beauford inspects playground material as it is being made.
17www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Jobs
17www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
back on the shelves of Lowe’s and Home Depot, etc.,” Sergi
says.
“We started here again with the help of Commerce,
bought all new equipment and retrofitted, plus brought the
equipment from China to make the products that we’re
making now.” The Moncks Corner facility and other plants
use recycled rubber to manufacture PermaLife products,
which are found in gym flooring, playground surfaces, ath-
letic fields, sidewalks and asphalt additives.
The S.C. Technical College System’s workforce training
program, readySC, helped Viva put employees in place by
advertising a job fair and by assisting with interviews and
the selection process. Trident Technical College sponsored
a training course that was tailored for the Viva jobs. The
same hiring and training system will be used as the plant
expands, Sergi says.
About 2 million scrap tires, mainly from South Carolina,
come into the plant now. The goal is to take that total to 5
million when an upcoming expansion is completed.
Sergi says recycling is successful when driven by the
private sector, with the public sector just helping. It can’t
be based on government subsidies, he says. “Government
subsidies ultimately don’t work. It eventually falls apart.”
“Recycling, wherever it’s given its fair chance and is
based on economics . . . then you usually can have a win-
ner and you can produce a lot of jobs.”
Chris Misner fabricaties a catch-all plate for the first shred process at Viva Recycling.Marty Sergi of Viva Recycling says recycling succeeds when it is driven by the private sector.
18 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Entrepreneurs
Recycling startups grow economic footprint while treading lightly on environment
By Holly Fisher
Smart entrepreneurs have the forethought and vision
to recognize an industry on the verge of growth.
That’s the case with startups around South Carolina
who saw the potential of the recycling market and jumped
in with both feet. Some have been around several
years and others are just getting started, but all
see what a pivotal role recycling, reducing and
reusing play in our economy, culture and
marketplace.
The following South Carolina busi-
nesses are turning trash to treasure,
providing recycling equipment and
helping homeowners and business-
es take another step toward sustain-
ability.
DwellSmartCharleston | www.dwellsmart.com
Five years ago Mary Gatch start-
ed DwellSmart with a mission of
providing products that not only
improved the health of customers but
were good for environmental health
as well. With a large showroom plus an
online store, DwellSmart is meeting
its mission.
Products include gifts, toys, cloth-
ing, baby items, personal care products, jewelry, office
supplies and cleaning supplies. The company also sells
organic mattresses, home décor and gardening items.
DwellSmart offers a line of building products, including
wood, paint, lighting, plumbing, tile and carpeting. Plus, it
showcases recycled countertops from fellow Charleston
green business, Fisher Recycling.
Every product sold by DwellSmart must meet one
or more of its core criteria: sustain, protect, conserve,
reduce and share.
DwellSmart has also partnered with na-
tional company TerraCycle, which recycles
those often hard-to-reuse products like
drink pouches, yogurt cups and chip
bags. TerraCycle turns that trash into
a variety of products from lunch boxes
and notebooks to totebags and jewelry.
DwellSmart is the official online retailer
for TerraCycle, stocking and selling its
products.
As recycling becomes more main-
stream, a company like DwellSmart
fills an even larger need – especially in
the green building industry.
“Trends in recycling have been
driven by LEED certification and
that’s a really good thing,” Gatch said.
“As people are trying to build LEED
houses or buildings, they are trying
to get the points for using recycled
content. We’re seeing more and more products that are
coming out and available.”
DwellSmart partners with TerraCycle to sell its products made of recycled chip bags and
drink pouches. (Photo/DwellSmart)
19www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Entrepreneurs
Becker Complete Compactor Inc.Columbia | www.beckercomplete.com
When Keith and Cassandra Becker relocated to South
Carolina from Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s, they were
used to sorting their trash and recycling. But in South
Carolina they found recycling was almost unheard of, Cas-
sandra Becker said.
So it made sense to focus their business on repairing
roll-off and front-load container vehicles. But as time went
on, they couldn’t shake the idea that, even though recy-
cling wasn’t common, the companies that did have recy-
cling equipment would have a real need for repair work.
Keith Becker and his son went through a training
program with recycling systems manufacturer Marathon
Equipment to learn how to repair compactors and bal-
ers. That side of the business grew, and soon the Beckers
decided to turn all their attention to the recycling side of
their company.
They sold off the other piece of the business and have
been solely focused on Becker Complete Compactor for
three years. In addition to doing equipment repairs in the
Carolinas and parts of Georgia, they also sell used equip-
ment and parts online to buyers all over the country.
The company stays on top of new developments in the
industry, such as the Bayne’s BEST Lift System that lifts
and dumps a trash can into a larger trash bin. This device
cuts down on workplace injuries caused by employees lift-
ing heavy trash cans.
The Beckers are also looking into a digester product that
can turn food waste into water.
These products that can save businesses money are
quickly gaining ground in the recycling industry. “Busi-
nesses will spend money for things that will save them
money,” Cassandra Becker said.
Fisher RecyclingCharleston | www.fisherrecycling.com
Over the last two decades, Fisher Recycling has been
collecting glass bottles as well as paper, plastic and old
electronics as it helped Charleston-area businesses reduce
their carbon footprint and eliminate trash from the land-
fills.
Fisher Recycling educates its customers, helping them
become more environmentally conscious, while creating
a customized plan to help them reduce waste. “Tailoring
each business to meet its optimal recycling program is our
specialty and our goal,” Chris Fisher said.
In recent years, Fisher Recycling has maintained its
focus on recycling while adding a reuse component with
the addition of its GlassECO line of products. This line in-
cludes recycled glass countertops and crushed glass used
Fisher Recycling has added a reuse component with its recycled glass countertops, part of the GlassECO line. (Photo/Fisher Recycling)
smart Entrepreneurs
20
for landscape cullet for driveways and other decorative
landscaping projects.
With sustainability at its core, Fisher Recycling also has
a dedication to the community through local entrepre-
neurship and philanthropy. The company offers franchise
opportunities in the Southeast with two franchises – Hil-
ton Head/Savannah and the Grand Strand – celebrating
more than two years in business.
SustainTex / MantraMedsGreenville | www.mantrameds.com
Who knew medical scrubs could change the world? Jack
Miller and Jerry Wheeler did. With backgrounds in textile
and supply chain operations, they saw how the textile
industry was changing and yet wanted to remain a part of
the story. They combined their expertise to create scrubs
that are functional, fashionable and, most importantly,
made with the environment in mind.
