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 Biffa Press Office

 Tel: 020 8789 9651

Press & Newsroom

New deal struck - saves brass on muck

7th November 2008

When a company creates waste through the recycling of recovered paper and cardboard, it’s important for the company to identify prudent ways to dispose of that waste.

Such is the logic which prompted Halifax based Sonoco Alcore to recently award a new waste management contract to Biffa. Sonoco Alcore, who is wholly owned by Sonoco, one of the largest global diversified packaging companies, takes recycled material and turns it into cardboard for use in the manufacturing of tubes and cores. Sonoco Alcore operates 31 tube and core plants and six paper mills on the European continent and in the United Kingdom.

"The recovered paper and cardboard we get is often contaminated with plastic film or polystyrene," said George Farrell, site manager at Sonoco Alcore. "And while we have a sophisticated screening process to remove this ‘un-recyclable’ material, the process can generate a significant amount of waste."

The waste Farrell refers to currently goes to a landfill site, but landfill tax increases in recent years have made this disposal route more expensive and therefore less attractive as an option. "Recycling is very important to us and we would like an alternative to using the landfill," Farrell added. "We believe Biffa can provide us with the solutions we need."

Biffa’s ability to provide real time data on what it collects is providing Sonoco with better control of its waste. By providing information on the amount of waste it produces and which operational processes create it, Sonoco is able to take steps to reduce it.

According to Biffa Director Nick Gregg, Britain needs to stop thinking about waste as something to be thrown away. "It can be a valuable resource and much of the material disposed of at a landfill could be used to create energy," he said. "We’re delighted to be given the chance to work with Sonoco Alcore in Halifax and look forward to helping it reduce the financial and environmental cost of its waste."

ENDS

Press contact: Barry Walton or Lucy Elmes. TEL 020 8789 9651

About Biffa
Biffa is owned by Waste Acquisition Co Ltd, an entity formed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Montagu Private Equity & UCIL (Uberior Co-Investments Limited). It is one of the largest single suppliers of waste management services in the UK. It collects, treats, recovers and disposes of municipal, commercial and industrial waste nationwide.

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 http://www.sonoco.com/