The company philosophy centers around the F.A.S.T
Footprint approach – fair, accountable, sustainable and
transparent – coupled with a desire to transform the U.S.
textile industry.
By offering scrubs, along with lab coats and surgical
caps, MantraMeds’ objec-
tive is to use fashion
and quality to create
a product that is also
price competitive,
Miller said. At lot of
people think that be-
cause something is
green, it doesn’t
have the per-
formance
of regular
stock and
that’s just not
the case, he
said.
MantraMeds
uses certified
Texas organic
cotton and recycled
polyester. The com-
pany manufactures
its products in the United States, further reducing environ-
mental impact. Not even 3 years old, MantraMeds is work-
ing with hospitals and businesses that have a commitment
to sustainability and green practices.
“We love the local story,” Miller said.
Earthspun ApparelGreenville | www.earthspunapparel.com
Ever wonder what happens to that plastic water bottle,
soda bottle or beer bottle after it’s tossed in the recycling
bin? At Earthspun Apparel, those bottles become short-
and long-sleeved T-shirts. But more than using the recy-
cled goods to create fiber for clothing, the shirts also reflect
the color of their source material.
Available in Soda Pop Green, Beer Bottle Brown, X-Ray
Gray, Water Bottle Blue and Food Tray Black, Earthspun
Apparel clothing goes a step further in the recycling pro-
cess. By not using dye to create the color of the shirts, the
company is also saving water and energy, said partner Jack
Miller. “Plus it tells a really neat story,” he said.
The company’s signature T-shirt contains the recycled
plastic equivalent to more than six 20-ounce bottles. The
shirts are made in the United States – part of the com-
pany’s commitment to do as much business locally as
possible.
In business less than two years,
Earthspun Apparel is still growing its
market and finding its niche among
green-minded consumers. Earthspun is
working with the college market on co-
branded T-shirts and with the surfing
community.
Miller said his company is
learning that as a startup it’s
best to connect first with that
green market. “Before, we
were taking green apparel
to the conventional market
and it’s taken us a year to
decide let’s focus on the
green market. Let’s focus on
the people who want green
products because in the
conventional market it’s all
about price.”
www.RecyclonomicsSC.com 21
Reducing Upstate Waste Since 2007.
Call Ecopreneur Elizabeth Garrison Rasor for a complimentary recycling consultation for your business.
(864) 230-9800 | ever-greenrecycling.com
Ever-Green Recycling is a woman-owned business specializing in commercial recycling services for o�ces, restaurants, hotels, manufacturing facilities, apartment complexes, and more. Ever-Green recycles paper, plastic, cardboard, bottles, cans, glass and electronics. We also o�er educational training for companieson how and what to recycle.
smart Web
Your recycling guide online
There’s a new place to go online to get information
about recycling in South Carolina. An innova-
tive website, www.recyclonomicssc.com, has tips for
manufacturers, businesses and consumers.
The site is the home for RecyclonomicsSC,
an initiative of the South Carolina Recycling
Council. The cluster of recycling businesses
began meeting in 2007, and Recyclonomics-
SC was incorporated in January 2012.
The new website went live on May 8,
2012, said Chantal Fryer, senior manager of
Recycling Market Development at the S.C
Department of Commerce. “Its focus is on
the economic value of recycling.”
It’s a part of carrying out the mission of Re-
cyclonomicsSC: to grow South Carolina’s recycling econ-
omy by promoting policy, building networks, developing
markets and increasing recovery of recyclable materials.
Visitors to the website can find out about recycling
events, the latest recycling business news and the eco-
nomic impact of the industry in South Carolina.
Tips for businesses and manufactur-
ers include conducting a waste audit and
looking for markets for recyclable items. For
consumers, suggestions include learning
about your community’s recycling pro-
grams, finding out where to take your re-
cyclables, and buying products made from
recycled materials.
The website also shows the state’s re-
cycling specialty license plate for vehicles,
and it helps businesses find ways to team
up to recycle their waste products.
Another online source for information about the re-
cycling business is through the S.C. Department of Com-
merce’s website, www.recyclinginsc.com.
www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
22 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Collaboration
Turning waste into treasure
By Mary Jane Benston
South Carolina companies are teaming up to keep
waste out of landfills, often while helping their own
bottom lines.
Manufacturers that are looking for “green” ways to
dispose of waste sometimes find that other manufacturers
are quite willing to take those materials and use them to
make new products.
In one such partnership, the Upstate’s BMW plant, wide-
ly known for its green ways, supplies plastics to a Colum-
bia company that makes whiffle balls.
In another collaboration, Boeing and other manufactur-
ers who use carbon fiber composites are sending scrap
to a plant in Florence County, where the carbon fiber is
reclaimed and reused in other products.
In BMW’s collaboration with the ball manufacturer, the
automaker collects waste plastics from its assembly pro-
cess and turns them over to Stee-Rike 3, which carefully
blends them with fresh materials to produce hard plastic
training balls for baseball players.
“We have quite a bit of plastics coming out of this plant
on a monthly basis,” says Wes Westbrooks, BMW waste
specialist. There is a demand for certain types of plastics,
he says, but some types are “very hard for us to get rid of
on-site.”
“Think about a Boeing 787. The material is used in that plane for, say, 30 years. Instead of it going to a landfill, we can reclaim the fibers, and then we can put them, let’s say, into a Corvette car for 20 years, and then let’s say when the car’s ready to see its end of life we could put it into a Trek bike, so you get
multiple uses of a very good, advanced material called carbon fiber.”Jim Stike
president and CEO, Materials Innovation Technologies
23www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Collaboration Manage
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Fully Integrated Industrial Disposal and Recycling Solutions.
We manage and coordinate Recycling, Reclaiming, Disposal and Transportation of ALL hazardous and non-hazardous
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843.886.3596 | [email protected] | www.caroinc.com
The BMW plant recycles 95% of the waste generated, so
when David Jones of Stee-Rike 3 contacted BMW about his
need for more plastics for his product, the automaker was
“happy to oblige,” Westbrooks says.
“BMW has been wonderful,” says Jones, “and we’re able
to take a waste product that did fit our strict terms of qual-
ity in the plastic and make a very usable product out of it.”
Stee-Rike 3 products “teach kids how to hit baseballs,”
he says. They are used by college and pro teams and are
sold by national stores.
The arrangement with Stee-Rike 3 is a testament to
BMW’s environmental consciousness, in Jones’ view. “Ev-
erybody thinks recycling’s an easy thing. It’s not,” he says.
“To keep it clean and usable takes an effort. It’s easier to
throw it in the landfill.”
BMW workers handle the plastic well “because they’re
professionals in everything they handle,” Jones says. “And
we’re able to buy it at a price cheaper than the virgin
prices, quite frankly.”
The carbon fiber recycler, MIT-RCF, opened in Lake City in
2010. Jim Stike, president and CEO of parent company Ma-
terials Innovation Technologies, says manufacturers collect
their scrap in reusable containers for shipment to the plant.
Two of the main sources are Boeing, which sends material
from Seattle operations as well as from its Charleston facil-
ity, and Trek Bicycles, which is in Wisconsin.
Stike calls the solution “three shades of green.” The
first shade is waste elimination, to the tune of 1.5 million
The BMW plant recycles 95% of waste generated. When Stee-Rike 3 in Columbia needed plastics for its practice balls, the automaker gladly provided them.
24 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Collaboration
pounds. “Before we started our company in South Carolina,
people were just throwing this in dumpsters and throwing
it in the landfills.”
The second shade of green is really where the environ-
mental benefit occurs, Stike says. “It takes
96% less energy to reclaim carbon fiber
than it does to manufacture virgin carbon
fiber, so if we can put a million pounds of
carbon fiber back into the supply chain,
that is a million pounds of carbon fiber
that you do not have to produce from raw
materials.”
The third shade of green is sustainabil-
ity. “Think about a Boeing 787,” Stike says.
“The material is used in that plane for, say,
30 years. Instead of it going to a landfill,
we can reclaim the fibers, and then we can
put them, let’s say, into a Corvette car for
20 years, and then let’s say when the car’s
ready to see its end of life we could put it
into a Trek bike, so you get multiple uses of a very good,
advanced material called carbon fiber.”
Recycling trade groups and state government agencies
try to encourage and facilitate efforts to put reclaimed
goods back into production. On its website, the state
Department of Health and Environmental Control helps
match companies that want to get rid of a material with
companies that need that material.
For BMW’s Westbrooks, the collabora-
tions that help him find homes for waste
and byproducts can result from referrals or
the occasional sales rep who’s just driving
by the plant and stops in.
Many of the arrangements develop from
connections within the recycling industry,
however. “Because the recycling and waste
field is such a small field, everyone kind
of knows everyone else, so your name is
usually given out,” he says. Westbrooks is
a member of the state’s Recycling Market
Development Advisory Council, whose
members share ideas on a regular basis.
“It’s a nice network we’ve created. We
have connections ranging from South
Carolina going all the way to California.” For BMW it’s a
win-win, enabling the green-conscious manufacturer “to
find homes and outlets for a lot of our hard-to-recycle
products.”
Trek bicycle frames are recycled at the Lake City facility of MIT-RCF. (Photo/Materials Innovation Technologies)
“Before we started our company in South Carolina, people were
just throwing this in dumpsters and throwing it in the
landfills.” Jim Stike
president and CEO, Materials Innovation
Technologies
25www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Collaboration
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You need it, we have it
An online “matchmaking service” is aimed at reduc-
ing waste by helping businesses exchange reus-
able materials.
The South Carolina Materials Exchange is available on
the website of the state Department of Health and Envi-
ronmental Control.
Businesses, nonprofits and governments are invited
to list “materials available” and “materials wanted” on
the site, www.scdhec.gov/scme. Items from A to Z (abrasive
bristle to Zep truck and trailer wash) are listed as “avail-
able,” while the items on the “wanted” side range from A to
nearly Z (acoustical ceilings to white paint).
The listings include electronics, glass, metal, paper, pe-
troleum, plastic, rubber, textiles and wood. Don’t see what
you want? There are links to similar exchanges in Georgia
and North Carolina.
The S.C. exchange shows a “date listed” for each item.
While some materials were recently added, many appar-
ently have been listed for several years. In some cases
items stay on the list because the firms have ongoing
needs. Staffers regularly contact the companies to ensure
that their listings are current, says Mark Plowden, DHEC’s
communications director.
Anyone wanting to add a material may click on the
“submit a listing button” and follow the directions. List-
ings are usually posted no later than the next day, Plowden
said. Assistance is available at 800-768-7348.
Information on the actual number of exchanges that
users have accomplished is not available. However, the
S.C. Department of Commerce communicates
to recyclers about the materials
available through its
electronic newsletter,
“Recycling Newsbits.”
The exchange can
help users find valuable
materials for free or less
than the cost of new mate-
rials. Other benefits that are
touted include savings in
waste disposal costs, profit
from sale of surplus ma-
terials and conservation of
natural resources.
26 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com Special Advertising Section
1/2 HADVERTISER NAME
Most people don’t realize how much re-
cycling goes on in the asphalt industry.
Upstate highway contractors Ashmore Bros.
Inc. introduced asphalt recycling procedures to South
Carolina years ago, and the company continues to
grow its efforts by recycling asphalt, concrete, tires,
and roo�ng shingles.
“Asphalt is 100 percent recyclable,” said David Ash-
more, executive vice president. “It’s America’s most
recycled product.”
Ashmore Bros. was an early adopter of a technique
that allows for in-place asphalt recycling, introducing
the concept to South Carolina in 1991. Through this
process, a reclaimer grinds up the road, reshapes it
and then a byproduct of asphalt cement is added to
the base.
The grinding and reshaping is all done right on the
road, explains Mark Ashmore, company president.
Rather than taking the old road pieces and hauling
them off to a land�ll, they take the existing materials
and reuse them.
The company also was the �rst in the state to
recycle roo�ng shingles into asphalt, a practice that is
now commonplace thanks to the efforts of Ashmore
Bros.
The company also works with Clemson University
to grind up old tires, turning them into premium-
grade asphalt. Ashmore Bros. brought that process to
the state in 1992.
The company’s recycling efforts not only bene�t
the environment, they also create a valuable product.
“We’re looking for something that enhances the prod-
uct and doesn’t just get rid of it,” David Ashmore said.
Ashmore Bros. crushes concrete from the demo-
lition of curbs, gutters and sidewalks, turning that
concrete back into usable materials for new jobs.
The company, which does private commercial and
industrial work as well as state projects, also recycles
asphalt for driveways and parking lots. Any dirt
�ltered out of the recycled asphalt goes back into the
roadways to build up highway new shoulders.
“We don’t throw any materials away,” David Ash-
more said. “There’s no waste. A generation ago, it
would have been dumped in a land�ll.”
Ashmore Bros. Inc.
PO Box 529
Greer, SC 29652
864-879-7311
www.ashmorebros.com
Asphalt milling and recycling Cold in-place reclamation
After you �nish a bottle or can of a refreshing
Coca-Cola product, we want you to “Give
It Back!” All of us at Coca-Cola are looking
for new and creative ways to ensure that all of our
packages get recycled.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (CCBCC)
believes recycling is a rewarding experience, so in
partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, we cre-
ated the “Coca-Cola Recycle & Win” program to en-
courage our neighbors to experience it themselves.
We partnered with cities and counties throughout
our territory, including South Carolina, to promote
awareness of good recycling practices. We teamed
up with great retail partners like Harris Teeter,
Kroger and BI-LO, so residents in these areas can
win gift certi�cates for groceries when they recycle.
The program is fun and easy. Residents receive a
brochure in the mail with an opt-in sticker explain-
ing the rules. To participate, they put the sticker
on their recycling bin, place recyclables inside and
place the bin by the curb on recycling day. The
Recycle & Win Prize Patrol randomly visits neigh-
borhoods and rewards people for recycling the right
way.
We continue to expand the program to new cities
and towns across the Southeast. The Recycle & Win
Prize Patrol could be visiting your neighborhood
soon – be on the lookout! In the meantime, practice
recycling in your town. It’s good for the planet, and
that’s a winning strategy – no matter where you live.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
Website: www.CokeConsolidated.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CokeConsolidated
Twitter: www.twitter.com/CokeCCBCC
Community leaders and residents kick-off the Coca-Cola Recycle & Winprogram with the giant bottle toss.
A local resident places the Coca-Cola Recycle & Win sticker on her
recycling bin.
Special Advertising Section 27www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
After you �nish a bottle or can of a refreshing
Coca-Cola product, we want you to “Give
It Back!” All of us at Coca-Cola are looking
for new and creative ways to ensure that all of our
packages get recycled.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (CCBCC)
believes recycling is a rewarding experience, so in
partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, we cre-
ated the “Coca-Cola Recycle & Win” program to en-
courage our neighbors to experience it themselves.
We partnered with cities and counties throughout
our territory, including South Carolina, to promote
awareness of good recycling practices. We teamed
up with great retail partners like Harris Teeter,
Kroger and BI-LO, so residents in these areas can
win gift certi�cates for groceries when they recycle.
The program is fun and easy. Residents receive a
brochure in the mail with an opt-in sticker explain-
ing the rules. To participate, they put the sticker
on their recycling bin, place recyclables inside and
place the bin by the curb on recycling day. The
Recycle & Win Prize Patrol randomly visits neigh-
borhoods and rewards people for recycling the right
way.
We continue to expand the program to new cities
and towns across the Southeast. The Recycle & Win
Prize Patrol could be visiting your neighborhood
soon – be on the lookout! In the meantime, practice
recycling in your town. It’s good for the planet, and
that’s a winning strategy – no matter where you live.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
Website: www.CokeConsolidated.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CokeConsolidated
Twitter: www.twitter.com/CokeCCBCC
Community leaders and residents kick-off the Coca-Cola Recycle & Winprogram with the giant bottle toss.
A local resident places the Coca-Cola Recycle & Win sticker on her
recycling bin.
28 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com Special Advertising Section
1/2 HADVERTISER NAME
Nucor Steel - Darlington is a premier producer
of angles, channels, �ats, rounds, rebar and
hexagons. We are located in Darlington,
South Carolina. Since beginning operations in 1969
as Nucor Corporation’s �rst bar mill, Nucor - Darling-
ton has grown to become the largest bar producer in
the Southeast. We have a state-of-the-art 160-ton DC
electric furnace supplying two highly ef�cient rolling
mills. We produce special bar quality, merchant bar
quality, and reinforcing bar products.
As the name implies, Nucor mini mills are small.
But their small footprint on the land is just one ben-
e�t to their very environmentally friendly nature.
For starters, a mini mill’s electric arc furnace
requires much less in the way of natural resources.
In fact, compared to the traditional blast furnace
process, every ton of steel made the mini mill way
eliminates the need for:
2,500 pounds of iron ore
1,400 pounds of coal
120 pounds of limestone
and 1,705 kilowatt hours of electricity.
Take the 22 million tons of steel Nucor made in
2007. That’s enough electricity saved to power over
6.5 million homes for a year.
While conservation of natural resources is by itself
an environmental bene�t, it pales in comparison to
the bene�ts brought about by the reduction of criteria
pollutants released into the atmosphere. (Think about
all that coal we no longer need to burn.) Compared to
the blast furnace, the mini mill’s arc furnace releases
86 fewer pounds of pollutants into the air for every
ton of steel made. In a year’s time, that has the effect
of reducing particulate matter emissions by over 2
million tons.
It all starts with recycling. By cleaning up our land
of scrap steel, we’re able to reduce mining waste by
97 percent, air pollution by 86 percent and water pol-
lution by 76 percent.
It’s a win-win situation.
Nucor Steel
www.nucor.com
Nucor Darlington Mini Mill
Special Advertising Section 29www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
30 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com Special Advertising Section
1/2 HADVERTISER NAME
A Recycling Center is a direct-from-the-
public and commercial collector of
aluminum cans, scrap metals, insu-
lated wire and lead acid batteries in Columbia.
Their values have always been honesty and
integrity and their goal is to be good stewards
to the environment and their community. In
2008, they were awarded the “Best Small Re-
cycling Business” honor from the S. C. Depart-
ment of Commerce and RMDAC.
Since 2001, A Recycling Center has more
than doubled the size of their business, staff
and facilities. In 2011, ARC paid out over $1
million dollars into the local economy proving
that green business is good for South Carolina.
We would love to help you with your scrap
metal needs.
A RECYCLING CENTERBUYERS OF SCRAP METALS FOR RECYCLING
South Carolina’s Best Small-Sized Recycling Company - 2008
1009 Fontaine Road
Columbia, South Carolina 29223
803-786-6690
1/2 HADVERTISER NAMEGot Tires? SC Tire Processing helps you get rid of your bulk waste
and scrap tires in an environmentally friendly way. Our tire
processing facility is designed for your convenience, security
and safety. We accept all types of tires to feed the renewable energy
plant. It harnesses the energy to create clean power -- destroying the
tires. Our team is ready to provide reliable, regular bulk tire pick-up at
a competitive price. Our facility also accepts bulk drop-off of all types
of tires whether you have one or more loads. We are always hungry for
tires. For more information call 855-259-3593.
19562 Atomic Road
Jackson, SC 29831
SC Tire Processing Facility
Special Advertising Section 31www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
1/2 HADVERTISER NAME
WasteZero® is the nation’s leading provider
of proven and practical municipal waste re-
duction programs. WasteZero Trash Meter-
ing™ and pay-as-you-throw conversion programs save
money, increase recycling, and reduce waste 44% annu-
ally on average. Approximately 800 communities have
diverted more than 3 million tons of waste and saved
$200 million in waste disposal costs with WasteZero.
We tailor best-in-class and turnkey solutions to meet
any community’s needs—from program design to resi-
dent education and communication. And because we
manufacture 100% of our supplies in our state-of-the-art
facility in South Carolina, we know we deliver only the
highest quality custom trash bags available.
For more than 20 years, WasteZero has been work-
ing with communities to save money and reduce
waste. Learn how we can do the same for you at
www.wastezero.com or 800.866.3954.
WasteZero
8640 Colonnade Center Drive, Suite 312
Raleigh, NC 27615
WasteZero makes all of their plastic bags in
South Carolina from recycled material.
Above, blue plastic �lm in the manufacturing process.
The challenge of meeting the needs of tomor-
row’s marketplace is effectively addressed
by building sustainability into your strategy,
business practices, operations and products. Under-
standing the complex issues that sustainability raises
takes expert knowledge and experience across a broad
spectrum of disciplines.
Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) is a consulting
�rm dedicated to building solutions for our clients and
their communities. We create value for our clients by
understanding and bringing innovative solutions to
sustainability challenges. Businesses and communi-
ties rely upon us as a resource for �nancially sound,
effective and ef�cient implementation plans for their
sustainable strategies.
Contact a member of our southeastern team:
Keefe Harrison: 864-760-8828
Matt Todd: 919-824-7377
Anne Johnson: 434-989-0167
32 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com Special Advertising Section
1/2 HADVERTISER NAME
For VLS Recovery Services LLC, offering high
quality, value-added services while employ-
ing exceptional ethical, safety, and envi-
ronmental standards is business as usual. That’s
because VLS is committed to being the most reli-
able, efficient, and cost-effective waste manage-
ment and railcar cleaning service provider. With
facilities in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee,
and Texas.
VLS uses its extensive residual management
and recycling program to help generators find a
more efficient use of every ounce of their plant
residuals. VLS offers a multitude of recycling and
reuse options as well as used oil and waste-to-
energy programs, wastewater treatment, solidi-
fication for landfills, handling of universal and
electronic wastes, site work services, and in-plant
management services.
VLS Recovery Services
vlsrs.com
VLS is committed to being the most reliable, ef�cient,
and cost-effective waste management and railcar
cleaning service provider.
1/2 HADVERTISER NAME
We specialize in polyester recycling and
staple �ber manufacturing. Proudly
made in the United States, our �bers are
in demand throughout North America and around
the world. Our vision is to be one of the world’s
premier companies; innovative, distinctive and
successful in everything we do.
Various markets we serve:
Automotive
Home Furnishings
Geotextiles
Filtration
Nonwoven Industry
Excellence Through Innovation
30 Pine House Rd | Trenton. SC 29847
803-275-5023
www.us�bers.com
Recycling is the world’s responsibility. At US Fibers, it is our way of life.
For information about statewide advertising, call Steve Fields at 843.849.3110.
CONNECTING BUSINESSin South Carolina
SC Biz News is the premier publisher of business news in the state of South Carolina. We publish the Charleston Regional Business Journal, Columbia Regional Business Report, GSA Business and SCBIZ magazine.
Connect your business to our statewide audience.
34 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
cover Story
New goal: Zero waste to landfill
By Ross Norton
Recycling is smart for many reasons, both economic and environmental.
Corporations are taking on the challenge as their social responsibility.
And now, some of the largest manufacturing companies in
South Carolina are no longer sending any waste to the landfill.
That’s right: zero waste. On the following pages, find out how they did it.
At Sonoco Recycling, newspapers are gathered for recycling. (Photo/Jeff Blake)
cover Story
35www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
36 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
cover Story
The arrival of BMW Manufacturing in South Carolina’s
Upstate in the early 1990s brought mostly jubilation, but
there were some who worried about the environmental
impact of a large auto assembly plant. Today, more waste
goes into the landfill from residences than from the vast
BMW plant.
By the time the assembly line fired up in 1994, BMW had
strict environmental policies in place and recycling efforts
were part of the plant’s culture from the beginning. But in
2011 those goals got lofty.
Lisa Pirwitz, section manager, led a plantwide effort to
reduce waste destined for the landfill. As she researched
what other manufacturers were doing, she ramped up the
goal to attain zero waste to landfill. For a plant with 4 mil-
lion square feet of space and 7,000 employees, it was a tall
order.
It was a massive project that took buy-in from the top
down with strategies ranging from puppet shows and
pizza parties to a “waste sort,” where each assembly team
dug through its own garbage to see what should have been
recycled. And in their opinion, virtually all of it should.
In 2009, BMW measured its waste at 8.97 kilograms per
vehicle produced. In August of this year, when the last
landfill shipment took place, the ratio was down to 1.92
kilograms per vehicle produced. That’s 4.2 pounds of land-
fill waste for each BMW that rolls off the line — about the
weight of a half-gallon of milk. Since then, the assembly,
paint and body sections of the facility are operating at zero
waste to landfill.
“I think it was very exciting to see that it can be
achieved and it was fun to do,” Pirwitz said. “It was actually
a wonderful feeling.”
Workers sort through recyclables at Sonoco Recycling in Columbia. (Photo/Jeff Blake)
37www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
cover Story
March 7, 2013Baxter Hood Center
at York Technical College452 S. Anderson Road, Rock Hill, SC
7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
For information on attending, exhibiting or sponsoring visit:
yorkgreenbizconference.com
Enjoy morning and afternoon sessions on innovative and sustainable techniques, local
field trip, exhibitors, breakfast and lunch!
“Zero waste to landfill” is a goal catching on among
industry leaders. It’s an ideal featured proudly on company
websites and literature.
Fruit of the Loom’s Palmetto Distribution Center in
Summerville recently attained its landfill-free goal.
Distribution Center Manager Jay Medlin said the impe-
tus to keep waste out of precious landfill space comes from
the top at Fruit of the Loom.
“Corporate social responsibility — we’ve always done
that,” Medlin said, so at his plant it wasn’t the corporate
hierarchy that had to be sold. It was the employees.
“We had to get them involved to take pride in it. Once
they got involved, it was pretty easy,” he said.
In 2010, the distribution center sent 67,000 pounds of
waste to a landfill and recycled 1.16 million pounds. A year
later, only 28,620 pounds went to landfill. By August of this
Top: Recycled newspapers are checked over by Sonoco employees.Bottom: Cars that do not meet BMW’s quality specifications are crushed and sent to a scrap metal facility for recycling. (Photo/BMW)
Why do more businesses choose Charleston Steel over the others?
Our experience and know how designs and completes every job e�ciently no
matter how big or small.
Our trucks transport metals of all kinds and sizes in containers or �atbeds,
low-sides, hi-sides and dumps.Mobile Crews and Equipment.
Competitive Pricing...Prompt Payment
“�e LowCountry’s Leader in Metal Recycling”
www.charlestonsteelandmetal.com
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2700 Spruill Avenue N. Charleston, SC 29405
(843) 722-72783038 Highway 52 North
Mt. Holly, SC 29461
(843) 722-1340
www.RecyclonomicsSC.com38
cover Story
A Sonoco Recycling employee watches over plastic jugs. The company collects materials worldwide. (Photo/Jeff Blake)
39www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
cover Story
year, nothing else was going to landfill, and more than 1
million pounds of waste had been recycled.
For Fruit of the Loom, the effort to get buy-in from
employees at work spilled over into the community. The
distribution center also provided materials for employees
to take home to encourage recycling there, too.
Fruit of the Loom was recognized by Sonoco Recycling
of Hartsville as a gold-tier Sonoco Sustainability Star for
going landfill free. A subsidiary of packaging giant Sonoco,
Sonoco Recycling is a big player in the recycling movement
worldwide. The parent company works toward zero waste
to landfill in its own facilities and developed the Sonoco
Sustainability Star program to encourage the same from its
customers.
Worldwide, Sonoco Recycling annually collects more
than 3 million tons of corrugated containers, paper, metals
and plastics, according to spokesman Robin Montgomery.
Milliken, one of the state’s most venerable companies,
was out front early in the zero waste movement, even be-
fore terms like “zero waste to landfill” were being bandied
about. A manufacturer of textiles and related products, the
company adopted an environmental policy in 1990 that
established a goal of zero waste.
The company now diverts 99 percent of all waste away
from landfills and toward reuse and recycling, according
to the Milliken website. Again, the company relies on its
employees to get involved in the effort and find solutions
to waste problems.
A relative newcomer to the state’s manufacturing base,
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation of Gaffney staked
a claim at being the nation’s first chassis manufacturer
and first company within the trucking industry to achieve
zero waste to landfill status.
The company was sending 250,000 pounds of waste per
month to the landfill when they set a zero-waste goal in
2007. By October of 2009, the goal was reached.
Freightliner “was able to achieve these results by the
continued efforts and diligence of all employees within
the company, and we continue to seek ways to reduce
our environmental impact in our facility and through our
products and alternative fuel efforts,” said Roger Nielsen,
COO at Daimler Trucks North America, parent company of
Freightliner Custom Chassis.
Zero waste to landfill, while relatively new, is on the
horizon for many companies as part of their sustainability
efforts.
BMW’s Green Team searches through employees’ own garbage to find items that could have been recycled. (Photo/BMW Manufacturing Co.)
40 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Thinking
‘Good to be part of the solution’
By Ross Norton
To a fry cook, it’s one of the final tasks of a long shift
— disposing of a vat full of overused cooking oil,
often with remnants of batter and food. The smelly
oil can’t go down the sink or in the trash because it’s lousy
company for septic systems and landfills.
But the bane of a fry cook’s day is gold for Midlands Bio-
fuels and its customers. Since 2008, the Winnsboro com-
pany has converted spent cooking oil into biodiesel fuel.
Their product so far has replaced more than 2.5 million
gallons of petroleum diesel with a product once considered
waste.
Midlands Biofuels is one of a growing number of
companies finding ways to make good use of challenging
recyclables. Finding ways to reuse an aluminum can was
relatively easy. But other products were difficult: old mat-
tresses, oil filters and dead fluorescent lights, for example,
weren’t easily spun into another product.
For Midlands Biofuels co-owner and founder Joe Ren-
wick, the magic came in the challenge.
“It feels good to be part of the solution,” he said. “That’s
Joe Renwick, co-owner of Midlands Biofuels, takes a sample from a water purification system at the facility
in Winnsboro. The biodiesel is washed with water. (Photo/Jeff Blake)
41www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Thinking
what we are all about — solving fuel problems and waste
problems.”
The first step in the fuel-making process — collecting
the oil — alleviates a problem for restaurant operators.
It also created another avenue to service the restaurant
industry. Midlands Biofuels provides cleaning and mainte-
nance of waste oil receptacles at restaurants. The company
has created 15 jobs for the state and has built a second
plant.
Midlands Biofuels sells directly to the public from its
downtown Winnsboro location or provides fuel by the
truckload to large users.
Another company putting a dent in the need for petro-
leum is Green Roof Outfitters of Charleston.
The company uses recycled plastic to manufacture con-
tainers for green roofs — modules that hold soil and living
plants on the rooftop, with benefits ranging from reduced
water runoff to energy savings and pollution reduction for
the building’s owner.
Owner Michael Whitfield designed his whole company
around green concepts, from practices in the shop to his
philosophy of doing business. Unlike other green roof sup-
pliers who require customers to buy the complete system,
he will sell the lightweight components to far-away cus-
tomers who can buy the growing media closer to home.
The modules that hold the plant life are made in the
Upstate from recycled plastic once bound for a landfill.
“It’s not as green to ship heavy plants across the coun-
try,” he said. “We have partnered with nurseries across the
country so if our customers want them grown out, they
can get them grown out there, so it’s greener and much
more cost effective.”
One old idea — recycling oyster shells — is now a much
better organized effort, and instead of using the shells as
building material, they’re going back to the environment.
Restaurants such as Pearlz Oyster Bar in West Ashley
collect the shells until they’re retrieved and secured by
Fisher Recycling of North Charleston. The state Depart-
ment of Natural Resources eventually returns the shells to
a marine environment for habitat restoration.
“We think it’s very important,” said Emmy Teague Scott,
marketing director for Pearlz Oyster Bar’s parent company.
“We’ve been doing some kind of recycling as long as we
have been in business. It’s important to us to give back to
the communities that nurture us.”
Oyster recycling is a challenge because of the odor and
weight, but Fisher Recycling owner Chris Fisher says re-
using the shells can reduce a restaurant’s waste stream by
25 percent. The cooperation of restaurants, recyclers and
state and federal agencies are making it work.
Others tackling tough recycling challenges include
Diversified Recycling of Rock Hill. The company, with a
second location in West Columbia, takes on some of the
messiest challenges in recycling such as used oil, anti-
freeze, solvents and fluorescent bulbs. Diversified recycles
about 3,600 tons of material annually, according to a report
A living roof tops a building in Charlotte. At right, sections of green roofing add to energy efficiency of a home. (Photos/Green Roof Outfitters)
42 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Thinking
An old idea comes full circleA hundred years ago, South Carolinians knew what
was required to maintain oyster beds along the coast. In
the 1930s, 16 canneries produced thousands of gallons of
shucked oysters that were sent, often by ice-cooled railway
cars, to New York and other metropolitan areas.
The shells left behind were planted back on the state-
leased oyster beds in the summer to sustain the fishery. Shell
is crucial to the oyster’s life cycle as cultch, a place for oyster
larvae to attach and begin forming their own shells. After a
few months, an oyster may grow to be as large as your pinky
fingernail; in two to three years, the oyster will be around 3
inches long and ready to harvest.
The state’s last oyster cannery closed in 1986, due to labor
shortages and competition from canned oysters imported
from the Far East. South Carolina’s market changed to an in-
the-shell product largely consumed at backyard oyster roasts.
Instead of being stockpiled at the canneries, the oyster shells
were widely dispersed and found their way into landfills,
road beds and craft projects.
Recognizing that without planted shells, South Carolina
would soon have no oysters, the Department of Natural Re-
sources started its own oyster seed planting program in the
1980s. To address a chronic shortage of shells, DNR initiated a
recycling program in 2000. Since then 192,618 bushels of shell
have been intercepted and recycled, and 408,898 bushels
have been planted on shellfish grounds. (Some of the shell
comes from sources other than the recycling program.)
As recycling awareness grows, DNR has been able to re-
duce its dependence on out-of-state vendors and long-range
transport. Recycling now provides more than half of the
planting needs.
The Oyster Shell Recycling and Planting Program has set
up 27 oyster shell recycling drop-offs in coastal counties, and
DNR picks up shells from caterers on a regular basis.
by the S.C. Department of Commerce.
Company founder Don Burnette Sr. saw a growing prob-
lem in used oil filters and developed a crusher that ex-
tracts the oil and creates a briquette. Steel companies then
extract the metal from the briquette, most of which finds
its way to a new life in rebar, according to Don Burnette Jr.,
who helps run the company his father started.
On another front, previous hotel and furniture store
experience gave Ralph Bogan insight into the difficulties
associated with disposing of used mattresses. Because
they are designed to spring back, mattresses are particu-
larly greedy consumers of landfill space.
Bogan opened Nine Lives Mattress Recycling in Pampli-
co in 2006 and recycled more than 126 tons of mattresses
and box springs in the first year. He calculates that to date,
his company has saved 50,000 cubic yards of landfill space.
That first year’s haul of mattresses produced 33 tons of
metal, and many tons of recyclable wood, cotton and foam,
reducing the original 126 tons of landfill waste to 21 tons,
according to Bogan.
43www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Quality, Reliability, Performance, & Service have been the tenets of Wellman Plastics Recycling (WPR) throughout its 40-Year
history and this dedication has allowed the company to grow into one of North America’s leading compounders and
suppliers of engineering and thermoplastic resins.
Learn more about all of our innovative product lines at www.wellmaner.com
RELIABILITY
PERFORMANCE
QUALITY
SERVICE
Wellman Engineering Resins offers a diverse selection of Nylon, Polyester and Polypropylene resin products built to fit any material need.
Wellman Plastics Recycling, via its EcoLon® Product Line, is the only Resin Compounder on the market to offer a 100% Post-Consumer Recycled product. Not tied to the fluctuating price of oil, yet still meeting all of your nylon product specifications, EcoLon has quickly found a niche in the thermoplastic marketplace as the perfect raw material solution for
the customer who desires to make a product that is: • Cost-effective • High quality • Eco-friendly
OYSTER SHELL RECYLINGBy the numbers
192,618Number of bushels of oyster shells reclaimed
and recycled in S.C. since 2000
408,898Number of bushels of oyster shells planted
on S.C. shellfish grounds since 2000
27Number of oyster recycling drop-off
points in S.C. coastal counties
74Number of state and public shellfish grounds
where recreational harvesting is allowed
The desire to keep waste out of landfills drives a lot of
companies and has led to an industry of people motivated
to help the rest of us live more waste free.
Companies like WasteZero in Murrells Inlet partner with
municipalities across the country to create savings and
sometimes produce revenue by reducing waste.
WasteZero provides waste reduction programs that
increase recycling. Programs include customized plastic
trash bags that allow users to created a color-coded system
of recycling.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
For information about advertising in SCBIZ, call Steve Fields at 843.849.3110.
Your media source for statewide business news.
44 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
Paper Industry RepresentativeRonnie Grant, RMDAC ChairSonoco RecyclingEmail: [email protected]
Municipalities RepresentativeEd Marr, RMDAC Vice-ChairGreater Greenville Sanitation CommissionEmail: [email protected]
Plastics Industry RepresentativePhil AmmonsPlastics Provider, Inc.Email: [email protected]
Aluminum Industry RepresentativeLarry McCaskillAlcoa Mt. HollyEmail: [email protected]
General Public RepresentativeKristen BrownMY ECOEmail: [email protected]
Glass Industry RepresentativeKira RoffFisher Recycling – Grand StrandEmail: [email protected]
Solid Waste Industry RepresentativeNorman ChandlerRepublic, Inc.Email: [email protected]
Tire Industry RepresentativeDan ChuyMichelin North America, Inc.Email: [email protected]
County Government RepresentativeVic CarpenterKershaw CountyEmail: [email protected]
SC Department of Commerce RepresentativeWes WestbrooksBMWEmail: [email protected]
Petroleum Industry RepresentativeEddie HookSafety-Kleen CorporationEmail: [email protected]
Higher Education Research RepresentativeDonna LondonClemson UniversityJim Self Center on the FutureEmail: [email protected]
Recycling Industry RepresentativeGlenn OdomWellman Plastics RecyclingEmail: [email protected]
RECYCLING MARKET DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COUNCILMembers appointed by the governor represent various interests in South Carolina’s recycling business.
smart Resources
Tina Green Huskey, ChairRecycling and Waste Specialist for Mumford Industries
Ronnie Grant, First Vice-ChairSenior Account Representative for Sonoco
Elizabeth Garrison, Second Vice-ChairPresident of Ever-Green Recycling
Kristen Brown, TreasurerPresident of MyEco
Nancy Ogburn, SecretaryPresident of Tomato Palms, LLC
Steve ZagorskiVice President of US Fibers
Donna LondonJim Self Center on the Future
Gerry FishbeckVice President of United Resource Recovery Corporation
Parris HicksMarketing and Advertising Manager for Leigh Fibers
George Fletcher, RecyclonomicsSC Executive DirectorFormer Executive Director of New Carolina
Board of Directors
www.RecyclonomicsSC.com 45
smart Resources
S.C. Recycling CouncilMembers
ACI Plastics
Adams Scrap Recycling, LLC
Alcoa
Alfa Enterprises USA Inc.
Carolina Interior Demolition Specialties Inc.
Carolina Waste Solutions Inc.
Cedar Green and Associates
Ceres-SC, LLC
Davco Steel Inc.
Ever-Green Recycling
Greater Greenville Sanitation Commission
Horry County Solid Waste Authority
Clemson University – Jim Self Center on the Future
Johnson’s Garbage Service Inc.
Mumford Industries Inc.
Plastics Provider Inc.
Recover Inc.
Republic Services
Resource Recycling Systems
S.C.’s Council on Competitiveness
S.C. Department of Commerce
Southeastern Plastics Recovery Inc.
Southpaw Marketing Group
Tomato Palms, LLC
Total Product Destruction
United Resource Recovery Corporation
U.S. Fibers
Viva Recycling of South Carolina, LLC
WasteZero
Recycling Businesses in S.C.For a list of businesses involved in the state’s recycling
efforts, go to www.recyclinginsc.com/directory
and follow directions there.
Other resourcesAsphalt Rubber Technology Servicewww.ces.clemson.edu/arts
Habitat for Humanity ReStoreswww.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx
Keep America Beautifulwww.kab.org
Palmetto Pridewww.palmettopride.org
S.C. Business Networkhttp://sccommerce.com/sc-business-network
S.C. Department of Commercewww.sccommerce.com
S.C. Department of Commerce -
Recycling Market Development Programwww.recyclinginsc.com
S.C. Department of Commerce Recycling Directorywww.recyclinginsc.com/directory
S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control-Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recyclingwww.scdhec.gov/recycle
S.C. Materials Exchangewww.scdhec.gov/scme
S.C. Recycling Market Development Advisory Councilwww.recyclinginsc.com/rmdac
S.C. Smart Business Recycling Programwww.scdhec.gov/environment/lwm/recycle/smart_business/index.htm
Sustainability Indexwww.scdhec.gov/environment/admin/CES/cesindex.htm
Solid Waste Association of North America – SC Chapterhttp://scswana.org
S.C. Energy Officewww.energy.sc.gov
S.C. Biomass Councilwww.scbiomass.org
S.C. Green Building Directorywww.scgreenbuildingdirectory.org
S.C. Sustainability Institutewww.sustainabilityinstitutesc.org
U.S. Green Building Council – SC Chapterwww.usgbcsc.org
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov
46 www.RecyclonomicsSC.com
smart Product
What happens to all those plastic bottles South Carolinians recycle?
At least some of them are turned into REPREVE, a fiber made from
recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic bottles. The fiber
is then used to make high quality fabrics and other products. Here are
some of the cool products made with REPREVE. (Photos/REPREVE)
A fleece jacket from the durable, soft Polartec® 300 series is made with more than 70% REPREVE content and uses 40 bottles in each garment.
By using REPREVE, Ford saved over 2 million bottles from the landfill. REPREVE was chosen for the 2012 and 2013 Ford Focus Electric and a number of the 2013 Fusion models.
This year, more than 760,000 grads from nearly 500 schools turned the tassel in green gowns made with REPREVE.
Lauren Conrad’s XO(eco) line by Blue Avocado marks the first celebrity portfolio designed with REPREVE and includes nearly 20 food-on-the-go, travel and cosmetic storage accessories.
1/2 HADVERTISER NAME
US Fibers diverts everyday waste like water
bottles into �ber that can be used for �ltra-
tion, home furnishings and the automotive
industry. The company purchases waste, scrap and
off-grade materials and then recycles those into us-
able �ber.
The company started as a broker for compos-
ite materials, expanded into recycling and now is
growing into a �ber manufacturer. “Our company is
evolving,” said Steve Zagorski, vice president of new
business development.
Since President Edward Oh founded the busi-
ness in 1994, it has grown signi�cantly and this year
announced plans to expand its polyester recycling
operation in Trenton, South Carolina, creating almost
50 new jobs.
The company doubled its capacity in 2010 both in
terms of employees and a facility expansion and is
doubling again in 2012, Zagorski said.
Much of the growth can be attributed to the fact
recycled �ber is simply less expensive than virgin
�ber, so companies are interested in purchasing a
recycled product, he said.
For example, US Fibers recycles off-color materi-
als, creating both light and dark �bers. So customers
in the automotive industry will take the black �ber,
blend it with white and make a felt material to line
trunks, Zagorski explained. That product – which
started out as a water bottle – is a less expensive op-
tion for auto makers.
Recycled �ber is also used for landscaping fabric,
as mattress and furniture stuf�ng, and turned into air
�lters.
What would help companies like US Fibers grow
even more is a higher rate of recycling among the
general public. “There’s a lot of competiveness in
buying materials,” Zagorski said. “If we can get the re-
cycling rates up and more materials for the industry,
it helps everybody.”
He pointed out that 75% of water bottles end up in
land�lls, but those make a “wonderful raw material for
us. They have excellent properties for turning into �ber.”
US Fibers
30 Pine House Rd
Trenton. SC 29847
803-275-5023
www.us�bers.com
Excellence through innovation
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